The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said that child Covid-19 cases have increased nearly 240% since July.
The AAP reported 243,373 new cases among kids over the past week in the US.
Thus, it’s about a 240% increase since early July, when kids accounted for 71,726 cases.
“After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially with nearly 500,000 cases in the past two weeks.”
The latest update comes as schools across the country are in full swing and experts have advised adults to get vaccinated to protect children under 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine.
As of Thursday, nearly 5.3 million children total have tested positive for Covid-19, AAP said, and children currently account for 29% of all cases reported nationwide.
New Covid-19 Measures
US President Joe Biden has earlier announced a set of new Covid-19 measures to prevent a new wave of the virus.
The new measures require workers at large companies to receive their vaccination or face weekly testing.
Moreover, the measures include a vaccine mandate for millions of federal government workers. But, they come as cases in the country are surging.
Hospitals in several states have reached capacity amid the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant.
The new requirements cover about 100 million workers.
“This is not about freedom, or personal choice, it’s about protecting yourself and those around you,” the president said as he unveiled his plan.
More than 650,000 Americans have died with Covid-19 since last year. Some 80 million people in the US remain unvaccinated.
