BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — The Palm Beach County pediatric positivity rate is still an astonishingly high 14.1-percent just days before Palm Beach County starts in-person education. Palm Beach County has the third highest pediatric positivity rate in Florida of similarly sized counties. Only Miami-Dade (19.7-percent) and Broward (17.0-percent) are higher.
While the overall positivity rate in Palm Beach County has dropped, the pediatric rate has remained in the 14-percent range for several weeks. The Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says schools should only start in-person learning when that number is consistently in the 3 to 5-percent range.
The Florida Department of Health, which released the report, defines “pediatric” as under age 18.
Statewide, 52,857 children 0-17 have tested positive for COVID-19. By age group: 2,776 children under age 1; 8,215 children ages 1-4; 14,157 children ages 5-10; 8,977 ages 11-13; and 18,732 ages 14-17.