31 Percent of Children In Florida Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus
by
Derek Major
Thirty-one
percent of children in Florida have tested positive for the new coronavirus,
worrying health officials who say that the long-term effects of the virus in
children are still unknown.
According
to The Grio, Florida is quickly becoming the new epicenter of the pandemic.
More than 327,241 citizens have been infected and 4,805 have died. More than
20,000 residents are currently hospitalized. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently
blamed the media last month saying it stopped asking him about the coronavirus
in May.
A father putting a face mask on a child |
As
DeSantis continues to push for schools to open just over a month from now, the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes Dr. Alina Alonso, Palm Beach County’s health
department director, said even asymptomatic children are experiencing lung
damage as a result of the coronavirus.
“We
don’t know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from
now,” Alonso told county commissioners on Tuesday. “Is that child going to have
chronic pulmonary problems or not?”
Medical
researchers are finding the coronavirus can develop into a condition called
pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. So far, there have been 13
confirmed cases of the syndrome in the state.
“We
are learning something every day,” Dr. Jorge Perez, who operates Kidz Medical
Services, a chain of pediatric offices across South Florida, told The Grio. “We
have to be knowledgeable about this and continue to monitor to see what effects
it has on children.”
The
Trump administration has been pushing for a return to school for children
despite coronavirus numbers growing across the country. White House Press
Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday school re-opening’s this fall
shouldn’t be contingent on the science surrounding coronavirus.
“The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open. And when he says open, he means open in full, kids being able to attend each and every day at their school.” McEnany said. “The science should not stand in the way of this,” she added, saying it is “perfectly safe” to fully reopen all classrooms.
BuzzFeed
reported teachers in many states are considering quitting, rather than
returning to classrooms to teach and risking their lives. Even more concerning
is that many school districts, especially in metro areas, don’t have the space
needed to socially distance children or the funds necessary to give schools a
thorough cleaning every day.
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