Nearly 280,000 school-going children have been infected with the novel coronavirus between March 1 and September 19 according to data released in a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The report accounted for roughly four percent of the total caseload in the US of this period, with children aged between 12 and 17 approximately twice as likely to be infected as those aged 5 to 11.
The rate of new infection rose steadily during the spring and then shot up over the summer, peaking on July 19 with an average weekly incidence of 37.9 per 100,000.
The rate of new cases then plateaued for several weeks before declining in late August – though it appears they have begun increasing towards summer levels.
The authors of the data helped bring up a baseline for monitoring trends of Covid-19 infection as some schools resumed to in-person learning at the moment and in the coming months.
“School studies suggest that in-person learning can be safe in communities with low SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates, but might increase transmission risk in communities where transmission is already high,” they said.
The report shows more data for trends that were already known, such as black minority and Hispanic groups are at heightened risk of developing severe Covid-19, as are children with underlying health conditions.
277,285 children were infected, 3,240 hospitalized, 404 admitted to intensive care while 51 others died of the virus.
In reality, the actual rates of hospitalization, intensive care admissions, and death are likely to be lower since the actual number of children infected was probably far higher and not recorded, given the number of asymptomatic cases.
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Though the risk of infections among children is relatively low, health experts are worried about the onward transmission risk children could present to their parents or grandparents.
Children between ages 5 and 11 accounted for 101,503 cases and 20 deaths while those in-between ages 12 and 17 accounted for 175,782 cases and 31 deaths.
Chronic lung disease including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), for example — was the most prevalent underlying condition.
The rates of infection varied significantly depending on the region.
