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COVID-19 Cases Rising Among U.S. Children as Schools Reopen

Suben casos de virus en niños tras reapertura de aulas

 

After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears fueled by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities.

Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S. cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday, September 29. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday, September 28, that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms.

About two times more teens were infected than younger children, the CDC’s report said. Most infected children have mild cases; hospitalizations and death rates are much lower than in adults.

Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the rising numbers are a big concern and underscore the importance of masks, hand-washing, social distancing and other precautions.

“While children generally don’t get as sick with the coronavirus as adults, they are not immune and there is much to learn about how easily they can transmit it to others,” she said in a statement.

The CDC’s report did not indicate where or how the children became infected.

Public health experts say the uptick probably reflects increasing spread of the virus in the larger community. While many districts require masks and other precautions, some spread in schools is thought to be occurring, too. But experts also say many school-age children who are getting sick may not be getting infected in classrooms.

Just as cases in college students have been linked to partying and bars, school children may be contracting the virus at playdates, sleepovers, sports and other activities where precautions aren’t being taken, said Dr. Leana Wen, a public health specialist at George Washington University.

“Understandably, there is quarantine fatigue,” Wen said. Many people have a sense that if schools are reopening, then other activities can resume too, “but actually the opposite is true.”

Global school studies suggest in-person learning can be safe when transmission rates in the larger community are low, the CDC’s report said.

Mississippi is among states where several outbreaks among students and teachers have been reported since in-person classes resumed in July and August.

Kathy Willard said she had mixed feelings when her grandson’s fourth grade class in Oxford was sent home for two weeks after several teachers and one student tested positive for the virus. The family doesn’t have internet access at home, making remote learning a challenge.

In Alcorn County, Mississippi, where hundreds of community cases have been reported, including dozens among teachers, staff and students, parent Kimberly Kilpatrick-Kelley is keeping her 15- and 17-olds home for virtual learning.

The Corinth mother said the family always wears masks when they leave home and practice social distancing, and she worries about her kids getting sick and infecting her parents.

Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious-diseases committee, said the big question is what will happen as schools that have started out with online learning go back to in-person classes.

“It really will depend on how well can you mask and distance in a school setting,” she said.

The CDC’s report said more than 277,000 children ages 5 to 17 were confirmed infected between March and Sept. 19, with an increase in September after a peak and a decline over the summer.

The agency acknowledged that may be an underestimate, in part because testing is most often done on people with symptoms, and children with the coronavirus often have none.

The CDC reported 51 deaths in school-age kids, most in them ages 12 to 17. Less than 2% of infected children were hospitalized, and youngsters who are Black, Hispanic or have underlying conditions fared worse than white children.

As of September 24, the AAP counted nearly 625,000 youth cases, up to age 20, a 14% increase over the previous two weeks. Deaths totaled 109, well under 1% of all COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S.

As of Monday, September 28, the CDC counted over 435,000 cases in children from age zero through 17 and 93 deaths. The groups’ totals differ because they include different ages and time periods.

Overall, 7 million Americans have been confirmed infected and 205,000 have died.

 

The Associated Press

 

SPANISH:

 

Luego de atacar fuertemente a los ancianos en la primavera, el coronavirus está infectando cada vez más a los niños y adolescentes estadounidenses, en una tendencia que las autoridades han dicho que parece estar impulsada por la reapertura de escuelas y la reanudación de encuentros deportivos, citas para jugar y otras actividades.

Los niños de todas las edades ahora representan hasta el 10% de todos los casos de coronavirus en Estados Unidos, comparado con el 2% de abril, reportó el martes, 29 de septiembre, la Academia Estadounidense de Pediatría. Y los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés) dijeron el lunes, 28 de septiembre, que la incidencia de COVID-19 en los menores comenzó a aumentar a principios de septiembre, luego de que muchos pequeños regresaron a las aulas.

El número de adolescentes contagiados fue aproximadamente dos veces mayor que el de niños pequeños, según el reporte de los CDC. La mayoría de los niños infectados desarrollaron síntomas leves y las tasas de hospitalizaciones y de mortalidad son mucho menores que las de los adultos.

La doctora Sally Goza, presidenta de la Academia Estadounidense de Pediatría, dijo que el alza en los números es una gran preocupación y pone de manifiesto la importancia de portar mascarillas, lavarse las manos, el distanciamiento social y otras medidas.

“Si bien los niños generalmente no se enferman del coronavirus tanto como los adultos, no son inmunes, y hay mucho que aprender sobre la facilidad con la que pueden transmitirlo a otras personas”, dijo en un comunicado.

El reporte de los CDC no señaló dónde o cómo se contagiaron los niños.

Los expertos en salud pública comentaron que el repunte probablemente refleja una mayor propagación del virus en la comunidad en general. Y dijeron que muchos niños que se están enfermando probablemente no se contagiaron en las aulas, donde se ha implementado el uso de mascarillas y otras medidas preventivas.

Así como los casos de universitarios han estado vinculados con fiestas y salidas a bares, los niños pudieron haber contraído el virus en citas para jugar, pijamadas, haciendo deporte y en otras actividades donde no se toman precauciones, comentó la doctora Leana Wen, especialista en salud pública de la Universidad George Washington.

“Es comprensible que haya un hastío por la cuarentena”, dijo Wen. Muchas personas sienten que si las escuelas están reabriendo, entonces muchas otras actividades pueden reanudarse también, “pero en realidad es lo contrario”, añadió.

Estudios a nivel mundial indican que la enseñanza presencial puede ser segura cuando las tasas de transmisión en la comunidad en general son bajas, de acuerdo con el reporte de los CDC.

 

The Associated Press

 

 

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