Coronavirus USA updates: More than 513,000 US children have been diagnosed with COVID-19

In the U.S., 70,630 children were diagnosed with COVID-19 between Aug. 20 and Sept. 3, bringing the total number of kids and teenagers with the coronavirus in the nation to 513,415, according to a report released Tuesday from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

This marked a 16% increase in over two weeks, the AAP said, based on data compiled by the AAP and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Children made up 9.8% of all reported coronavirus cases as of Sept. 3, the AAP said.

“The data — while limited because of its reliance on how each state reports its cases — underscores the urgent need to control the virus in communities before schools and businesses can reopen safely,” the AAP said in a Tuesday press release.