Half of students in a California classroom tested positive for COVID-19 after a teacher entered the school while infected with the Indian variant “Delta,” according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC).
The elementary school teacher in Marin County, California, felt symptomatic, but continued to work for two days before receiving a positive test result.
From time to time, the teacher, who was not vaccinated, read aloud without masking in class despite the school’s requirements to always mask inside.
Within a week, it was confirmed that 12 of the 24 students in the class were infected with the virus, seven of whom sat in the front two rows.
In addition, at least six children of separate grade tested positive for Covid, as well as eight parents and siblings of students in both grades.
The authors state that the findings show the degree of transmission of the Delta variant and recommend that all teachers and school staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid transmitting the disease to children too young to receive the vaccines.
A new CDC report details how a maskless, vaccine-free professor from Marin County, California, worked for two days before testing positive for COVID-19. Pictured: Third-grade teacher Keyona Moxey teaches students at Warner Arts Magnet Elementary in Nashville, Tennessee, Aug. 20
Following the teacher’s test result, 12 of 24 children in the teacher’s class tested positive, including the five children who sat in the front row (top)
According to the report, which was released Friday, the teacher worked at a school in Marin County (just north of San Francisco) with 205 preschool students through 8th grade and 24 staff members.
All staff members were vaccinated against COVID-19 except two, including the professor mentioned in the study.
He began experiencing symptoms on May 19, including nasal congestion and fatigue, but worked the next two days.
During this time period, the teacher reported more symptoms, including fever, cough, and headache.
Although the school required teachers and students to wear a mask indoors at all times, according to CDC recommendations, the teacher did not wear any face cap while reading aloud in class.
On May 21, the teacher received a positive test for COVID-19, informed the school, and remained isolated until May 30.
Meanwhile, the first students in his class began experiencing symptoms on May 22, the day after the positive test result.
Of the 24 children in the classroom, 22 were tested. In total, 12 children received a positive COVID-19 result.
More than half of the children who tested positive, or seven, sat in the front two rows, meaning they were closest to the teacher.
The five children who sat in the front row tested positive and four showed symptoms, accounting for two-thirds of all children with symptoms.
The positive results came despite the desks being placed six feet away and the children wearing masks inside.
In addition, all classrooms were equipped with portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air filters and the doors and windows were left open.
In addition to the unvaccinated teacher and her students, it was also confirmed that six of the 18 children in a close circle were infected with COVID-19, as well as siblings and parents of students in both grades (above).
CDC authors say the findings show how infectious the Indian Delta variant is and recommend vaccinating teachers to prevent outbreaks. In the picture: the graph shows how quickly the infected teacher spread the virus to other students and their parents
But the positive test results didn’t just come from the sick teacher’s classroom.
In a nearby classroom, 14 of 18 students were tested for the virus and it was confirmed that six were infected.
There were also eight more cases: one more four-grade student, who were siblings of the two-grade students, and four parents.
None of the infected children were eligible for vaccination because they are under 12, the minimum age allowed to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the US.
According to the report, no other school staff members became ill and no infected adults or students were hospitalized.
The sample of the infected teacher was sent for genome sequencing and it was revealed that he or she was infected with the Delta variant.
“This outbreak of COVID-19 that originated with an unvaccinated teacher highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff members who are in close internal contact with children not eligible for vaccination as they reopen. schools, ”the authors wrote.
“The rate of outbreak attack highlights the increased transmissibility and potential for rapid spread of the Delta variant, especially in unvaccinated populations, such as schoolchildren too young to be vaccinated.”
