Coronavirus cases in youths have greatly increased in Florida, with total infections up 34% and hospitalizations up 23% between July 16 and 24, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The big picture: The increase from 23,170 confirmed COVID-19 cases in youths to 31,150 in just eight days comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the Trump administration continue to aggressively push for schools to resume in-person classes in August.
By the numbers: 36% of the cases in children are patients between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Florida's data. That age group also accounts for the majority of children hospitalized (34%).
- The state's positivity rate among youths has also gone up, increasing from 13.4% to 14.4% between July 16 and 24, per Florida's health department.
- Researchers are still studying how quickly the coronavirus is transmitted among children as schools and child care centers begin to reopen.
Go deeper: Coronavirus deaths skew younger in the South
