A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association revealed that the number of new COVID-19 cases in children has slightly risen after two consecutive weeks of decline.
The week of April 30 to May 6 had 72,067 cases, whilst the week before had 71,649 cases. The 0.6% increase in cases was, on its own, not large, but when combined with the drop in new cases, the data from the AAP and CHA showed that children’s cases of all COVID-19 cases for the week was 24.0%. This number is the highest of any time during the pandemic.
Nationally, there are just over 3.54 million new COVID-19 cases in children. In 49 states (excepting New York), the District of Columbia, New York City, Puerto Rico, and Guam, the cumulative case rate, as of the 6th of May, was 5,122 per 100,000 children.
The weekly COVID-19 report from the AAP and CHA also showed that the state of Rhode Island had a 30% increase in the last week. 4,900 more cases were added after data revision and reporting lags were resolved. The new cases mean that Rhode Island has the highest cumulative rate in the United States of 9,614 cases per 100,000 children.
Behind Rhode Island is North Dakota with 9,526 new cases per 100,000. Tennessee follows with 8,898, then Connecticut with 8,281, and South Carolina with 8,274.
Proportionally, Vermont has the highest number of cases at 22.4%, followed by Alaska at 20.3%, and South Carolina at 18.7% of cases in children.
Hawaii’s first COVID-19-related child death was just reported, which means that only 9 states can claim zero deaths in children. During the week of April 30 to May 6, two other deaths in children were added to the list, bringing the total number of deaths to 306 in 43 states, New York City, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
The authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 means that recommendations for adolescents from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC will soon emerge.
