While policymakers are considering reopening American schools this fall, they face overwhelming reality: COVID-19 appears to have increased among young Americans this summer. As of July 9, there were approximately 200,000 cases shown in young people; On August 6, that number increased to nearly 180,000, an increase of about 90% in just over 4 weeks, according to a new report. This translates from an increase of 319 cases consisting of 100,000 young Americans to 501 cases consistent with 100,000 in just 4 weeks.
The report, from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, found more than 380,000 cases shown in youth as of August 6.
Recently, evidence has emerged that COVID-19 does not appear to produce as severe symptoms in young people as it does in adults, giving new justification to communities and legislators to pressure to reopen schools for face-to-face classes. However, the new data, compiled through the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, are a warning that reopening schools without the proper social estrangement measures instead can simply drive the spread of COVID-19. This is a specific fear for schools and the best schools, as older youth with COVID-19 have the idea of spreading the virus at rates similar to those of adults. And although severe COVID-19 in young people is rare, it is not uncommon. Children accounted for between 0.5% and 5.3% of all hospitalizations in 20 states (plus New York) that reported figures, and between 0.3% and 8.9% of all young people who have been hospitalized. As of August 6, 90 young men had died of the disease in 44 states and New York.
Overall, the new report found that young people account for an increasing proportion of COVID-19 cases. On April 16, young people accounted for 2% of all COVID-19 cases (in 46 states, in addition to NYC and D.C.); as of August 6, accounted for approximately 9.1% of cases nationwide (in 49 states, in addition to New York, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam).
This knowledge does not paint a better picture of how COVID-19 has effects on young people in the United States.Each state has implemented social estrangement measures and COVID-19 tests differently, which can also have effects on anyone in poor health. and who is counted. It is also not known to what extent the accumulation of evidence has led to more young people testing the virus in the first place. In the first months of the pandemic, only those in poor health would be tested; Since young people seem to have less severe symptoms of COVID-19 infection, it is conceivable that in the spring, many young people would possibly have stuck COVID-19 and recovered without having had visual symptoms and therefore would never have been examined.
States also have other strategies for collecting and organizing knowledge about COVID-19. In particular, the age organization that defines “child” differs from state to state, while the maximum number of reported youth from 0 to 17 or 0 to 19 years, Florida and Utah limited “young people” from 0 to 14 years, while Alabama reached 24 years. Differences can have a significant impact, as older youth seem to have symptoms than younger ones and are more contagious.
However, the report highlights some trends. The southern and western states are to blame for much of the increase in the number of young people diagnosed with COVID-19. Alabama had the proportion of cases among young people, and young people accounted for 22.5% of the total states shown as of August 6, followed by Wyoming and Tennessee with 16.5% and 16.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, New York City and New Jersey, epicenters in the early days of the pandemic, have a relatively lower proportion of young people diagnosed with COVID-19, or about 3% each.