More than 5,000 Coast students either tested positive or were in COVID quarantine last week
Omicron showed just how contagious it can be by keeping thousands of teachers, staff members and students home from school last week at Coast schools after they tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19.
The latest report from Mississippi Department of Health for the week from Jan. 17-21 shows an increase of at least 240% among students who tested positive compared with the week of Jan. 3-7.
For last week, 2,035-2,079 students tested positive, and 3,235 were in quarantine, according to the report. For the same week, 316-560 teachers tested positive, with 247 in quarantine.
MSDH doesn’t give an exact number of new positive cases at schools when there are five or fewer new cases, in an effort to protect the privacy of the teachers, staff and students. Instead it is listed as “1-5” new cases.
The Sun Herald uses that information to calculate lower- and upper-end ranges for the number of COVID-positive students and staff in each county.
Coast high schools tended to have the highest number of students test positive last week, with 60 in Gulfport, 59 in West Harrison High, 57 in both Biloxi High and Harrison Central High, and 55 in Hancock High.
Vancleave High was a notable exception with just 7 students testing positive.
But the report show omicron also spread through schools in the lower grades in the three Coast counties as well.
in Harrison County, West Elementary had 117 students and 11 teachers in quarantine last week after being exposed.
South Hancock Elementary had 15 students and 6 staff members test positive and 58 total in quarantine.
In Jackson County, Kreole Elementary had 115 students and 11 teachers and staff members were in quarantine. Gautier Elementary had 106 students and 18 teachers in quarantine.
If the schools follow the trends in South Mississippi, their next report to the health department could show a decrease in cases.
The first case of Omicron in Mississippi wasn’t identified until Dec. 6 and the variant hit a peak in South Mississippi on Jan. 13 with the highest one-day total of 1,573 new cases.
This highest cases per week in South Mississippi was 7,492 cases the week ending Jan. 14. It dropped by 100 cases the week ending Jan. 21, which covers the week in this school report.
