Amid a persistent rise in COVID-19 cases among children in the U.S., older teens between 16 and 17 years of age seem to be having the highest rate of weekly cases, suggests a CNN analysis of the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Saturday, this age group appears to have the highest rate of cases among children, as well as all age groups, as per the CDC′s weekly COVID-19 case tally per 100,000 individuals. During the early days of the pandemic, the original strain of the virus affected older adults and essential workers at high rates, but most of the people in those groups are now fully vaccinated.

Factors that may explain the reason for teenagers having higher case rates include the high transmissibility of the Delta variant and the fact that teens are more likely to interact with others, especially throughout the summer, stated Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Additionally, teens seem to be the least likely to get vaccinated… (CNN, August 26, 2021)