2 Aiken County Schoolchildren in South Carolina Die Due to Complications from COVID-19, Pediatric Cases Continue To Spike

Two children from Aiken County have died as a result of COVID-19 problems. This adds up to the growing number of pediatric cases in the county.

2 schoolchildren die due to complications from COVID-19. (Photo: The World Economic Forum)

Two Schoolchildren Who Died Due to COVID-19

In a recently published article in News 19, Ethan Blue, 9 years old, of North Augusta, died on September 1, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables. Meanwhile, Emily Brosnahan, 15 years old, died of the disease on the same day. Blue attended North Augusta Elementary. However, it was unclear whose school Brosnahan attended at the time.

COVID-19 instances and the subsequent quarantines of children who come into touch with those who test positive are still being dealt with in schools throughout South Carolina. At present, 13 Lexington County schools had to temporarily switch to remote learning, and Clarendon School District Two is also going remote this week.

Furthermore, SCDHEC and the CDC have recommended that children wear masks in school to prevent the virus from spreading, but school districts in South Carolina are unable to enforce this rule due to a proviso—or spending condition—passed in this year’s state budget.

The City of Columbia—and, by extension, all other cities and counties in South Carolina—attempted to pass a mask requirement through a local government body last week, but were unsuccessful, according to a recently published report in WCNC.

Read Also: Children Infected With COVID-19 Continues To Spike Due To Delta Variant, CDC Says

Pediatric Cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina

In the six weeks after the state’s first schools opened their doors in late July, more than 17,000 South Carolina children under the age of ten have been diagnosed with COVID-19. This is a significant rise above the 1,142 young children who contracted COVID during the first six weeks of the previous school year, according to a published report in The State.

While the present increase in children’s cases corresponds with an overall increase in coronavirus infections among individuals of all ages, the percentage of children who get COVID this year is much higher. In the past six weeks, children under the age of ten made up 12.4 percent of all COVID-19 cases, compared to only 3.7 percent – the lowest of any age group — in the first six weeks of the 2020-2021 school year, according to state health department data.

Meanwhile, over the duration of the pandemic, 6.8 percent of COVID cases have been reported in children under the age of ten, who are too young to be vaccinated. Infections among young children are on the rise, causing schools to cancel in-person courses and putting a strain on children’s hospitals throughout the state.

Related Article: COVID-19: Thousands Of Schools Closed Due To Surge Of Pediatric Coronavirus Cases