A list of child care centers and schools that El Paso County Public Health and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have identified with having outbreaks of coronavirus.
It s a good thing the school year is almost over: The latest report from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment lists 58 new COVID-19 outbreaks at K-12 schools, the most in a single week since the department began releasing weekly outbreak lists over a year ago.
Of the 859 outbreaks currently under active investigation by the CDPHE, K-12 schools account for 251, or just over 29 percent of the total. That appears to be a record, too.
The CDPHE considers an entity an outbreak after two or more COVID-19 cases among residents, staffers or other people connected to a specific location are confirmed within a fourteen-day period, or two or more cases of respiratory illness with an onset of symptoms within a fourteen-day period are paired with at least one additional COVID-19 diagnosis. The vast majority of businesses and facilities identified as outbreaks remain open while working with the department to monitor symptoms and prevent future infections.
and last updated 2021-01-30 03:16:40-05
News5 spoke with Dr. Eric France, the chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), to learn more about how this decision was made. Dr. France said after assessing current vaccination progress, it was time to start thinking about which groups of people ought to be next. We just feel like it s time to give the kids a break. And it s time to elevate the importance of family and children, and make them a priority area. It s as much an economic and social and community prioritization, as it is health, said Dr. France.