Children Now Make Up Majority of COVID-19 Cases in Louisiana

Children in Louisiana now make up the majority of all new COVID-19 cases in Louisiana.

Just last week, I wrote a troublesome article showing the rise in COVID-19 cases among children in Louisiana . Little did I know, we were mere days away from quite the grim milestone when it comes to COVID-19.

Gone are the days where we believed COVID-19 couldn't reach our children. Believe it or not, at this time last year, that was a generally accepting foregone conclusion. COVID-19 cannot infect the kids. They myth has been busted wide open in this summer, now more than ever.

In the week of August 12th - August 18th, children ages 5-17 reported the highest percentage of COVID-19 cases in the state, higher than all other age groups. That week, 22% of all new cases were children. Ochsner Health Hospital Quality Director Dr. Sandra Kemmerly says, "We’ve had 35 pediatric patients just in the month of August, and currently we have 15 pediatric patients throughout our system in the hospital.”

This new spike in cases could not possibly come at a worse time, with children all around the state now back in the classroom. Granted, COVID-19 has not shown to be a life-threatening diagnosis for children,

The American Academy of Pediatrics surveyed 44 states, and of those states, they reported a mortality rate of COVID-19 among children to be 0.00% - 0.03%. That's certainly good news, considering these current numbers. However, with schools now opened across the state, it's a scary thought that our children will be around age groups that carry a relatively higher mortality rate.

I know that schools and parents in Louisiana are doing their best to keep everyone safe, let's hope that their efforts result in better numbers as we approach September.