What Have We Learned About Schools And COVID?

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Schools and mask mandates. We know some districts already made their decision for the fall. Others are debating it right now.

It’s been an emotional process for families.

So what have we learned about schools and COVID? Good Question.

Mary Jo Martin is lead nurse for Hopkins Public Schools.

“The biggest lesson we learned that it was important to have kids in person, be in person school,” she said.

Her COVID team thinks “the four Ws” made the difference last year.

“Watch your distance, wear a mask, wash your hands and when sick stay home,” she said.

Last year, Hopkins had 75 staff and 250 students test positive — both distance and in-person.

Only once did they find two positive cases in one classroom.

“We think just about all of it was community,” Martin said.

“When there’s a lot of transmission in the community, it’s just about impossible to keep that from spilling over into other sectors, including the school settings,” Minnesota Department of Health Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann said.

Across Minnesota, more than 9,000 staff and nearly 18,000 students have tested positive for COVID.

The state identified 905 outbreaks – five cases or more over two weeks in a school.

“We have to acknowledge that that is much lower than what we would expect to see with Delta circulating,” Ehresmann said. “On the plus side, we have vaccines available for everyone 12 years of age and older.”

Forty-six percent of 12- to 15-year-olds are vaccinated; 55% of ages 16 and 17.

Martin estimates 85% of the Hopkins school staff is vaccinated.

“On the negative side, the virus is completely different,” Ehresmann said.

So the state recommends vaccination first and foremost.

“We surround those who are fully vaccinated with other mitigation measures, strategies,” Martin said.

Also pods, contact tracing, handwashing and universal masks.

“We’re continuing to learn about the Delta variant and what strategies will be most effective, but we know that masking is effective,” Ehresmann said.

Ehresmann points to a study from Duke, where researchers collected data from more than 1 million students and staff in North Carolina.

“All of it says the same thing, that with masking in place, the secondary attack rate is really, really low,” Duke University’s Dr. Kanecia Zimmerman said.

Martin’s COVID team is recommending a mask mandate in schools. The Hopkins School Board will vote on it on Tuesday.

“I think we can bring all of our students back, in-person learning and hopefully keep everyone safe and just see what happens,” Martin said. “We don’t know.”

Ehresmann says children generally don’t get as sick as older people. But in just the past week and a half, there were 738 cases of COVID in Minnesota kids under 12. Seven of them were hospitalized. Two were admitted to the ICU.

Source: CBS Minnesota