Nearly 550,000 children in the US test positive for COVID-19

Nearly 550,000 children in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to a new report of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

A total of 72,993 new child cases were reported from August 27 through September 10, which is a 15 per cent increase in child cases over two weeks, according to the report, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. Altogether 549,432 total child COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States so far, and children represented 10 percent of all cases, said the report.

The overall rate is 729 cases per 100,000 children in the population. Children were 0.6 to 3.6 per cent of total reported hospitalizations, and 0 to 0.3 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths, said the report.

"At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children. However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age and race/ethnicity so that the effects of COVID-19 on children's health can be documented and monitored," said the report.