Nearly 100,000 American children tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus in just the last two weeks of July, according to an important new report.

“Between July 16 and July 30, a total of 97,078 children tested positive for the virus, marking a 40% increase in child cases, researchers found,” reports The Hill.

The new data comes as states and cities coast to coast grapple with the prospect of reopening schools and day-care centers; some already have.

“For months, teachers, parents and politicians have argued over whether the risks that the novel coronavirus pose to children outweigh the benefits of in-person learning,” reports the Washington Post.

At least 86 young people have died of the disease since May, notes CNN, adding that President Trump and other U.S. officials have claimed that the virus poses less risk to kids than to adults.

But “one recent study suggests older children can transmit the virus just as much as adults,” while another said young children, aged 5 and under, “carry a higher viral load than grownups, “raising even more questions about their role in transmission,” CNN says. 

Nearly 100,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics finds. https://t.co/0eHf8mB57K

— Jon Cooper ?? (@joncoopertweets) August 10, 2020

Like adults, children of color are more susceptible to the virus than whites.

“A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday found that Hispanic and Black children were substantially more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than their White peers,” the Post says.

The new report, issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, cited data from 49 states, plus New York City, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Guam.

The report, notes that states used varying age ranges to define “children.” Most considered anyone 19 or younger a child, but Alabama, for instance, listed those up to age 24.

Seven out of 10 new pediatric cases were reported in southern and western states, the Post says.

On a per-capita basis, Arizona reported the most cases — more than 1,000 per 100,000 children on July 30. Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee were also high on the list, with more than 800 cases per 100,000.

The CDC notes that children are much less likely than grownups to be hospitalized for Covid-19, but “one in three hospitalized children was admitted to an intensive care unit,” reports Axios.