JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Pediatric COVID-19 cases are rising in America. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 76,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
Dr. Timothy Quinn of Quinn Healthcare in Ridgeland said the cause in cases surging is because safety measures like wearing masks and social distancing have not been as heavily enforced.
“We were social distancing, the schools were doing an excellent job but when things got better, we started going back to normal… Now that we’re coming back together it’s just all of a sudden everybody’s exposed to so much and now the infection rates are going back up.”
Dr. Quinn said the most vulnerable age range is the elderly because of their compromised immune system. Children and babies are also at risk of contracting the illness due to their immune system.
CDC and other organizations are looking to bring back mitigating measures such as mandatory masks, more social distancing and cancelling larger gatherings to stop COVID-19 from spreading.