Nearly 100,000 Kids in the U.S. Caught COVID-19 in Late July

With schools starting in just a couple of weeks across Iowa, fears of children contracting and spreading coronavirus have parents and teachers worried. Number released today show they have good reason to be concerned. CNN reports that a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Association cites that over 97,000 children contracted COVID-19 during the last two weeks of July.

The report claims that cases in children were up 40% the past two weeks. Some states define a child differently. Some go up to age 14, while other states can go as high as age 24. While the data is incredibly surprising, it comes at a time when schools are contemplating whether or not to go back to in-person learning.

Two of my children caught COVID-19 from me when I had the virus in July. Both Carly and Cayleigh, ages 11 and 10, came down with what wold be described as mild symptoms. Carly had a bad cold and ran a fever for a couple of days. Cayleigh had a headache and a fever for just one day. But the bottom line is, they caught it. Fortunately, the fatality rate for children is very low. According to the latest figures, only 86 children have died since May, and most had some sort of pre-existing condition.

The real danger in kids getting the virus is who they come into contact with. They could bring it home to a parent or grandparent. Teachers are in jeopardy too. While the overall health of our kids might not be in tremendous danger, a high level of community spread would put others who are at risk in danger. There are no easy answers here. Here's hoping that schools have it figured out. For the safety of my kids and yours.