28% rise in Covid-19 cases in children in the US: American Academy of Paediatrics

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) report, over 144,000 new cases of Covid-19 were reported among children last week. This comes ahead of the festival season and Thanksgiving weekend.

The report revealed that over the last two weeks, there has been a 28 per cent rise in Covid-19 cases in children who now account for more than 11 per cent of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the US.

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About 144,145 new cases among children 17 and under were reported from November 12 to 19, AAP said.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University released on Monday, the US has reported more than 12 million coronavirus cases, and more than 257,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

In an interview with the PBS Newshour, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, said: “What most concerns me now is, you know, the immediate situation with people travelling from different places, coming home for Thanksgiving.”

“When you leave a location and have to go to an airport or wherever it is, a train station, etc., the possibility of exposing yourself and then going home to your home community for a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving holiday might actually, unfortunately, be a source of, or even amplification of, the surge,” he added.

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According to the Covid Tracking Project, around 83,870 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised on Sunday ― the 13th straight record-breaking day.

A CNN report said many hospitals in the US are overwhelmed with patients and now they have started diverting patients, delaying surgeries, and closing pediatric units for Covid-19 patients.