The data comes as students return to school and health officials are trying to understand the effects of the virus on children
The age range for children differed by state, with some defining children as only those up to age 14 and one state — Alabama — pushing the limit to 24.
More than 1,000 daily deaths reported for 5 days
Some parents and educators have protested heavily against a return to in-person instruction at a time when the virus is still out of control across the country.
The US topped five million reported infections over the weekend and at least 162,938 people have died since the start of the pandemic — more than in any other country in the world.
The country reported more than 1,000 daily deaths for at least five days in a row until Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since July 21, there have been only four days during which the US recorded fewer than 1,000 virus-linked fatalities.
In Florida, which saw a staggering spike in cases over the summer, Sunday marked the thirteenth consecutive day the state reported more than 6,000 new positive tests in a single day, according to a CNN tally.
State and local officials have tied the resurgence in cases to large group gatherings and more infections among younger people.
Dr. Anthony Fauci implored young people last week to heed to guidelines, saying during a webinar with the Alliance for Health Policy, “don’t be the weak link in the chain.”
“That’s the message we’ve got to get to young people,” he said. “Obviously they’re not doing anything deliberately and maliciously, but what they’re doing is inadvertently — they’re propagating the outbreak.”
60 violations in bars and restaurants
Despite continued warnings, it’s still business as usual in some parts of the country.
Many Americans are still moving around as much as they did before the pandemic, according to Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
“If you look at the mobility data collected from cell phones in many parts of the country, we’re almost back to pre-Covid levels of mobility, so we’re just not being as cautious as other people are in other countries,” Murray previously told CNN.
In other places, failure to follow safety precautions has led to repercussions.
At least 60 bars and restaurants in New York were issued coronavirus-related violations Friday and Saturday, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“We need the NYPD to step-up and help in New York City and we need local governments across the board also to do their job, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Sheena Jones, Chandler Thornton, Melissa Alonso and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.
