CT School Year Starts With Significantly More Reported Covid-19 Cases

CONNECTICUT — The school year started off with far more reported Covid-19 cases among students and staff than the previous year, according to new data from the state Department of Public Health.

Statewide, there were 1,460 reported cases among students and 527 cases among school staff between Sept. 1-7. Last school year, the state reported 386 student cases and 97 staff cases between Sept. 2-8. DPH maintains a school-by-school database for reported cases. It’s important to note that reported cases don’t track where a student or staff member was infected.

Many Connecticut school districts have adopted DPH and the State Department of Education’s “test, mask, go” Covid-19 mitigation strategy for schools. The new policy aims to keep students in school as much as possible.

Test, mask, go encourages students to do an at-home Covid-19 test if they are experiencing any respiratory virus symptoms. Those who don’t have a fever, don't have a household member with a known Covid-19 infection, and test negative for Covid-19 can go to school, but should wear a mask. Students should continue to test and mask each day they have symptoms.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Covid-19 school guidelines over the summer as well. The agency no longer recommends students cohort to reduce spread, and it recommends universal indoor masking when a community has a high level of virus transmission.

The CDC also ended recommendations to conduct widespread screen testing. Instead, it recommends that schools focus screenings on high-risk activities when a community enters a high level of transmission.

The number of reported Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations remained stable. There were 3,309 cases reported over seven days as of Thursday; there were 3,479 cases in the prior reporting period.

There were 357 Covid-19 hospitalizations as of Thursday, which is up four patients from the prior Thursday.

New London County is in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s low Covid-19 community level, while all the rest of the state’s counties are in the medium warning level.