Nearly 3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since pandemic began

FILE - One-year-old Quentin Brown, is held by his mother, Heather Brown, as he eyes a swab while being tested for COVID-19 at a new walk-up testing site at Chief Sealth High School, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Seattle. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, the American Academy of Pediatrics said more than 61,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, which is the highest weekly figure so far during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Nearly 3 million children under the age of 19 in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association said in a new report on Monday.

According to the data, as of Jan. 28, 2,816,775 children have tested positive, accounting for 12.8% of all cases in states reporting cases by age.

Pediatricians said 140,162 new child cases were reported last week.

Over the last two weeks, there was a 12% increase in child COVID-19 cases, the report stated.

According to the report, as of Jan. 28, 215 children have died from COVID-19.

According to the data, 22 children have died from the virus in Arizona, 23 have passed away in New York, and 37 children have succumbed in Texas.