Alabama sees surge in virus cases among school-age children

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama is seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in school-age children, leading some schools to announce a temporary return to remote learning.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said Thursday that 5,571 children ages 5 to 17 were reported to have contracted COVID-19 last week. That compares to 702 cases in the same period last year.

State Health Officer Scott Harris and Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey both pointed to the more contagious delta variant as the reason. Another factor could be many students were doing remote learning last year.

While cases are rising among school-age children, deaths and hospitalizations among youths remain relatively rare.