NEW YORK - More children are getting hit hard by COVID-19 as the Delta variant tramples across the United States, which caused doctors' fear as school year has just started, according to a recent CNN report.

According to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services, a record-high 2,396 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, said the report.

More than 55,000 children have been hospitalized with the pandemic since August 2020, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of those children had no known preexisting conditions, the report added.

While childhood COVID-19 deaths are still rare, the number is increasing. As of Wednesday, at least 520 children had died, according to CDC data.