by Ernie Mundell and Robin Foster Health Day reporter
As the school year begins across the United States, new data shows that coronavirus cases among children are on the rise.
Since the beginning of the influenza pandemic, children have accounted for 14.8% of the total cases, but in the week ending August. According to data from the Bank of the American Academy of Pediatrics, this proportion has risen to 22.4%.
Although children's cases of COVID-19 have declined in the early summer, they have increased exponentially recently, increasing by more than 5 times in the past month. Child cases have increased from approximately 38,000 in the week ending July 22 to 200,000 last week.
This rate is much higher than the average during the pandemic, and this trend is worrying because the Delta variant may pose a greater risk to children, most of whom are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccine.
The college collected COVID-19 data from 49 states, New York City, Puerto Rico and Guam. According to AAP, overall, as of August 26, the child COVID-19 case rate was 6,374 per 100,000 children.
Twenty states report more than 8,000 cases per 100,000 people. According to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Tennessee, South Carolina, Rhode Island, North Dakota, Arkansas and Mississippi infection rate per 100,000 children Highest.
There is some good news in the statistics.
The report of the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded: "At present, it seems that serious diseases caused by the 2019 coronavirus disease are not common in children.". "However, we urgently need to collect more data on the long-term effects of AIDS on children, including the ways in which HIV can damage the long-term physical health of infected children, and its effects on emotional and mental health."
Currently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all students, faculty, staff, teachers, and K-12 school visitors wear masks indoors-regardless of the vaccination status.
"I can tell you that we have seen swells and most places where outbreaks have not implemented our current guidance," the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dr. According to CBS , Rochelle Valensky recently stated that it is not the surge in hospitalizations, but the surge in the number of cases.
According to the CBS report, at the same time, several school districts, including New York, Chicago and the entire California, are taking further measures than requiring staff to be vaccinated, because experts say a way to keep children safe It is to vaccinate the adults around them.
But the governors of Texas and Florida threatened to punish school districts that implemented masks in schools, even though many school districts disobeyed their orders.
On the other hand, US Department of Education announced that it is investigating five states- Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah- Worried that their mask ban may make students with disabilities and underlying health conditions more susceptible to COVID-19.
"Masks can save lives and reduce the spread of COVID-19,"Dr. Leslie Diaz, an infectious disease expert at Jupiter Medical Center in Florida, said on the CBSN on Wednesday.
"The science is there, masks are effective, and we should use them," Diaz said. "Special It was in the school district and the now flooded school where all the children came back instead of doing virtual learning.
She said that it is scientifically proven that masks can prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"We are in a crisis...... The reality is that I am there every day. I cannot ignore this," Diaz said. "Wearing a mask has become a very relaxing behavior here and across the United States. It shouldn't be like this.
The FDA advisory group will meet on enhanced injections
The US Food and Drug Administration will hold an important advisory group meeting on coronavirus booster injections on September 17, just before the Biden administration plans to provide Americans The third injection is only three days.
Although the public meeting may confuse some people with a clearer decision-making process, it may also trigger more controversy about the government plan.
Philadelphia Children's Hospital Vaccine Panelist Paul Offit questioned whether the vaccine needs to be boosted at this time because the data shows that the vaccine is still effective against the severe COVID-19. However, government officials emphasized that protective measures are weakening.
According to the Washington Post, although the meeting The stated purpose of Pfizer’s vaccine is to review the booster injection data, but it may deal with broader issues related to booster injections: including who should receive booster injections and when to receive booster injections, and what obligations does this country have for booster injections. Race to get the first and second doses of vaccine.
The recommendations of the expert group are not binding.But disagreements between the FDA panel of experts and agency officials may make it more difficult for the agency to approve boosters.
If the committee concludes that supporters are needed, it can strengthen the agency in approving Pfizer's third shot and later do the same supporters by Hyundai and Johnson, the Post said. Last week, Pfizer's double-dose injection program received full FDA approval, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines are still used under emergency use authorization.
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the Post, “It is vital for the FDA to conduct a transparent, thorough, and objective review of the data so that the medical community and the public can continue to be aware of the safety and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. Effectiveness."
External experts expressed appreciation for the arrangement of the meeting, saying that this shows that the agency is working hard to adhere to the normal procedures for vaccines, despite the urgency created by the highly disseminated Delta variant. The Biden administration announced on August 18 that it will provide boosters to most people who were fully vaccinated eight months ago during the week of September 20, pending approval from the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But critics say that usually the FDA and CDC and their consultants review the data before announcing a decision.
Jason Schwartz, associate professor of health policy and medical history at the Yale School of Public Health, said: "This is a good sign that the FDA is working hard to comply with routine procedures." But he told the Post that this meeting may be " Embarrassment", the government was criticized for "a series of very messy incidents."
On Tuesday, when news broke that two senior vaccine officials would retire this fall, this argument was magnified. Marion Gruber, who is in charge of the Office of Vaccine Research and Review, will step down at the end of October. Gruber's deputy Philip Klaus is expected to leave the agency in November.The two have decades of experience in vaccines and helped guide the agency through a difficult period of pandemic.
An insider told the Washington Post that Gruber has been talking about retirement, but Klaus's decision is even more surprising. They said both officials were frustrated by the White House's violation of the agency's ability to analyze data and make independent decisions. But they also stated that they did not know whether this was the reason for their retirement, the Post added.
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