Nearly 100k Children Tested Positive For COVID-19 In Two Weeks

Do kids get COVID-19? The president’s re-election campaign recently faced social media sanctions for claiming that children are “practically immune,” as the debate rolls on about whether schools should reopen for in-person, on-campus classes. Now the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has an answer, saying that almost 100k kids tested positive for the virus in only a two-week period.

MSN describes a new report from the AAP, saying that of the nearly 5 million cases in the U.S. so far, about 338k were in children. Almost a third of those were in the last two weeks of July. Testing of children has been increased in order to determine what role they play in transmitting the disease, and what this means for reopening schools.

The Trump administration has pushed for reopening schools, with Trump even tweeting threats to pull federal funding from schools that rely on virtual courses and distance education. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have visited classrooms to promote in-person education.

Now that we have witnessed it on a large scale basis, and firsthand, Virtual Learning has proven to be TERRIBLE compared to In School, or On Campus, Learning. Not even close! Schools must be open in the Fall. If not open, why would the Federal Government give Funding? It won’t!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020

Thank you to Mrs. Combs’ 4th Grade Class! We are so proud and happy to see you all back in school! @Thales_Academy has taken careful steps to keep everyone healthy and we are grateful for the countless hours put in to open the academy and get kids back in the classroom! pic.twitter.com/KgtuHLDPt2

— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 29, 2020

However, problems with reopening have already begun to surface. For instance, after Pence and DeVos promoted a Thales Academy for reopening their private schools, and shared photos of their visit, another Thales Academy location was forced to quarantine students and teachers as the pandemic hit its campus, ABC News reports.

Even before the school year gets into swing, CBS is reporting that at least 25 children died from the virus in July alone. The CDC reports that hospitalization rates are almost the same in pediatric cases as in adults.

Despite the president’s threats, many school districts and campuses are moving forward with distance learning and online courses and continuing to reevaluate the safety of bringing children back to the buildings.