Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shows Covid Rate Nearly Doubled For US Children Last Week
Fox News: COVID-19 Cases In Children Surge 84% In 1 Week, Study Finds
COVID-19 cases in children are up 84% in the past week, with 72,000 kids testing positive for the virus, a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] reported on Wednesday. The new infections were recorded in the seven days leading up to July 29, up from 39,000 the week prior, according to the AAP report. AAP said it had teamed up with Children’s Hospitals of America to help collect and share data about pediatric cases of the virus, which have been only 14.3% of the total cumulative cases, the study says. That share rose to 19% for the week ending July 29. Since the pandemic began, 4.2 million children have tested positive for the virus. (Reilly, 8/5)
Health News Florida: 'As Contagious As Chickenpox': What To Know About Children And COVID-19
Children are increasingly becoming infected by coronavirus, as cases and hospitalizations surge in Florida. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Florida leads the nation in the rate of children hospitalized. In the last week of July, there were 32 pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations per day, which when adjusted for population equals 0.76 kids hospitalized per 100,000 residents. (Sheridan, 8/5)
NBC News: Is The Delta Variant More Dangerous For Children? A Growing Number Of Kids Are Very Sick
The number of very sick children admitted to Children's Hospital New Orleans with Covid-19 has exploded over the past two weeks — from zero to 20. "I've never seen anything like it," said Dr. Mark Kline, the hospital's physician-in-chief. "We are seeing children fall ill that we just simply didn't see in the first year of the pandemic, before the delta variant came along." (Edwards, 8/5)
NBC News: Vaccinated Parents' New Worry: Can I Transmit Covid To My Unvaccinated Kids?
When Kate Eichelberger and her husband got their Covid-19 vaccinations, they felt a sense of protection — not just for themselves, but for their young children, too. At 6 and 8 years old, the kids are not yet eligible for Covid-19 shots, which are currently only available to those 12 and up. But Eichelberger felt relieved knowing that as a fully vaccinated adult, if she were exposed to the coronavirus at her workplace or anywhere else, it was unlikely she would bring it home to her children. (Chuck, 8/6)
