Coronavirus Cases Among Kids Hit Pandemic High After Summer Dip

There were roughly 252,000 new pediatric COVID-19 cases reported last week, up from about 8,450 in late June, according to new data.

About 252,000 new coronavirus cases were reported among children last week, according to data compiled by two health organizations. This marks the largest number of new pediatric COVID-19 cases in a single week since the pandemic began, and it comes as millions of kids head back to school. This surge in pediatric cases between Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 represents nearly 27% of all new COVID-19 cases reported during that time period, according to the weekly report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. The organizations compiled data from 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. There was a drop in child COVID-19 cases around the start of summer. Just 8,447 new pediatric cases were reported during the week of June 24, which is roughly three times less than the total reported last week. A case decline was seen among adults earlier in the summer as well, and pediatric cases appear to have generally risen and fallen with the number of cases reported among adults.