Jul 27, 2020 - Health

Youth COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida surge 23%

Marisa Fernandez

testing site in Florida — A health care worker directs a person to use a nasal swab for a self administered test, Miami, Florida, July 23. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Coronavirus cases in youths have greatly increased in Florida, with total infections up 34% and hospitalizations up 23% between July 16 and 24, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The big picture: The increase from 23,170 confirmed COVID-19 cases in youths to 31,150 in just eight days comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the Trump administration continue to aggressively push for schools to resume in-person classes in August.

By the numbers: 36% of the cases in children are patients between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Florida's data. That age group also accounts for the majority of children hospitalized (34%).

The state's positivity rate among youths has also gone up, increasing from 13.4% to 14.4% between July 16 and 24, per Florida's health department.
Researchers are still studying how quickly the coronavirus is transmitted among children as schools and child care centers begin to reopen.

Go deeper: Coronavirus deaths skew younger in the South

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Youth COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida surge 23%

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