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COVID cases at lowest levels in children: CDC

COVID-19 cases continue to be significantly lower in younger kids, even as some went back to school in-person, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The incidence of COVID-19 in children, particularly those ages 0 to 10, has been lower than that of young adults and adults throughout the entire second half of 2020, according to the CDC. The incidence of COVID-19 cases in kids was higher as the age increased.

While older teenagers and young adults saw a surge of cases near the beginning of the school year, this was not seen in younger kids, "suggesting that young adults might contribute more to community transmission than do younger children," the report said.

Children also had significantly lower rates of hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays and death than adults, the study found.

Fewer COVID-19 tests are performed on children, so the actual incidence may be higher than the data that's available. 

Teacher and school employee transmission risk also were not included in the data. 

The CDC continues to recommend strict mitigation strategies to prevent transmission in schools that are in-person.