According to statistics released Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), COVID-19 infections have increased "exponentially" among children in the US since July.
COVID-19 Pediatric Cases Have Increased to 240 Percent
In a recently published article in MSN News, over the last week, the organization recorded 243,373 new cases among children. While this is down from last week's total of 251,781 cases, it represents a 240 percent rise since early July when children were responsible for 71,726 cases.
AAP said in a statement said that COVID-19 cases among children increased exponentially to nearly 500,000 cases in the past two weeks. The new information comes as school starts throughout the nation, and doctors are advising adults to be vaccinated to safeguard children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine.
American Academy of Pediatrics reported that almost 5.3 million children had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday, accounting for 29 percent of all cases recorded nationally, according to a recently published article in News Opener.
Children Rarely Die from COVID-19
COVID-19 is much less likely to cause severe illness or death in children than it is in adults. Children account for 1.6 percent to 4 percent of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in states that record hospitalizations by age. However, adults are encouraged to get vaccinated to protect their children.
Children accounted for just 0.27 percent of fatalities in the states that record deaths by age. There have been no child fatalities in seven states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 523 fatalities among individuals under the age of 18 in the United States as of Sunday. Preteens and teenagers had the lowest immunization rates of any age group for COVID-19, according to a published report in Times News Network.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 has a lower risk of dying or needing intensive care among children and young people than what was previously believed, according to research that looked at hospital admissions and reported fatalities throughout England.
When Child Vaccines Will Be Ready
According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63 percent of the eligible population in the US - those aged 12 and above - is completely vaccinated as of Monday. The overwhelming majority of the population is expected to get immunized, according to health experts and authorities.
President Joe Biden announced new vaccine requirements this week, which garnered both praise and criticism. One of the new requirements is that businesses with more than 100 employees must mandate vaccination or regular testing for their personnel.
According to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a board member of Pfizer and the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, vaccinations for children may be available by Halloween. Pfizer expects to have data on vaccines for children aged 5-11 available for the FDA by the end of September, he told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that the public health organization is working on a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children, which she expects will be available by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the FDA has warned parents not to rush to vaccinate their children before receiving FDA clearance.
