Report Shows Pediatric Coronavirus Cases Soaring; How WI Is Doing
As families and school districts struggle with whether to send children back to the classroom, people are looking to whatever available data they can find to help inform their last-minute decisions.
One of the reports to garner attention this week is one from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. It shows a 40 percent increase in pediatric coronavirus cases nationwide in the last two weeks of July, with nearly 100,000 testing positive in that time.
The latest public health data in Wisconsin — current as of August 10 — shows more than 8,100 people under 19 having been diagnosed with COVID-19, making up 13 percent of the state's confirmed cases to date.
According to the national report, pediatric cases made up a lower percentage of a state's total in only four states and New York City as of July 30. Since not all states have the same age range for children as Wisconsin (0-19), it's not a perfect comparison. For instance, Utah's data is for people 0-14 while Alabama's is 0-25.
Overall, children made up about 9 percent of all cases in the country as of the end of July.
The rate of pediatric cases in Wisconsin is at 535.8 per 100,000, well above the national rate of 447 as of July 30.
None of the 998 deaths related to COVID-19 in Wisconsin have been children. There were 86 such deaths across the country in the national report.
Wisconsin has had 130 hospitalizations of people 0-19 due to COVID-19.
It's still not known what sort of long-term complications children can get as a result from COVID-19.
The national report comes as several Milwaukee-area school districts have made decisions on how to begin the school year, with some districts opting for in-person learning to start the year and others choosing either a virtual or hybrid option.
SEE: How Each Milwaukee-Area School District Will Open This Fall: LIST
In June, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction published "Education Forward," an 83-page report for Wisconsin district and school leaders to use as they plan for a return to school for the 2020-21 school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ultimate decision of how to reopen school this fall is being left up to the school districts themselves.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch
