State officials are warning of an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in schools across the state.
As more districts open for face-to-face education, state health officials say 752 Minnesota schools have confirmed cases of COVID-19 this week.
Based on genomic sequencing of confirmed cases, state officials estimate that 50 percent of COVID-19 cases in Minnesota are now called variant B.1.1.7 – a more contagious version and, further research suggests, a more serious version of the virus.
In a statement, state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said that the Minnesota Department of Health is increasingly concerned about the increase in cases among school-age children and adolescents.
At the same time, they are seeing more hospitalizations.
“That’s why it’s so important for all of us to keep doing those things that make a big difference: wearing masks, keeping social distance, avoiding big meetings, meeting other restrictions that still exist, taking the test, staying at home if you’re sick or positive test, roll up your sleeve and get vaccinated as soon as you can, ”said Lynfield.
Over the weekend, University of Minnesota public health expert Michael Osterholm said in “Meet the Press” that what Minnesota is seeing with the circulation of variant B.1.1.7 is changing the momentum to reopen schools.
“Right here in Minnesota, we are seeing the other aspect of this B.1.1.7 variant that hasn’t been talked about much,” he said. “It infects children very easily. Unlike previous strains of the virus, we did not see children below the eighth grade being infected frequently or were often not very sick. They did not broadcast it to the rest of the community. That’s why I was one of those people who strongly supported personal learning. B.1.1.7 turns this upside down. ”
The number of Minnesota schools that report COVID-19 cases has been steadily increasing since the beginning of January. But data from the state Department of Health make no distinction between variants when reporting cases.
More than 90 percent of Minnesota schools now offer some form of face-to-face learning for their students. That number is expected to increase when the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts receive more students back to school in mid-April.
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