DOH says COVID-19 is spreading “absolutely” to Orange County schools

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – As school begins in Orange County, health officials said the district’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 16 percent.

The Florida Department of Health in Orange County said officials were unable to contact all families who may have been exposed to COVID-19 as the agency seeks to hire more contact tracking staff.

Dr. Raul Pino, of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said the process of placing students in quarantine and their permission to return to school requires a lot of resources.

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“Does the transmission happen in schools? Absolutely, ”said Pino.

Pino said some parents immediately answer calls from the health department, others do not. He said sometimes the health department has an incorrect number or an incorrect email address.

Scott Howat, with the Orange County Public School District, said it’s easier to contact the trail in elementary schools where students don’t change classrooms often.

“We really need the help of our parents and our students to make sure they answer the call when the contact tracers call if they need to,” Howat said.

Health officials said 50 percent of Orange County residents between the ages of 12 and 18 have received a vaccine. The number is considerably less than 80% of all county residents in the group age 65 and older.

“We’re just hoping for a vaccine approval for younger ages. I mean, we’re definitely looking forward to that sooner rather than later. We’re doing everything we can in elementary school,” Howat said.

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OCPS said as of Thursday, more than seven percent of students have opted to exclude the district’s mask requirement. Howitt said he expects that number to increase.