Small increase in new COVID-19 cases observed in children

According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association, after declining for 2 consecutive weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases in children increased slightly.

This increase was less than 0.6% – 72,067 cases reported during the week of 30 April to 6 May, compared to 71,649 a week earlier – but when combined with the decline in new cases, it was 24.0% share for the week of the total of all COVID-19 children. AAP and CHA data show, it is higher than at any time during the epidemic.

However, it is worth noting that Rhode Island experienced a 30% increase in the past week, as data revisions and reporting dysfunction added up to about 4,900 cases, AAP and CHA said in their weekly COVID-19 report.

All new cases bring the total national count to just 3.54 million children, representing 14.0% of all cases in 49 states (excluding New York), the District of Columbia, New York City, Puerto Rico and Guam. Both organizations said that on May 6, the cumulative case rate was 5,122 per 100,000 children.

All new cases added to Rhode Island’s total give it the highest cumulative rate in the country: 9,614 cases per 100,000 children. North Dakota trails with 9,526 per 100,000, followed by Tennessee (8,898), Connecticut (8,281), and South Carolina (8,274). According to AAM and CHA, Vermont has the highest proportion of children at 22.4% with Alaska at 20.3% and South Carolina at 18.7%.

Hawaii reported its first COVID-19-related death in just one child, which drops the number of states with zero deaths from 10 to 9 children. Two other new deaths in children from 30 April to 6 May bring the total number to 306. 43 states with New York City, Puerto Rico, and Guam reporting age distributions of deaths.

In a separate statement, AAP President Lee Savio Beers acknowledged the Food and Drug Administration’s authorize the Pfizer-BioNotech vaccine for children between the ages of 12-15 “as an important driver of life-saving vaccines for children and adolescents. Important step … we see further to the discussion by the Advisory Committee on the vaccination practices of the CDC, which will make recommendations regarding the use of this vaccine in adolescents.”

Source: MedScape