JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 700 coronavirus cases have been linked to K-12 schools and higher-education institutions over the course of two weeks as students and employees began returning to campuses across the state, according to a Florida Department of Health report released Monday.
In the entire state, a total of 559 cases were reported in members of elementary, middle and high schools. That number includes both students (205) and staff members (342). A total of 12 were unknown.
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The data accounts for public and private schools from Aug. 10 to Aug. 23. It’s important to note that the data reported by the DOH is based on the county of residence, not where the school is located.
Post-secondary schools have reported fewer coronavirus cases than K-12 schools since Aug. 10.
Part of the reason is that universities and colleges had not resumed in-person classes during that time period. Most universities and colleges began in-person courses on Monday, and the move-in process for students began earlier this month.
The state report, however, appears to be inconsistent with the number of infections that universities have reported in the last two weeks. For example, the state report says 90 students and 61 employees at universities, colleges and trade schools have tested positive for the virus, along with four “unknown” cases.
But Florida State University and the University of Central Florida have reported 42 and 94 positive cases among students, respectively. The cumulative number of cases at those two universities surpasses the statewide total in the state report.
When asked for further specifics about the report from the Department of Health, Alberto Moscoso, the director of communications for the department, told News4Jax that the reports were “in draft form” and that they were “inadvertently made available” on a department site and not yet finalized. Moscoso sent News4Jax a version of the report stating that it was a draft, which was not part of the original report that was posted online.
The data comes as Duval County Public Schools announced Monday that it’s creating a dashboard of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on school campuses among students and staff. DCPS says that if 20% of a school reports exposure to COVID-19, it will be closed.
According to DCPS, as of Aug. 21, the district was aware of two schools with confirmed positive COVID-19 cases since the district reopened Aug. 20, neither of which involved a student. They included:
- Highlands Middle – 1 case (staff)
- Young Women’s/Men’s Leadership Academy – 1 case (staff)
According to the Department of Health, 206 cases have been reported in members of daycares in Florida. Of those cases, 83 were students, 114 were staff and nine were unknown.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report