Children are most at risk from the pandemic 0:51
(CNN) -
Children now represent 26% of the weekly cases of covid-19 reported throughout the United States, that is, more than 1 in 4 infections, according to new data published this Tuesday.
Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that last week alone, between August 26 and September 2, 251,781 cases of covid-19 were reported in children.
This figure represents more than a quarter of the 939,470 total cases that were reported that week.
This Labor Day saw an average of 300% more new cases of covid-19 than last year in the United States.
In each of the previous two weeks, children accounted for about 22% of reported weekly cases.
"Last week, about 252,000 cases were added, the highest number of cases in children in a week since the pandemic began. After declining in early summer, cases in children have increased exponentially, with more than 750,000 additional cases between the August 5 and September 2, "the AAP noted in its publication of the new figures.
The definition of a child varies by state, but generally includes those up to 17 or 18 years old.
In two weeks, from August 19 to September 2, there has been a 10% increase in the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in children since the start of the pandemic, according to the AAP.
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The weekly number of cases reported this Tuesday represents a 250% increase in cases of children compared to the week of July 22-29, when the AAP accounted for 71,726 new cases.
Despite the alarming increase in cases, it still appears that severe illness from Covid-19 is rare among children at this time, according to the AAP.
Among the states that reported data on youth hospitalizations, children accounted for between 1.6% and 4.1% of their total hospitalizations.
On the other hand, between 0.1% and 1.9% of all COVID-19 cases in children ended up in hospitalization, according to new data.
"However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including the ways in which the virus can harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its effects on emotional and mental health, "noted the AAP.
Among the states that reported deaths, children accounted for up to 0.27% of all COVID-19 deaths.
Seven states have not reported any child deaths from COVID-19 during the pandemic.
So far, more than 5 million children in total have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, accounting for 15.1% of all cases in the United States.
