80+ Coronavirus Cases Linked To PA Schools: See Where
PENNSYLVANIA — More than 80 reports of coronavirus linked to Pennsylvania schools have been logged in a National Education Association database tracking cases.
In just a week, the NEA has added more than 40 reports of coronavirus cases linked to Pennsylvania schools. Last week, there were about 40 cases included in the database. As of Sunday, it now shows 84 reports. Most of the cases are linked to extra curricular activities, including sports. You can see the full list here.
A case reported Saturday out of Central Bucks East High School has not yet been added to the tracker.
As Patch reported last week, the tracker is the brainchild of Kansas teacher Alisha Morris, who began developing it in early August. Since then, the project has expanded and the NEA has taken the reins.
Morris started building the database on Aug. 6, she told NPR in a recent interview. It was initially based on news reports going back to July 1, she explained.
Opinions on whether students should return to the classrooms are split: many districts opted for an online start due to concerns from teachers and some community members. A lack of staffing has also complicated bringing students back into a school setting in a socially-distanced environment.
While Pennsylvania officials have said schools can reopen as long as they have an approved safety plan in place, the state recently created a recommendation for how to administer learning based on the level of community spread. Counties in Pennsylvania are rated either low, moderate or substantial transmission risks. The ratings are updated weekly.
The state Department of Education recommends a fully remote education model in counties that have substantial risk of community spread. Those designated as having substantial risk have had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a percent positivity rate above 10 percent over seven days.
Counties with low risk have had less than 10 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a less than 5 percent positivity rate over seven days. In counties with a low transmission risk, the state recommends either a fully in-person model or some blended learning.
The moderate designation means the county has had anywhere from 10 to less than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a 5-10 percent positivity rate over seven days. For counties in the moderate designation, fully remote school or a blend of remote and in-person learning is recommended.
Some public health officials in the Philadelphia suburbs are strongly advocating for a full reopening of schools based on the current data.
In Bucks County, Health Department Director David Damsker said it was his recommendation that all districts reopen with safety measures in place. However, just three opted for in-person learning to start the year off.
In an interview with Patch to discuss the county's "modified quarantine" procedure for schools, Damsker said the associated impacts of isolation and quarantine — adolescent depression and anxiety — are more concerning to him from a public health perspective at this point than the coronavirus itself.
He said no children in Pennsylvania have died from coronavirus, and in Bucks County there have been no pediatric hospitalizations. "The flu has killed more kids than this has," he said, noting he supported the initial school closure so experts could better understand the virus.But now that we have more knowledge, "I don't know much better they're (the numbers) are going to get" before reopening schools for in-person learning.
While some outbreaks have been reported in college campuses across the state, including at Temple where more than 200 students recently tested positive, the virus is not typically spread in classroom environments where students are wearing masks, Damsker said. In general, it is spreading on college campuses at social events and parties, he noted.
Cases in Bucks County are primarily being traced to household contacts or social gatherings, he added.
RELATED: Coronavirus Outbreaks Reported At PA Colleges
This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch
