ATLANTA — Cases of COVID-19 among schoolchildren have sharply declined since a peak at the end of August, according to the Georgia Department of Health.

The seven-day average of cases among children ages 0 to 17 was 1,063 on Sept. 16, down from a peak of 2,183 on Aug. 29. That’s more than a 51% decrease. Nearly 1,400 cases of COVID-19 during the peak were among children ages 10 to 17. On Sept. 16, the seven-day average among children in that age group had dropped to 616, a 56% decrease.

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There have been more than 35,000 cases of COVID-19 among students and staff at metro Atlanta schools since the start of the school year.

At least 37 Georgia teachers and staff have died of COVID-19 since the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

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Still, cases in Georgia schools seem to be on the decline as well. In Gwinnett County, Georgia’s largest school district, there has been a 38% decrease in new COVID-19 cases this week, compared to the peak during the week of Aug. 30.

In Cobb County, cases have declined 44% since the week of Aug. 30.

Cases of COVID-19 appear to mostly be mild in children, even during the surge of the highly-contagious delta variant, according to the American Association of Pediatrics.

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At least 16 children have died of the virus in Georgia, according to official state data. Channel 2 Action News is aware of at least two more pediatric deaths in the state that have not been entered into the Georgia Department of Health database.

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