Regardless of a summer season surge of coronavirus instances, and among the many infections native college students and workers returning to highschool, Bay Space well being officers reaffirmed their assist for sticking full, in-person instruction.
Public well being officers, together with Sonoma County’s Well being Officer Dr. Sundari Mase, stated Thursday preventative measures comparable to masks, social distancing and vaccinations ought to cease the unfold of the virus on college campuses.
In Sonoma County, 68 college students and 16 college workers members have contracted the virus in the course of the first two weeks of college. Nonetheless, solely eight of these instances have been discovered to originate on the unidentified campuses.
The Affiliation of Bay Space Well being Officers stated the hurt of suspending in-class instructing and reverting again to on-line training outweighs the present public well being risk.
“The shortage of in-person studying in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic not solely disrupted training, however it additionally weakened social helps and harmed the psychological well being of scholars,” the group stated in a statement. “The dangers and advantages of returning to in-person studying are clearer now than some other time throughout this pandemic. We should all proceed to do every thing potential to maintain children safely attending their faculties.”
The affiliation stated, whereas youngsters can get COVID-19, extreme instances of the infectious illness amongst children is unusual and deaths are exceedingly uncommon. And whereas virus transmission can occur in faculties, youngsters are most frequently uncovered to the pandemic illness at house or in social settings the place security practices differ.
Mase stated COVID-19 instances amongst college students is a small fraction of the as much as 70,000 college students again on Sonoma County campuses.
The Bay Space affiliation’s assertion “reiterates the necessity for in-person studying for our children, with all of the mitigation measures that we expect are actually vital to maintain children secure at college,” she stated.
The affiliation stated college students and college workers who really feel sick or are experiencing COVID-19 signs ought to keep house, and people who are eligible to get inoculated towards the coronavirus ought to achieve this.
Amongst Sonoma County residents age 12 and older, 73.3% are totally vaccinated, in response to the county public well being information.
On Wednesday, Sonoma County well being officers launched the latest data on COVID-19 transmission among local students. County epidemiologists discovered that almost all of the instances — 59% — couldn’t be attributed to any recognized supply of transmission.
One other 23%, or 19 instances, have been linked to family or different social shut contacts. 4 have been thought-about neighborhood exposures. Virus unfold on campus comprised 10% of instances.
“My feeling is we have to maintain tight, proceed in-person training, proceed to trace instances and ensure we’ve greatest practices on the market,” Mase stated.
You’ll be able to attain Employees Author Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.
