Coronavirus latest: Over 74K new cases in US children since early August, report says
There has been a 21% increase in cases among children since Aug. 6
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 821,000 people worldwide.
Over 24 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica. The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 5.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 179,000 deaths.
Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, six of which are in crucial phase three trials.
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More than 74K new cases in children in US since early August, report shows
A new report shows a 21% increase in cases among children in the U.S. since Aug. 6.
Data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s hospital Association showed there have been 74,160 new cases in a two week period, Aug 6 to Aug. 20.
The report went through data provided by 49 states as well as New York City, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.
Overall, children represented only 9.3% of all cases in states who provided age data.
In total, 442,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The report notes that “severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children” -- 21 states reported zero child deaths in that same two week period and represented 0-0.3% of all COVID-19 deaths, the report states.
NY has positivity rate below 1% for 19 straight days
New York state has had 19 straight days with less than 1% of people being tested for COVID-19 coming back positive, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
There were 71,189 tests reported to the state on Tuesday and only 566 tested positive -- a 0.79% rate.
The statewide total of confirmed coronavirus cases for the Empire State now stands at 431,340.
The state reported an additional three deaths on Tuesday -- the state now has 25,305 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
South Korea reports 40% rise in coronavirus infections
South Korea has seen a more than 40% jump in COVID-19 cases over the past month, as the virus spreads to every province across the country.
The total number of confirmed cases increased from 12,890 on July 26 to 18,265 on Aug. 26, a 41.7% increase, according to data from South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And in just the last two weeks, cases increased by 24% from the 14,714 reported on Aug. 12.
South Korea once had the largest COVID-19 outbreak outside China, where the virus first emerged, but health authorities were able to bring it under control with an extensive "trace, test and treat" strategy. Now, infections are on the rise in the capital and other parts of the country.
Some 6,800 schools will be closed across South Korea through Sept. 11 due to the growing outbreak. The country has implemented a Level 2 social distancing scheme, but authorities are hesitating to implement even tighter measures, according to Yonhap News Agency.
ABC News Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
World Economic Forum postpones Davos due to pandemic
The World Economic Forum has decided to postpone its 51st Annual Meeting in Davos due to safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The elite conference at the Swiss Alps resort town, frequented by billionaires and heads of state, will be rescheduled for early next summer. The gathering was originally slated to take place in January 2021.
"The decision was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the 'Great Reset' in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent," Adrian Monck, managing director of public engagement at the World Economic Forum, said in a statement Wednesday. "However, the advice from experts is that the Forum cannot do so safely in January."
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.