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

Doctor’s hands in protection gloves putting COVID-19 test swab into kid’s mouth in hospital. (Photo: NPR)

Burbio, a New York-based data firm that tracks K-12 school closing patterns, claimed that at least 1,000 schools in 35 states have closed for in-person learning due to COVID-19 since the start of the school year.

The company’s tracker shows that schools have been shuttered for ranging from one day to many weeks, USA Today said. For the time being, the majority of students have switched to online study. Others were forced to shut without warning. According to Burbio, a tiny percentage of students postponed school or switched to hybrid learning.

The increased number of closures coincides with a fight in schools over mask requirements and an increase in pediatric COVID-19 infections, mainly due to the extremely infectious delta form.

President Joe Biden’s administration said late last month that he is looking into five states that have banned districts from requiring students to wear masks, claiming that such practices violate the civil rights of children with disabilities and underlying health problems.

In a statement, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said that his agency would fight to preserve every student’s right to safe access to in-person learning and local educators’ rights to put rules in place that will enable all kids to return to the classroom full-time in-person this autumn.

Hospital beds out of capacity as COVID-19 infections increases. (Photo: Business Insider)

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

COVID-19 Arkansas: State’s Department of Health Started A Page For Pediatric Cases 

Meanwhile, Arkansas Times said its state Department of Health has started a page dedicated to pediatric cases. Since the epidemic started, they have accounted for 18% of all cases in Arkansas. But the trend is much more concerning: these instances account for 32.5 percent of all active cases. As more instances are reported by schools, this proportion seems to be on the rise.

Deaths among young people are on the rise. According to the most current ADH statistics on COVID-19 in schools, the Cabot School District is the school district with the highest cumulative instances among students and employees after an outcry from furious anti-maskers forced the School Board to postpone a vote on a temporary mask mandate.

The governor signed legislation prohibiting the use of masks and mandating vaccinations. He dislikes mandates, but he is appealing a lower court decision to preserve his executive branch authority. He also encourages people to attend county fairs and football games.

RELATED ARTICLE: COVID-19 in Arkansas: State Notes 2,360 New Coronavirus Cases, 16 Deaths