76 new COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan schools infect 428

State health officials reported 76 new school-related outbreaks of COVID-19 last week, infecting at least 428 students and staff.

The latest count, updated on Monday, October 25, included a reduction of approximately 25% in new outbreaks and a reduction of approximately 50% in affected individuals. Last week, there were 101 new outbreaks by 858 infected residents.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services continues to monitor 421 ongoing outbreaks from previous weekly reports that infected at least 4,758 students and staff. Ongoing outbreaks include clusters identified in the previous week that had at least one additional case in the last 28 days.

In total, there were 497 active outbreaks, an increase of 18% from last week. These outbreaks affected at least 5,186 students and staff.

Until recently, outbreaks were defined by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services as two or more cases with location and time links indicating shared exposure outside the home. However, on September 27, MDHHS announced that it would raise the minimum outbreak threshold to three, “to promote consistent reporting between states.”

Schools continue to be the most common situation in reported outbreaks of COVID-19, with individuals aged 5-18 showing the largest increase in the number of cases since September 1. Part of this is because children under the age of 12 are not eligible for the vaccine. And less than 50% of qualified teens were shot.

In addition, only 222 school districts have a mask policy compared to 311 without a mask policy. The CDC recommends a layered approach to preventive strategies, including facilitating vaccination, wearing masks properly, ensuring physical distance, and facilitating disease screening and testing.

Related: Michigan adds 191 new COVID-19 outbreaks in its October 18 report

Of the 76 new school outbreaks, 9 involved more than 10 students and staff. The biggest new outbreaks were:

• A shepherd high school in Isabella County where 31 students were infected.
• Byron Center High School in Kent County, infected with 26 students and staff.
• A shepherd junior high school in Isabella County, infected with 15 students and staff.
• Fowler High School in Clinton County, where 13 students were infected.
• Rockford High School in Kent County, where 13 students were infected.

Schools from kindergarten to high school make up the majority of outbreaks, but college outbreaks are usually responsible for the majority of individuals affected by the outbreak. The University of Michigan has the largest ongoing outbreak with 236 affected students and staff.

Below is an online database that allows readers to search for outbreak data by school name or city or county. The number of infected people is the cumulative total since the first outbreak. (Note: Washtenaw County reports only cumulative totals for the last 28 days.)

Can’t see the above database? click here..

Below is an interactive map showing both new and ongoing outbreaks listed in the Monday report. You can hover your cursor over the dots to view the underlying data.

Can’t you see the map? click here..

School outbreak data from kindergarten to high school only includes cases where a student or staff member is infected at a school or school-related event. It does not include people infected with the virus outside of school.

The state has included this disclaimer in its data. “This information does not provide a complete picture of school-related outbreaks in Michigan, and the absence of an institution-specific outbreak does not provide evidence that the school has not actually experienced it. No. Outbreak. “

For more information on state-wide data, please visit: Click here for MLive’s coronavirus data page..

To find a test site near you State Online Test Finder, Here, Send an email to [email protected]Or call 888-535-6136 between 8 am and 5 pm on weekdays.

Details of MLive:

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