171 District 99 Students Test Positive For COVID-19 Amid Surge

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — During the week of Jan. 3, 171 students had tested positive for coronavirus at Community High School District 99. District officials are "not considering remote or hybrid learning at this time," a spokesperson told Patch via email Monday.

The most recent data reflects a more than 380 percent increase in positive coronavirus cases compared to the week of Dec. 13, before the district's holiday break began. During the week of Jan. 3, 58 students were reported as asymptomatic after having had close contact with a person who had tested positive for coronavirus, according to data from the District 99 coronavirus dashboard.

The District 99 spokesperson told Patch the district's current surge in coronavirus-related absences is "similar to the rest of society" and that the district is continuing its current coronavirus mitigation strategies.

As of Jan. 10, students and staff who test positive for coronavirus were still to be excluded from school and extracurricular activities for up to 10 days, according to the district website. Unvaccinated students and staff who are asymptomatic, but quarantined per DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) coronavirus quarantine guidelines would be excluded from school and extracurricular activities for up to 10 days, according to the district website.

In an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, students and staff are required to wear masks and urged to stay home and get tested for coronavirus if they experience any signs of illness. Students and staff are also urged not to come to school if they experience the following symptoms or conditions:

• Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
• New cough
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
• Fatigue from unknown cause
• Muscle or body ache from unknown cause
• New onset of headache that is moderate to severe
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Close contact (3 feet or fewer with mask or 6 feet or fewer without a mask) with someone who tested positive for coronavirus via nasal swab in the last 10 days

The increase in coronavirus cases and contacts at local schools reflects a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases related to the omicron variant, which is "unlike anything we've ever seen," Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital, told CNN in late December.

Related: Illinois Schools Likely Biggest Culprit Of COVID Exposure: IDPH

In early January, Advocate Aurora Hospitals reported that 25 percent of its pediatric coronavirus patients were in the intensive care unit. Throughout the preceding month, half of all children admitted to the hospital system were younger than 5 years old and ineligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

More on Patch:

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Omicron Variant Finds New Population To Exploit: Children

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