Coronavirus cases are surging among U.S. children just as schools head back into session.
More than 121,000 kids tested positive for the virus last week, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
That is a 29 percent increase over the figure of nearly 94,000 from the previous week, signaling a worrying trend as the fall semester approaches.
It brings the total of pediatric Covid cases to around 4.4 million since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
However, the infections are rarely fatal with just 0.01 percent, or 379, resulting in death, an increase of eight from the week before.
Leaders from the AAP have been pushing for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make COVID-19 vaccines available for young children.
More than 121,000 new COVID-19 cases among children were recorded last week, as kids' cases grew by 30% week-over-week
Children account for around 18% of all current cases, and 14% of infections since the pandemic began. Pictured: A child a JFK International Airport in New York, New York, is tested for COVID-19
Dr Lee Savio Beers, president of the AAP, wrote an open letter to the FDA on August 5, urging the agency to fast track the vaccine for children under the age of 12.
'I write to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue working aggressively towards authorizing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children under age 12 as soon as possible,' she wrote.
'Pediatricians and the families they care for have been anxiously awaiting a vaccine that can be used in children 11 years of age and younger, and especially so now given the rise of the hyper infectious Delta variant.
'The Delta variant is surging at extremely alarming rates in every region of America. This surge is seriously impacting all populations, including children.'
Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to minors, with it having emergency use authorization for children aged 12 and older.
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