Covid 19 coronavirus: 100,000 kids in US catch Covid-19 in past two weeks

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, 97,000 US children tested positive for Covid-19 from July 16 to July 30. Photo / Getty Images

American children haven't been spared from the coronavirus ravaging the country, with records showing almost 100,000 kids have contracted Covid-19 in the past two weeks.

It comes as kids return to school across the country.

In a bid to keep the coronavirus in check, some schools and universities are forcing students to wear masks and pledge not to go to parties or other social events.

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, 97,000 children tested positive for Covid-19 from July 16 to July 30.

While the virus was initially said to hit children less severely than adults, that view has changed. More than 25 American children died from the coronavirus in July alone.

In Victoria, a newborn baby is in the ICU after contracting Covid-19.

One of the youngest people to ever die of Covid-19 was a baby just 13 days old in the UK.

The US is divided about the return to school; some parents are rallying for in-person classes to recommence, while others are pleading for remote learning.

Luckily, the two largest school districts in the country, Los Angeles and San Diego, which run a combined K-12 student population of 720,000, have opted for online learning.

New York, on the other hand, will be open to face-to-face teaching next month.

The US is divided about the return to school; some parents are rallying for in-person classes to recommence, while others are pleading for remote learning.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio has pledged that officials "have worked incessantly to get this (schools) right".

De Blasio told parents to register their kids for in-person instruction, remote learning or a hybrid system.

Other schools have resorted to innovative measures to fight the virus.

Universities like Tulane, Cornell, Yale, and Ohio State are making students sign pledges to wear masks, not attend parties, and stay on campus ahead of classes.

In some cases, the punishment for not following these rules can be as severe as being expelled.