Coronavirus death rate for children falls to 0.01% in the US: More than one million kids have been infected but fewer than 140 have died, report finds

 Coronavirus infections among American children are rising but the death rate is continuing to fall, a new report finds.

As of November 12, more than one million youngsters have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revealed on Monday.

This means children now make up 11.5 percent of all cases in the US.

Only about 100,000 children had tested positive by the end of July, meaning more than 90 percent of cases have occurred over the past four months.

The report also finds that more than 17 percent of all pediatric infections have been diagnosed within the last two weeks.

Since the start of the pandemic, 133 children have died, meaning the fatality rate has fallen to 0.01 percent.

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As of November 12, more than one million children have tested positive for coronavirus, making up 11.5% of all cases in the US. Pictured: A school employee checks the temperature of a student at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando, Florida, August 2020

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Over the last two weeks, 185,829 new child COVID-19 cases were reported, which is a 22% jump from the previous two weeks (above)

'As a pediatrician who has practiced medicine for over three decades, I find this number staggering and tragic,' said Dr Sally Goza, president of the AAP in a statement.  

'We haven't seen a virus flash through our communities in this way since before we had vaccines for measles and polio.' 

According to the report, the overall rate of pediatric coronavirus cases is 1,381 infections per 100,000 children in the population.

Between October 29 and November 12, 185,829 new child COVID-19 cases were reported. 

The jump from 853,635 to 1,039,464 means there has been a 22 percent increase over the last two weeks.

Currently, there are 12 states that report 15 percent or more of their cumulative cases are among children: Alaska, Colorado Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming  

Wyoming has the most with more than 25 percent of all the state's cases among its youngest residents.

Meanwhile, just two places in US - New Jersey and New York City - have reported fewer than six percent of their cases are among kids.

Additionally, over the last two weeks, 26 states have seen a 25 percent increase in child cases: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Since the pandemic began, children have made up for between five percent and 17.4 percent of total state tests.

As of November 12, between 0.5 percent and 6.1percent of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization.

Children accounted for up 0.21 percent of all coronavirus deaths in a state, and 16 states reported zero child deaths.

'[W]hile we wait for a vaccine to be tested and licensed to protect children from the virus that causes COVID-19, we must do more now to protect everyone in our communities,' said Goza.

'This is even more important as we approach winter, when people will naturally spend more time indoors where it is easier for the virus to be transmitted.'  

In its report, the AAP asked that leaders enact a new, national strategy to reduce the spread of the virus.

'We urgently need a new, nation-wide strategy to control the pandemic, and that should include implementing proven public health measures like mask wearing and physical distancing,' Goza said.