Over 500,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S.
The number of children who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic has reportedly surpassed half a million.
That's according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association, which this week reported that the number of child cases of COVID-19 has risen to 513,415 following a 16 percent increase from August 20 through Sept. 3, CNN reports. The report says that 103 children have died due to COVID-19, per CBS News.
"These numbers are a chilling reminder of why we need to take this virus seriously," American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza said. "While much remains unknown about COVID-19, we do know that the spread among children reflects what is happening in the broader communities."
According to the report, COVID-19 cases among children represent almost 10 percent of the cases in the United States, and the largest increases in child cases were in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, NBC News reports.
The American Academy of Pediatrics previously noted that "severe illness" from COVID-19 appears to be "rare" among children. But American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases vice-chair Sean O'Leary explained to The Wall Street Journal, "At least acutely it's less severe in children, but we also need to understand whether there are potentially consequences of long-term effects."
These numbers come as many students across the country begin their school year. In Florida, The Washington Post reports that as numerous schools shutter, "infections among school-age children have jumped 34 percent," yet many parents in the state "don't know if outbreaks of the virus are related to their own schools because the state ordered some counties to keep health data secret."
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