(WWJ) The first couple weeks of the school year in Michigan has led to coronavirus outbreaks in more than two dozen schools and universities across the state.
An updated list of 31 schools was released Monday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which puts out a report on school outbreaks once a week.
MDHHS said 16 students at Eastern Michigan University were confirmed to be infected in the past week.
There were also outbreaks reported to the state health department in Avondale High School in Auburn Hills, Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills and at Troy High School. In the City of Detroit, Renaissance High School is also on the list.
The largest outbreaks reported were in Midland and Gladwin counties.
This news comes as school is just beginning in many districts in Michigan, and amid concerns about unvaccinated children spreading the novel virus and its variants in classrooms this fall.
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What counts as a school "outbreak"? In accordance with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ outbreak definition, educational institutions (i.e., grades K-12 and institutions of higher education) that have been found by their local health department to have two or more COVID-19 cases who may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households are included. Case counts for school-related outbreaks include those associated with before and after school programs (including school-sponsored sports). When applicable, outbreak reporting also includes cases originating from on-campus and off-campus student housing.
If your institution is listed, MDDHS says your local health department and school are investigating the outbreak and will contact you directly if you (or your minor/child) were possibly exposed to coronavirus on the school grounds.
The state health department, meanwhile, is reporting more than 6,300 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.
That includes numbers between Saturday and Monday, and averages to just over 1,500 cases per day. There were also 29 deaths, including 10 found during a vital records review, and more than 1,300 people are currently hospitalized statewide.
In more positive news, a total of 887,790 sickened by COVID-19 in Michigan since the pandemic began are now considered recovered.
The latest information on the coronavirus in Michigan, including about testing sites and vaccinations, can be found at michigan.gov/coronavirus/.
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