COVID in Indiana K-12 Schools: Schools report fewer cases during week with holiday break

Reported cases of COVID-19 among K-12 students took a dip last week, likely due to schools not being in session due the Thanksgiving holiday.

There were 1,963 new cases reported among students in the state last week, down from roughly 3,100 the week before, but still far below the peak in early September.

Cases were on the rise for several weeks after nearly two months of falling case numbers in Indiana's schools. However, some schools had time off last week due to the holiday, which could be impacting the numbers reported.

Schools also reported 141 new cases in teachers and 180 cases among other staff members for last week. Most of the newly reported cases occurred last week, though some did date back to previous weeks.

The cases reported by schools mirror statewide data for overall cases. Cases took a dip over the Thanksgiving weekend after trending upward for several weeks. Before that, cases were going down after a late summer peak.

School-aged children are all eligible for vaccination now, but rates among young people remain low.

Per the state dashboard on vaccination rates, about 10% of children ages 5 to 11 have had one shot at this time, according to the state’s vaccine dashboard. For ages 12 to 15, it's about 40% and for 16 to 19, it's nearly 46%.

With this week’s numbers, reported on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard for schools, the total of student cases this year is 48,666. In October, reported cases among K-12 students in the state topped the number reported among students all of last school year. However, teacher and staff case totals are about half of those totals for last school year.

It's likely an undercount of what has actually been happening in the state's schools over the last year-and-a-half.

While most schools reported to the state dashboard last year, it was not required and some never participated. The reporting is mandatory this year, but hundreds of schools have yet to comply. As of Monday's update, 414 schools have yet to report data to the state this year.

Call IndyStar education reporter MJ Slaby at 317-447-1586 or email her at mslaby@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mjslaby.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: COVID in Indiana K-12 Schools: Schools report fewer cases last week