Statistics from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are showing a worrisome increase of coronavirus cases in children in the United States. The report was published last week. AAP reports for the last two weeks of July showed that 97,000 kids had the virus, which accounted for a 40% rise from preceding weeks.
Reports for just last week of October, however, showed that over 61,000 kids had contracted the coronavirus. The shocking statistics will be the highest ever recorded since the inception of the COVID-19 outbreak.
An announcement by the AAP on Monday stated that over 853,000 United States kids have so far tested positive for coronavirus as at October 29 and about 200,000 cases occurred in October. The academy also says that kids make up about 11% of cases reported nationwide. These statistics from the AAP represent data gathered each week from forty-nine US states in addition to the District of Columbia, New York City, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
“This is a stark reminder of the impact this pandemic is having on everyone – including our children and adolescents,” said Dr. Sally Goza, President of AAP. “This virus is highly contagious, and as we see spikes in many communities, children are more likely to be infected, too. We can help protect everyone in our communities by keeping our physical distance, wearing masks, and following other recommendations from our doctors and public health experts.”
Some symptoms seen in some rare coronavirus infected kids are an inflammatory condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). It is shares related signs with Kawasaki disease, makes the arteries all over the body to swell. Other symptoms of MIS-C are rashes, redness of eyes and tongue, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.
“Invariably, that widespread community spread has affected children,” said Dr. Juan C. Salazar, Connecticut Children Medical Center’s Chief Physician. “The kids are in the community; they’re attending schools and getting together with adults who are potentially infected. It’s a widespread virus, it’s not sparing any element of the population – including children.”
It was observed by medical professionals that kids having inflammations in their brain, eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys, and digestive organs had already contracted COVID-19 or have had contact with other infected persons.
Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Senior Scholar, also spoke with Yahoo Life on the possible cause of the alarming statistics among kids. She cited an increased awareness of the need to carry out the COVID-19 tests in children, compared to the initial days of the pandemic.
On ways to keep kids safe from the virus, Dr. Adalja prescribed the use of masks for kids who are old enough to wear them, maintaining proper hand hygiene, and observing social distancing. She urged parents to ensure these guidelines are correctly followed.
Source: foxnews.com
