Covid cases among kids surge 85% higher from last week

The increase in cases has concerned public heath officials as the school year draws near

Coronavirus cases are up 85 per cent in children, according to pediatric data.

Last week, nearly 72,000 children tested positive for Covid-19, marking a major increase that has left public health officials worried, especially as the new school year draws near.

The data was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday, noting that children now account for 19 per cent of the US' weekly Covid-19 cases.

As the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to run rampant through the unvaccinated population, public health officials are worried that the inability for children under 12 to access the vaccine will leave them vulnerable when they are packed into classrooms again this fall. There are vaccines in development to protect children as young as six, but those vaccines are still a long way off from any government authorisation.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention updated its masking guidelines late last month, and included the recommendation that teachers, students and all school staff wear masks when they return to classes.

Florida has already moved to thwart that advice; Governor Ron DeSantis used his executive powers to prohibit any school from forcing a child to wear a mask while they attend classes.

Arkansa, South Carolina and Texas have also implemented similar laws prohibiting forced masking in schools.

Since the pandemic began, more than 4.2m children have tested positive for the virus.

Thankfully, severe symptoms and hospitalisation is low among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

As of late July, 358 children have been reportedly killed by Covid-19 in the US.

"However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects," the report states.

The Academy recommends that all children over the age of two wear face masks in school, regardless of their vaccination status.

Currently, only half of US adults have been fully vaccinated, and 70 per cent have at least one shot. While the CDC has asked fully vaccinated adults living in high transmission areas to continue masking, the agency noted that getting more Americans vaccinated is still the best defense against the virus and the best chance at bringing the pandemic to a close.