The Cobb County School District has reported more than 500 COVID-19 cases among students and staff since July 1, according to new figures posted on Friday.
The exact total is 510, according to the update, which is posted on the district’s website.
The district has been updating that figure weekly since the first week of face-to-face learning began last month.
When elementary students returned in the first phase of reopening, there had been 287 COVID cases reported.
Since the campuses reopened for classes, there have been 223 reported cases, which don’t break down specific numbers of students and staff.
The current week’s total is 67 more than last week and includes cases reported at 32 elementary and middle schools.
Ten or fewer cases were reported at each school, which has been the case since the district began posting. The district does not disclose the exact number at each school when the threshold is at or under 10.
Nine of those schools are in East Cobb, including three that had no reported previous cases.
They are Addison ES, Sope Creek ES and Dodgen MS.
Other East Cobb schools with reported cases this week, and which have reported cases in previous weeks, are Brumby ES, East Side ES, Tritt ES, Daniell MS, East Cobb MS and Mabry MS.
Cobb high school students returned for face-to-face learning on Thursday; previously the district began posting COVID case figures for elementary and middle schools at the end of the second week of students’ return to campus.
As of Thursday there have been 22,836 COVID cases in Cobb County since March, and 469 deaths. In East Cobb, more than 5,000 cases have been reported and nearly 100 deaths.
At one point the 14-day average of cases per 100,000 population in Cobb dropped just below 100, which is considered high community spread.
As of Thursday, that two-week figure is 171 cases per 100,000 people. That’s been a key metric used by Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale. He ordered the start of the school year to be all online when that average was in the 300-400 range, then called for a phased reopening when the average dropped between 100-200.
In explaining its COVID reporting procedures, the Cobb school district said that in accordance with student and health privacy laws, “the Georgia Department of Public Health recommends refraining from publicly publishing numbers of cases or quarantined students or staff that are less than 10 unless the number is 0.”
Cobb and Douglas Public health will “communicate confirmed cases to affected students/staff/ parents,” according to CCSD protocols.
Those guidelines also state that those who test positive “will isolate until 10 consecutive days have passed from their positive COVID-19 test and they are asymptomatic.”
The district details health and safety protocols in this FAQ and encourages parents to follow a daily well-being checklist before sending students to school. More health and safety information can be found here.
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