Washington, Aug 11 (IANS): More than 97,000 children across the US tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks of July, according to a new report from the American Academy of Paediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

The report, issued on Monday, found that 97,078 new child cases were reported from July 16 to 30, a 40 per cent increase, reports Xinhua news agency.

While children represented only 8.8 per cent of all cases in states reporting cases by age, over 338,000 kids have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, said the report.

The overall rate is 447 cases per 100,000 children in the population, it added.

Children made up between 3 per cent to 11.3 per cent of total state tests, and between 3.6 per cent to 18.4 per cent of children tested were positive, said the report.

Besides, children accounted for 0.6 per cent to 3.7 per cent of total reported hospitalizations, and zero to 0.8 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths.

"At this time, it appears that severe illness due to coronavirus is rare among children. However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age so that the effects of COVID-19 on children's health can continue to be documented and monitored," said the report.