Report: US Child COVID Deaths on the Rise as Death Toll Reaches 500,000 Mark

The number of COVID-19 deaths in children continues to rise in the United States, as the country hit the mark of half a million deaths over a year since the first victim succumbed to the virus.

As of Sunday afternoon, according to count estimates, the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus reached 500,002. Even as more Americans are vaccinated, it is a milestone that shows the significant danger the virus still presents nationally. According to the Veterans Affairs Department, the number of dead rivals the population of Atlanta or Sacramento, California. It is more than twice the number of Americans who died in combat in World War II.

Today, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), almost 3 million children in the US have tested positive for coronavirus, around 12 percent of all cases.

According to data from the AAP, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in this new national graveyard of virus victims, the portion set aside for young people kept 271 children as of early February.

In a moment of silence as well as a candle-lighting ceremony at the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden will mark the milestone, remembering every life lost to the virus and reflecting on a broken family. 

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US Child COVID deaths may increase, doctors warn

Doctors warn of a troubling rise in the inflammatory syndrome associated with cases of COVID-19 in children. According to the CDC, it has been diagnosed in more than 2,000 children in 48 states and resulted in at least 30 deaths.

When Burke-White's entire family contracted COVID-19, his 5-year-old daughter had the mildest case. But a month later, she had a fever and a stomach ache.

White said, "They tested her for everything, flu, strep, COVID again, all of those tests, all of them came back negative." Their quick-thinking pediatrician sent them to the emergency room after those tests, correctly suspecting it was MIS-C, a rare inflammatory condition related in children to COVID-19 cases.

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MIS-C typically grows four to six weeks after exposure to COVID-19, and in cases following the post-holiday COVID-19 surge, health experts see a spike.

"The last half of January and the first week of February, we were evaluating children and teenagers with suspected MIIS-C very frequently — on an almost daily basis," said Dr. Leigh Howard of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Experts say that the next few weeks may be vital and advise parents to watch for symptoms such as rashes, gastrointestinal distress, or high fever. Neck pain, bloodshot eyes, and swollen hands and feet may be other signs. It is not yet clear about the long-term consequences.

Dr. Howard said, "MIS-C is certainly showing us that we really can't let our guard down yet,"

Most cases have occurred in children aged one to 14 years, according to the AAP. MIS-C patients usually recover if caught and treated early, as the daughter of Burke White did. She's been in the hospital for a week and is undergoing care for inflammation of the heart. "

The extra protection wasn't enough for some youngsters. Nor did EMTs, physicians, and nurses, who pumped and pressed and prayed far after the last breath of each boy, make exceptional efforts.

Child deaths amount to 0.2 percent of the total in the US and ten states had experienced no child casualties as of early this month. 

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