Almost 800,000 kids have contracted coronavirus in US, pediatricians say

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Almost 800,000 children in the U.S. have been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a leading group of doctors, but hospitalization and deaths related to the illness among this patient population remain uncommon.

“At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children,” the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wrote in Monday’s data update. “However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age and race/ethnicity so that the effects of COVID-19 on children’s health can be documented and monitored.”

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According to the data, which the group collected and analyzed in conjunction with the Children’s Hospital Association, children represent 11% of all cases in states reporting COVID-19 cases by age. However, there was also a 14% increase in pediatric COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks.

The report did not mention instances of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been investigating a link between COVID-19 and the illness. The condition causes inflammation in heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal organs.

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Although the CDC hasn’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the illness, it has been reported in children who were diagnosed with COVID-19 or had been around someone with confirmed coronavirus.

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As of Tuesday, the U.S. had reported over 8.7 million coronavirus cases and more than 225,000 deaths. In recent weeks the U.S. has seen an increase in daily new cases, hitting record highs previously seen in July.