Seven students tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday in six public schools in Indian River County as the virus remains a threat despite widespread vaccinations.
The School District reported 12 COVID-19 cases last week in nine schools, the most since the week of April 19 through April 23 when there were 14 cases, including eight at Sebastian River High School.
Two COVID-19 cases were reported Friday and one on Wednesday at Glendale Elementary School resulting in the quarantining of six students, district records show.
Two students each were also diagnosed with the virus last week at Vero Beach High and Treasure Coast Elementary schools, district records show. Three other students at Treasure Coast Elementary were quarantined.
In addition, a single COVID-19 case was reported last week at Beachland and Vero Beach elementary schools, Gifford, Oslo and Storm Grove middle schools and the Vero Beach High Freshman Learning Center, district records show. Those cases resulted in 19 students being quarantined.
School District press releases reported a total of 496 COVID-19 cases since the school year started Aug. 28, involving 383 students and 113 staff members, as of May 17.
Last Friday’s spike came days after the School Board voted to keep its mandatory face mask policy in place despite public outcry to make masks optional for students.
Schools Superintendent David Moore told the School Board on May 11 the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the county is still too high to make facemasks optional.
A total of 90 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Indian River County between May 9 and May 16, Florida Department of Health records show.
In a county with a population of 160,000, that amounts to approximately 56 cases per 100,000 residents.
The 90 cases represented a 24 percent decline compared to the 119 cases during the week of May 3 through May 9, state records show.
Deaths also declined by 33 percent to two in the past week and hospitalizations declined by 22 percent to seven, state records show.
Meanwhile, 84,751 county residents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination as of May 16, an increase of 1,661 people or about 2 percent compared to last week, state Health Department records show.
That’s about 53 percent of the county’s population but doesn’t include all vaccinations administered by private health care providers.