Nearly 1,640,000 children in the US have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest data of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association.
A total of 178,823 new child Covid-19 cases were reported the past week from December 3 to 10, the highest weekly increase since the pandemic began, according to the AAP, Xinhua news agency reported.
There was a 23-per cent increase in child COVID-19 cases over the two weeks from November 26 to December 10.
"At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children. However, there is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical and mental health of infected children,” the AAP said in the report.
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