Nearly 72,000 Children Tested Positive For Covid-19 In One Week Alone In The U.S.

Covid-19 cases among children in the United States appear to be on the rise following a slight decline in early summer, according to the most recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Nearly 72,000 children are reported to have tested positive for Covid-19 in one week alone, representing a significant jump from the weekly number of pediatric Covid-19 cases reported in previous weeks.

According to data collected and shared by AAP in partnership with the Children’s Hospital Association, 71,726 children tested positive for Covid-19 between July 22 and July 29. That’s close to double the 38,654 cases of Covid-19 reported among children in the previous week and more than three times the 23,551 cases reported to have occurred in children from July 8 to July 15.

In the week beginning July 22, children made up 19% of weekly Covid-19 cases, a rise from 16.8% the previous week and 15.9% the week before that. In fact, AAP has reported that in just two weeks (July 15 to July 29) Covid-19 cases in children rose 3%.

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, more than 4.2 million people around the globe have died from Covid-19 with more than 614,000 of those deaths occurring in the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Overall, more than 200 million people have contracted the virus globally with more than 35 million of those cases occurring in the United States.

According to AAP, more than 4.1 million children have contracted Covid-19 in the United States since the pandemic began and children represent roughly 14.3% of the country’s cumulative cases. At the moment, only children age 12 and older are eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine although multiple vaccine manufacturers are currently testing their vaccines in children as young as six months.

Still, AAP has continued to maintain that severe illness from Covid-19 is uncommon among children. And that claim appears to be consistent with AAP data, which has shown children make up between 1.3% to 3.5% of reporting states’ total cumulated hospitalizations with anywhere from 0.1% to 1.9% of all child Covid-19 cases resulting in hospitalization.

But doctors in some states have expressed concern over how many children have recently been hospitalized with the virus. According to the Miami Herald, 135 children were hospitalized in Florida on Tuesday with confirmed cases of Covid-19. Only Texas reported a higher number, with 142 children across the state reportedly hospitalized Tuesday, the paper reported.

While two children are reported to have died from Covid-19 at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, this past weekend, children continue to make up a small segment of overall Covid-19 deaths. According to AAP, children were 0.00% to 0.26% of all reporting states’ Covid-19 deaths.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all of Romper’s parents + coronavirus coverage here.