In the USA, after affecting the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting children and teens in a trend authorities say fuelled by school reopening and the resumption of sports and other activities.
Children of all ages now make up 10 percent of all COVID 19 cases, up from 2 percent in April, the American Academy of Paediatrics reported on Tuesday.
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms.
Most infected children have mild cases; hospitalizations and death rates are much lower than in adults.
Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Paediatrics, said in a statement that children generally don't get as sick with the coronavirus as adults, but they are not immune and there is much to learn about how easily they can transmit it to others.
Mississippi is among states where several outbreaks among students and teachers have been reported since in-person classes resumed in July and August.
New York City, the nation's largest school district, with over 1 million students, resumed classroom learning Yesterday for elementary school children. As of Monday, the CDC counted 93 deaths and over 435,000 cases in children upto the age of 17.
Overall, 7 million Americans have been confirmed infected and 205,000 have died.