Grows up. 27 (UPI) – Twelve of the 22 students in an elementary class became infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 after being exposed to an unvaccinated teacher with the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.
The age of the students was not included in the data, although “they were not eligible for vaccination because of age,” the CDC said.
Eight of the 12 students developed symptoms of COVID-19, although none were hospitalized as a result, he said.
Classroom desks were 6 feet apart, in accordance with CDC recommendations on social distancing, and all staff and students in Marin County, California, were required to wear masks while indoors.
However, the unvaccinated teacher “was reported to unmask himself at times when reading aloud in class,” the CDC reported.
“This outbreak of COVID-19 that originated with an unvaccinated teacher highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff members who are in close inner contact with children not eligible for vaccination when schools return to open, “the CDC researchers wrote.
“The outbreak rate of the outbreak highlights the increased transmissibility and rapid spread potential of the Delta variant, especially in unvaccinated populations, such as schoolchildren too young to be vaccinated,” they said.
The report comes as school districts across the country reopen and discuss whether COVID-19 vaccines should be needed for eligible students and staff.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech trait in people over the age of 16. 12- to 15-year-olds are eligible to receive the vaccine under FDA emergency use authorization.
Many schools are also implementing social distancing protocols and mask mandates, on the objections of some parents. On Friday, a Florida judge issued an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis banning school mask warrants.
Nearly 165,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Thursday across the United States, with at least 80 percent of them the most contagious Delta variant, based on CDC data.
Between Aug. 12 and 19, there were more than 180,000 confirmed infections among children nationwide, with about 2 percent developing symptoms severe enough to require hospital treatment, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
During this week, children accounted for more than 22% of all confirmed cases of COVID-19, a 50% increase over the first pandemic.
In addition to the 12 cases among students of unvaccinated teachers in California, an independent class at the same school saw six of the 14 students tested infected, the CDC said.
Four students from four different grades at the school were also infected, as well as four parents of children.
All cases in the school involved the Delta variant and could be sought with the infected teacher and without vaccination.
“Ineligibility for age and lack of vaccination contributes to a high and persistent risk of outbreaks in schools, especially as new … variants emerge,” the CDC researchers wrote. “However, implementing multiple prevention strategies in schools can mitigate this risk.”