At least 1,000 schools across 31 states have had to close since the school year began in late July because of COVID-19, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Journal cited data from Burbio, a data service monitoring school closures at 1,200 districts nationwide.
In the 20 states where schools opened in late July, COVID-19 cases surged, the Journal reported. The majority of closures are impacting schools in the south, where the more transmissible Delta variant has rapidly spread.
CBS reported that in August, almost 12,000 students in Mississippi tested positive for COVID-19. The school year in the state began in early August.
The Journal reported that in New Mexico, almost one out of every ten students has tested positive for the virus.
The American Association of Pediatrics reported that since the start of the pandemic, nearly 4.8 million children have tested positive for COVID-19.
Experts have called for more mask mandates and for more people to get vaccinated to stop the spread. So far, vaccines have only been approved for those older than 12.
The rise of cases among kids has prompted some parents to ask their pediatricians to vaccinate their kids despite a lack of approval from the Food and Drug Administration. However, pediatricians and experts have advised against this.
A Los Angeles pediatrician who wished to remain anonymous but whose identity is known to Insider previously said he's seen the rate of kids testing positive correlate to the level of community spread. As cases in the general community go up, so does the rate of infection among kids.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said he supports mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR that Pfizer is expected to present clinical trial findings for those aged 5 to 11 years old to the FDA next month, but says it could be months before a vaccine is approved for that age group.
The Pfizer vaccine is currently fully approved by the FDA for those over 16 and approved for emergency use in those over 12.
The Centers for Disease Control has recommended that those over 12 get vaccinated.
