COVID-19: Nearly 5,50,00 children infected in US, says study

More than half a million children in the United States alone have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the outbreak began eight months ago. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association, 5,49,432 children have tested positive in the United States, of which 15 percent or 72,993 cases came between August 27 and September 10. 

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According to the groups, 49 states officially listed cases by age, while only a part of these states reported hospitalisation and mortality by age. New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam are among these regions in the United States that listed cases by age. According to data gathered by the groups from 24 states and New York City, children made up 0.6% to 3.6% of total hospitalisation. 

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No COVID deaths among kids in 18 states

The groups further said in their report that no deaths were reported among children in the 18 states that provided data on deaths by age. The groups said that even though deaths among children appear to be rare, states should continue to provide data on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalisation, mortality by age, race, and ethnicity so that the effects of the disease can be accurately documented and monitored. 

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As per the report, children account for 10 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in the United States, which according to the Johns Hopkins University, currently stands at 6.5 million. The United States continues to remain the worst-affected nation by the disease with more cases and deaths reported anywhere in the world. So far, the country has registered nearly 2,00,000 deaths, which is nearly 20 percent of the global tally. 

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