Pediatric COVID cases rising in multiple states as students return to the classroom

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Several states — including Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan — are reporting school-related COVID-19 outbreaks.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has reported that 60% of all COVID cases from the last two months occurred in K-12 schools. 

Georgia’s caseload has increased roughly tenfold since July, and the state is averaging almost 7,000 new cases daily. The state also ranks near the bottom in terms of vaccination rates, with a vaccinated percentage of only 43%. 

Ohio, too, has reported a 44% increase in cases among school-aged children since Aug. 15. Cases in the rest of the state’s population increased by 17%. Only about half of Ohio schools require masks. 

Pennsylvania is reporting 10 times the number of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children compared to last year, when the state was doing remote learning. 

Michigan has announced that its COVID-19 cases among school-aged children have doubled. The data, released by the Michigan State Health Department, shows that there are 344 new outbreaks and 538 ongoing outbreaks. Michigan’s vaccination rate is 51.3%, just short of the national average. 

New Jersey has reported 133 cumulative COVID-19 cases in children–the result of 6 separate outbreaks. Of those, none were hospitalized, according to New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli. Gov. Phil Murphy announced that 82% of all eligible New Jersey residents have received their first dose of the vaccine. This rate is one of the highest in the country. 

Nationally, the American Association of Pediatrics has released data showing that pediatric COVID cases have increased by 240% in the last two months. However, an end may be in sight if the vaccine is approved for school-aged children. 

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“The FDA says it will be a matter of weeks, not months, to make a determination if they’re going to authorize vaccines for kids between 5 and 11,” said former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb. “I interpret that to be perhaps four weeks, maybe six weeks.”

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