The U.S. is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases among children.

Nearly 94,000 new child COVID-19 cases were reported across the nation last week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association.

Louisiana and Florida lead states in the number of children sickened with COVID-19.

"Half of the children in our hospital today are under two years of age. Most of the others are between five and ten years of age -- too young to be vaccinated just yet," said Dr. Mark Kline, the physician in chief of Children's Hospital New Orleans on ABC's "Good Morning America" program.

Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 4.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 and the number of new cases among children continues to rise.

Health experts say the Delta variant is behind the surge. 

Some communities are reinstating mask mandates and several companies are requiring employees to get vaccinated.

With kids going back to school in-person, many communities are grappling with how students can safely do so.
But in some school districts, parents, schools and local government officials can’t agree on what guidelines should be in place.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis previously issued an executive order banning schools from implementing mask mandates.
The order is facing legal challenges and some school districts are choosing to defy it.

DeSantis' office says the state board of education could withhold the salaries of school officials who go against the order.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott also issued an executive order against masks back in May.
On Monday, Dallas Independent School District, one of the largest in the state, announced it was defying the order, requiring all students, employees and visitors to wear masks on school property.

Texas, like Florida is leading the nation in number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. 

While Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson followed in the footsteps of Florida and Texas in enacting a ban on mask mandates, Hutchinson has since publicly said, "It was an error to sign that law. I admit that."

Arkansas has a seven-day average of 2,351 new daily cases and one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.

Hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots across the nation are struggling to respond to the overall surge of new cases. 

While more cases of COVID-19 are being reported among children, doctors say most do not succumb to severe illness. Still, they say they don’t have enough information to know the long-term impact of the virus on kids.

As more adults get vaccinated, children under 12 are left vulnerable because a COVID-19 vaccine hasn’t been approved for them yet. 

With the new data on children's cases in hand, the AAP wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, urging quick authorization of vaccines for 5-11-year-olds.

Pfizer is planning to submit safety data on its vaccine in children 5-11 by the end of September and Moderna says it will do the same in the middle of fall, according to ABC News. Then it will be up to the FDA to weigh authorization.

Officials predict the first COVID-19 vaccine shots could be administered to children within this age range by the end of 2021 or early 2022.

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