Seacoast School Data in New Hampshire Not Reflecting National Spike of COVID-19 Cases in Children
As COVID-19 sickens children across the country, data reported to officials at the NH Department of Health and Human Services does not indicate there are large numbers of active cases in Seacoast school systems so far this academic year.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association are working together to collect and share publically available data on COVID-19 cases in children nationally.
Leaders for the organizations say that after declining in early summer, COVID cases in children have increased exponentially. Their data suggests a 240 percent increase in childhood infections nationally since early July.
According to their recent state-level data report, for the week ending Sept. 9, children were 28.9 percent of reported weekly COVID-19 cases. Children under age 18 make up 22.2 percent of the US population.
243,373 child COVID-19 cases were reported during the week of Sept. 2 to 9.
Nearly 5.3 million American children have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic.
In New Hampshire, school-specific case data is tracked and published on the Department of Health and Human Service's COVID-19 website.
According to the schools dashboard, as of Monday, there were eight active cases at Exeter High School and one at Dover High School.
There was one case at Hampton Centre School and one case at Rochester Middle School.
Since the pandemic started, there have been 17 children younger than 10 years old who have been hospitalized by COVID, according to the state's case summary dashboard.
A total of 14 children in New Hampshire between the ages of 10 and 19 have been hospitalized with COVID.
Nobody under the age of 20 has died from COVID in New Hampshire.
20,001 people under the age of 20 in New Hampshire have been infected with COVID. That is 18.7 percent of the total positive infections, according to the dashboard.
Health experts say the best way to ensure children do not get COVID is for them to be surrounded by vaccinated adults and teens, for them and their family members to wear masks in public and for everyone to follow CDC guidance when it comes to social distancing and personal hygiene.
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