Report Shows Pediatric Coronavirus Cases Soaring; How MI 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 Michigan — current as of July 30 — shows more than 6,200 people under 19 having been diagnosed with COVID-19, making up 7.1 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 Michigan (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 Michigan is at 260.6 per 100,000, below the national rate of 447 as of July 30.

Four of Michigan's more than 6,200 deaths related to COVID-19 have been children. There were 86 such deaths across the country in the national report.

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 Detroit-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.

Read More: What Metro Detroit Schools Are Doing This Fall: List

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in June released the MI Safe Start plan for how schools can reopen for fall, including requiring them to come up with plans and guidelines for safety, the use of personal protective equipment, cleaning and disinfecting.