COVID-19 cases rise in children across US as schools begin to open for in-person learning

WASHINGTON - Students in schools across the D.C. region and the country are returning to the classroom as COVID-19 numbers surge across the United States.

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The highly contagious delta variant is spreading across the country and children are filling hospitals in record numbers -- more even than at the height of the pandemic, says a report by the Associated Press.

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Many school-aged children are too young to get the vaccine which is available only to those 12 and over.

Some U.S. districts have halted in-person learning or switched to hybrid models because of rapidly mounting coronavirus infections.

The surging coronavirus numbers are spreading anxiety among parents, administrators and politicians across the country.

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According to an August 13 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization rates surged in recent weeks, reaching 0.41 per 100,000 children ages 0 to 17, compared with 0.31 per 100,000, the previous high set in mid-January. Over 400 U.S. children have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

The Associated Press contributed to this report