Florida’s number of official Covid-19 cases in children has more than doubled over the past month, data from the state showed Tuesday.
Covid-19 cases among children also spiked across the country during roughly the same period.
In Florida, the total number of cases in children 17 and under rose from 16,797 on July 9 to 39,735 on August 9 — an increase of 137%, according to Florida Department of Health data.
Covid-19 hospitalizations among children in Florida rose from 213 to 436 during that same period, a 105% increase. Deaths among children rose from four to seven in Florida during that period.
Across the country, the total number of Covid-19 cases among children rose from 179,990 on July 9 to more than 380,000 on August 6 — an increase of about 90% — according to a report published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
Some of the increase might be due to more testing, AAP said.
That report came as recent studies suggest children could play an important role in transmission of the virus.