Over 920k US kids test Covid-19 positive

Washington, Nov 13 (IANS) Over 920,000 children in the US have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic in the country, according to the latest data.The data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association on Thursday said that a total of 73,883 new child cases were reported from October 29 to November 5, the highest-ever weekly increase, reports Xinhua news agency.Over two weeks, from October 22 to November 5, there was a 17 per cent increase in child Covid-19 cases.Altogether 927,518 child cases were reported in the US, and children represented 11.3 per cent of all those infected.The overall rate was 1,232 cases per 100,000 children in the population, according to the report.Children accounted for 1 per cent to 3.4 per cent of total reported hospitalizations, and 0 to 0.18 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths, said the report."At this time, it appears that severe illness due to Covid-19 is rare among children. However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts 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 AAP said. The US, currently the worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic, has so far registered a total of 10,535,828 coronavirus cases and 242,654 deaths.
--IANS ksk/