Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

September 28, 2020

COVID-19 Trends Among School-Aged Children — United States, March 1–September 19, 2020

Category:

Topic:

Keywords (Tags):

 

  • The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in school-age children increased from March and peaked in July and August, followed by a decline in September. During March 1–September 19, 2020, the US reported a total of 277,285 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in school-aged children. The average weekly COVID-19 incidence among adolescents aged 12–17 years was approximately 2-fold higher than among children aged 5–11 years (37.4 vs. 19.0 per 100,000). The weekly incidence increased to a peak of 34-38 per 100,000 in July and August and decreased with a slight rebound to 23-26 per 100,000 in early September. Trends in incidence were similar among both age groups.
  • The authors note that these estimates provide a baseline to monitor transmission among school age children as schools reopen for in-person learning in some districts around the country.

Leeb et al. (Sept 28, 2020). COVID-19 Trends Among School-Aged Children — United States, March 1–September 19, 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6939e2