Over a million children under 18 have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the United States since the start of the pandemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association said Monday.

美国儿科学会和儿童医院协会11月16日表示，自新冠疫情在美国暴发以来，已有超过100万名18岁以下的儿童被确诊感染新冠病毒。

"As of Nov 12, a total of 1,039,464 children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic. In the one-week period ending Nov 12, there were 111,946 new cases in children, which is substantially larger than any previous week in the pandemic," the groups said in a joint statement.

"The increase tracks surges in the virus in communities across the US," they added.

"As a pediatrician who has practiced medicine for over three decades, I find this number staggering and tragic," said Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents pediatricians. "We haven't seen a virus flash through our communities in this way since before we had vaccines for measles and polio."

Because most children appear to have few or no symptoms, case counts in kids are thought to be widely underreported.

Goza called for "a new, nationwide strategy to control the pandemic," which she said should include implementing "proven public health measures like mask wearing and physical distancing."

"This pandemic is taking a heavy toll on children, families and communities, as well as on physicians and other front-line medical teams. We must work now to restore confidence in our public health and scientific agencies, create fiscal relief for families and pediatricians alike, and support the systems that support children and families such as our schools, mental health care, and nutrition assistance."