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Children accounted for more than a fifth of the total COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending August 26. according to the data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
As of last week, children made up 22.4% of reported cases. This is higher than the overall total average of child cases during the pandemic, which is 14.8% of the total cumulative cases. The report also noted that there had been a 9% increase in the cumulative number of child cases from August 12 to 26.
The increase comes as children have started face-to-face school for the first time since the start of the pandemic in many cases. The ages that states consider a “child” case vary, but children under 12 are not currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
In Iowa, for example, 22% of Iowa’s 8,308 COVID-19 cases are reported in children, according to state data released this week.
In Tennessee, daily infections in children aged 5 to 18 reached their highest level since the start of the pandemic, and more than 154,000 children aged 5 to 18 have been infected since the start of the pandemic.
Despite record cases among school-aged children and school districts across the state struggling to stay open, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday supported the response of his administration and has resisted any further response to escalation cases.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday that new studies to be released on Friday show hospitalizations among children were four times higher in states with low vaccination rates in August. .
“Cases, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are much lower in children and communities with higher vaccination rates. Vaccination works, â€Walensky said.
Hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths in children are still rare, but more data is needed to determine the long-term impacts on children, the American Academy of Pediatrics noted.
Also in the news:
â–ºThe United States is again reporting more than 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 every week, according to USA TODAY analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The country reported 10,105 deaths in the week ending Thursday, exceeding a mark not seen since early March. Less than two months ago, the United States was reporting 1,525 deaths per week, an increase of 562%.
â–ºAs part of a new exchange of vaccines, Britain will send 4 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Australia with the agreement that Australia will return the same number to the UK later this year. The deal “will allow the UK to better align our own vaccine supply schedules with our future needs” while helping Australia to immediately deliver vaccine for a nationwide campaign.
â–ºThe European Union and AstraZeneca settled a lawsuit on Friday over slow deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines, with the drug maker pledging to deliver 300 million doses by next March, as agreed in a purchase agreement advance signed by both parties a year ago. AstraZeneca vaccine not yet available in the United States
â–ºAlabama health officials recruited 13 colleges, including the University of Alabama and Auburn University, to host COVID-19 vaccination campaigns ahead of football games this fall, with fans eligible for $ 75 incentive coupons on game days.
â–ºFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed a judge’s ruling that the governor overstepped his authority by ordering school boards not to impose strict mask requirements on students to fight the spread of the coronavirus .
The numbers of the day: The United States has recorded more than 39 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 643,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 218 million cases and 4.5 million deaths. More than 174 million Americans – 52.7% of the population – have been fully immunized, According to the CDC.
What we read: Denver has a strict vaccination mandate for teachers, as well as masks. It’s keeping the children in school. herethat’s how they do it.
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Breast milk of vaccinated mothers contains COVID-19 antibodies, study finds
Mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to pass protection against infection to their breastfed babies, according to a recently published study from the University of Florida.
Antibodies passed through breast milk could prove beneficial for babies, the researchers said, but more study is needed to determine their impact.
The study tested the blood and breast milk of 21 nursing mothers before vaccination, after the first dose and after the second injection. The researchers found that in breast milk, after the second dose, there was a 100-fold increase in immunoglobulin A antibodies, said Joseph Larkin III, lead author of the study.
Babies are born with their immune systems not fully developed, Larkin said. They are too young to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and cannot protect themselves. Breast milk, however, is like a useful toolkit that can be modified to potentially improve this vulnerability.
“A lot of moms, pregnant women, are afraid of getting the vaccine. They want to do what’s best for their babies,” said Dr. Josef Neu, co-author of the study. “This is something we wanted to know if it could actually bring benefits.”
– Danielle Ivanov, Le Soleil de Gainesville
Pandemic makes the search for child care more overwhelming than ever
For parents across the country, the process of finding and registering for child care – and the government grants that help them afford it – has become more overwhelming than ever. Quality preschool learning options are scarce across the country. The centers are understaffed and case managers are overworked. Many families do not have the time and the skills to find a place in the programs that exist.
First, there is the difficulty of determining what is available: reliable and accessible directories listing up-to-date openings are scarce, as are clear assessments of the quality of a program. Then there’s the tedious task of calling or visiting each of these vendors to see where there are vacancies, fill out applications, and sometimes interview. Then there are waiting lists of several months or even years. Preschool admissions can be unforgiving.
And for many low- and middle-income parents, there’s the added step of determining and applying for financial assistance, which usually involves their own mishmash of procedures and paperwork.
“With today’s technology, it should be as easy to find daycare as it is to book for dinner,†said Cara Sklar, deputy director of preschool and elementary education policy at New America, a Washington, DC think tank. Instead, Lara said, “it feels like you are submitting a request in space.” Read more here.
– Alia Wong, USA TODAY
‘It’s a law’: Iowa governor refuses to recommend masks to students
On Thursday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declined to recommend that students wear masks in schools, saying the opinion “doesn’t really matter” because state law prohibits local districts from making this a requirement.
Reynolds’ response, which came at a press conference at the Iowa Capitol, was whether Iowa Director of Public Health Kelly Garcia would recommend that students wear masks at school despite the prohibition of mandates. The governor answered the question in place of Garcia.
“It is a law according to which the elected officials elected by the Iowans and the voters of this state listened to the people they represent, passed a bill, sent it to my office and was enacted,” he said. said Reynolds.
After the press conference, Garcia told reporters that she sends her own children to school with masks.
“As the governor replied, there is a law in Iowa, but that doesn’t mean a parent can’t make their own decision,†Garcia said. “As a parent, I send my kids to school with masks every day and I had this conversation with our health care provider and teachers.”
Like many Republican governors in the United States, Reynolds has resisted mask demands throughout the pandemic. Iowa policies have diverged from guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommend universal masking in schools and that people wear masks in areas with high coronavirus transmission, regardless of their vaccination status.
– Ian Richardson and Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
Pediatric intensive care “under stress” as more children are hospitalized for COVID, RSV
As hospitals continue to see an increase in hospitalizations among young children for COVID-19, another respiratory disease simultaneously dominates pediatric intensive care units and overwhelming health workers.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common virus that usually causes mild cold-like symptoms, mostly in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the most common cause of pneumonia in children under one year of age in the United States
A typical RSV season occurs in the last quarter of the calendar year, October through December. But an unusual surge in RSV has occurred this summer, threatening hospital capacity in states struggling with high coronavirus transmission, as young children sick with COVID-19, RSV, or both fill intensive care beds.
Health experts say they are particularly concerned about children infected with both COVID-19 and RSV. Versalovic said about 50% of children with co-infections have been hospitalized at Texas Children’s, mostly patients under the age of 5. Read more here.
– Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY
Hit in the dark: millions of Americans keep vaccinations a secret
The stigma of actually believing in vaccines is so strong in some communities that millions of Americans are getting vaccinated in secret to avoid blame – even though the injections have been proven to be safe and effective.
About 1 in 6 people vaccinated against COVID-19 say they keep this information secret from at least some people, while more than 1 in 17 people don’t tell anyone, according to a Harris Poll survey conducted exclusively for USA TODAY. With over 174 million people fully vaccinated in this country, that’s more than 10 million people who refuse to share this information.
In many cases, people who have been vaccinated hide it because they know other people in their life would not approve.
“I was very uncomfortable letting the supervisor know that I was going to be vaccinated against COVID,” said William, a worker in Maine whose boss has been spreading misinformation about vaccines. . “It sounds pretty unfriendly.”
– Nathan Bomey
Contribution: Yue Stella Yu, The Tennessean
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