Nearly 100,000 Children Infected in 2 Weeks in U.S, RI Above National Average

Nearly 100,000 Children Infected in 2 Weeks in U.S, RI Above National Average

A new study finds at least 97,000 children were recently infected with the coronavirus across the United States. And, Rhode Island's numbers are especially concerning.

The percentage of cases in Rhode Island that were children testing positive was well above the national average, according to the study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While in Massachusetts, Connecticut, NewYork, and New Jersey the percent was under 6%, in Rhode Island the percentage was more than 9% — the national average is 8.8%.

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Rhode Island ranks 9th overall for cases per 100,00 for children.

In Rhode Island, the specific data for children is not publicly reported — less than 1% of all deaths from the disease are linked to Rhode Islanders under 40 years of age.

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Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo’s reopening plans are still not fully developed and her narrative on the reopen has often been confusing and contradictory.

“As schools face the daunting challenge of reopening while the coronavirus continues to spread, at least 97,000 children around the United States tested positive in the last two weeks of July, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. It says that at least 338,000 children had tested positive through July 30, meaning more than a quarter tested positive in just those two weeks,” reports the New York Times.

The report was released as some southern schools have tried to reopen, only to quickly order quarantines or close their doors. North Paulding High School in Georgia, which drew attention after images of its crowded hallways circulated on social media, announced on Sunday that it would switch to online instruction for Monday and Tuesday after reporting at least nine virus cases, said the Times.

States in the South and West accounted for more than seven out of 10 infections in the new report, which relied on data from 49 states along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. 

Not every locality where data was collected categorized children in the same age range. Most places cited in the report considered children to be people no older than 17 or 19. In Alabama, though, the age limit was 24; in Florida and Utah, the age limit was 14.