An increase in COVID-19 cases among school-age children (5-17 yrs.) has prompted Lane County Public Health to come up with a new way to report them.
Instead of naming individual schools, officials list cases under school districts. Right now, the three largest districts have the bulk of the school-age infections.
In Eugene 4-J, there are 28 cases—with nearly half of them being 16 and 17 year olds who are now eligible for the vaccine.
There are 29 cases in Springfield School District-- with almost a third being 14 to 15 years old.
Bethel District currently has 10 cases.
Spokesperson Jason Davis said, case investigations have revealed a lot. “We’re not seeing transmission happening in the classroom,” he said. "The majority of our transmission really is around extracurricular activities, that includes sporting events. It’s happening outdoors in parks, it’s happening at people’s homes.”
Davis urged parents to have the talk with kids from kindergarten through senior year about how to socialize responsibly, wear a mask and help stop the spread among their peers.
