American Academy of Pediatrics data shows that Covid-19 cases among US children have increased almost 240% since July.
Kids now account for 29% of all cases reported nationwide. This substantial increase has coincided with the return to school, and experts say vaccine mandates may be the only way to keep in-person classes viable.
Children under 12 are not eligible for a vaccine yet, so advocates are urging parents to get vaccinated to protect their children.
As of September 9, 2021, nearly 5.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic and the second highest number of child cases in a week since the pandemic began–more than 243,000 cases–were added the past week.
After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with nearly 500,000 cases in the past two weeks.
The age distribution of reported COVID-19 cases was provided on the health department websites of 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Since the pandemic began, children represented 15.5% of total cumulated cases.
For the week ending September 9, children under age 18–who make up 22.2% of the US population–comprised 28.9% of reported weekly COVID-19 cases.