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As of Wednesday, eighty K-12 schools in Colorado had active outbreaks of COVID-19 – nearly double the 42 outbreaks reported last week.
And the total number of outbreaks in schools last week was more than double the previous week.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 291 active outbreaks on Wednesday, up from 242 a week earlier.
Schools accounted for the majority of the increase, with most other settings showing steady, single-digit increases in the number of nursing homes and correctional facilities reporting clusters. However, any increase in nursing home outbreaks is potentially worrying, as residents have accounted for a disproportionate share of deaths in previous waves.
About two-thirds of school-based outbreaks involved fewer than 10 cases, although nearly a dozen affected 20 or more people.
The Colorado schools with the largest outbreaks are:
- Douglas County High School, Douglas County School District: 27 students and seven staff cases
- Power Technical Early College, District 49: 28 students, six staff
- Mesa College, DCSD: 28 students, five staff members
- Elbert School, Elbert School District 200: 21 students, 11 staff
- Horizon College, District 49: 28 students, four staff
- STEM Highlands Ranch School, DCSD: 30 students
- Naturita Primary School, West End Public Schools: 24 students, two staff
- Heritage Academy, Elizabeth School District: 20 students, five employees
- Cimarron College, DCSD: 21 students, one staff member
- Remington Elementary School, District 49: 21 students, one staff member
- Sagewood College, DCSD: 18 students, two staff
The 80 school outbreaks affected a total of 760 students and 126 staff. So far, no deaths have been linked to the current clusters.
At worst, in early December, 211 schools experienced epidemics. At that time, the state still defined an outbreak in schools as two or more linked cases, but now only clusters of five or more cases are reported, so it is not clear how the current situation would compare if the schools were using the lower cutoff.
Last fall, epidemics appeared more slowly. It was not until early November to reach the current number of outbreaks, even with the lower threshold, to declare one. Of course, almost all schools then required masks, and more students were learning at home.
The data is not exhaustive, as a school is only considered to have an epidemic if five or more cases are linked by a common class, activity or bus line. The state considers outbreaks active until four weeks have passed without a new case.
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