CDC estimates 84% of Arizona kids have had COVID-19

About 84% of Arizona children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to recent estimates from the CDC.

• The national estimate is 80%.

Why it matters: The latest subvariant of Omicron is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the U.S.. It's also the most transmissible we've seen since the start of the pandemic, Axios' Tina Reed writes.

• It can break through vaccines and evade antibodies from prior Omicron infections.
• While studies suggest long COVID is rarer in children, they are still at risk of developing it.

What we're watching: Whether the return to classrooms this month results in an uptick of cases among youth this fall.

Of note: Relatively few Arizona parents have chosen to get their young children vaccinated.

• Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson Steve Elliott told Axios Phoenix last month that only 10,726 children ages 4 and under had gotten at least one dose.
• There are about 343,000 children under 5 in Arizona, though those under 6 months aren't yet eligible for the COVID vaccine.
• About one third of children in the state ages 5-11 have received at least one dose, and about 25% had gotten two doses.