Children Now Accounting for More Than 20% of Active COVID Cases in Alabama

Children accounted for more than 20% of weekly COVID cases by the end of August, according to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association detailed in The Hill.

Nationally, kids made up 22.4% of cases last week, a figure that’s higher than the total average of child cases during the pandemic at just under 15%. There was also a 9% increase in the cumulative number of child cases from Aug. 12-26.

“As of August 26, nearly 4.8 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. About 204,000 cases were added the past week, marking the second week with child cases at the level of the winter surge of 2020-21. After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with over a five-fold increase the past month, rising from about 38,000 cases the week ending July 22nd to nearly 204,000 the past week,” the report stated.

Available data indicates, however, “that COVID-19-associated hospitalization and death is uncommon in children.”

COVID vaccinations are currently only available to children ages 12 and older.

(AL.COM/www.al.com)

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