The state health department said it saw a “sharp rise” in groups between sports teams.
“Clusters between school sports teams accounted for 45% of all North Carolina middle and high school clusters, although most school sports activities did not begin until August, as schools began on fall semester, “the North Carolina health department said in a press release.
The health department reported 42 groups related to athletics and defines a group of at least 5 cases.
Between July 1 and September 2, there were 340 cases in these 42 athletics-related clusters in public, charter, and private schools in North Carolina, according to the NCDHHS.
“To protect student privacy, no other identifying information will be released, including county or school,” he said.
The NCDHHS said the numbers underscored the urgent need for vaccination among schoolchildren as soon as possible. Children under the age of 17 were 31 percent of the state’s new Covid-19 cases, the highest since the pandemic began, the health department said.
“We need everyone, including our student-athletes and their coaches, to increase the layers of prevention to combat this most contagious Delta variant: don’t wait to get vaccinated and urge others to do the same,” Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson. “Proven, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are the best tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sports students who are fully vaccinated do not need to be quarantined after close contact with someone with COVID-19 “.
The North Carolina Department of Health recommends the use of indoor face masks, as well as the recommendation of sports programs that “practice social distancing when possible, disinfect equipment frequently, and avoid sharing water bottles. ”.
“Teams should also consider exercising, including weight training, in groups or pods to limit exposure in case someone gets sick,” according to the NCDHHS. “Sports in which participants have frequent and prolonged contact, such as basketball, football, cheerleading, wrestling and others, are at greater risk.”
Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have advised that sports may play a role in the spread of Covid-19 among students, especially those who are not vaccinated.
Last month, several sports and medical associations said they believed all athletes who could get the Covid-19 vaccine should do so as soon as possible and urged medical providers to talk about the vaccine at all times. physical sports. In addition to the AAP, other organizations included in the statement include the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Federation of Associations of Secondary States, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, among others. .
“We, the subscribed organizations, believe that all athletes who do not have contraindications should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible,” an AAP statement said.