OMAHA, Nebraska (WOWT) – The Douglas County Health Department said on Friday that 100 positive cases of COVID-19 – most of them the UK variant – were traced to a daycare in northwest Omaha; and that a possible second outbreak linked to “an event” is under investigation.
The DCHD said that more than half of the Rosewood Academy daycare and preschool team and “participants” were affected by the B.1.1.7 outbreak, and that contact tracking investigations confirmed that the outbreak originated at the daycare center. .
Justin Frederick, Douglas County Communicable Disease Epidemiology Supervisor, said officials were working to determine whether another possible group of positive cases was linked to the UK variant confirmed at the daycare center. As the investigation is still ongoing, he was unable to specify anything about the potential second potential outbreak, other than to say that the scenario was “an event”.
The health department said the outbreak is of particular concern because the UK variant is more easily spread and because children appear to be more susceptible to contracting it, noting that several cases of the variant have been confirmed in Douglas County.
“It is crucial that child care providers are vaccinated,” said Health Director, Dr. Adi Pour. “Child care providers are eligible for the vaccine and can easily make an appointment on the DCHD website.”
Frederick said the outbreak is not exclusive to Rosewood; it can happen in any type of school.
DCDC on Friday repeatedly emphasized the need to continue the preventive measures that health and government officials have emphasized during the pandemic, and urged everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccination when they are eligible.
“We really need to emphasize the importance of having day care centers vaccinated. This is not the time to let your guard down, ”said DCHD spokesman Phill Rooney, noting that visitors who qualify for the COVID-19 vaccination are welcome at Girls Inc.’s Saturday clinic.
He said that the number of positive cases in the community is similar to the levels that the area recorded last summer, which reinforces the importance of focusing on prevention.
“We really need to put these people in positions that are vitally important by marking them as vaccinated. The British variant is definitely here, and it is making its presence known, ”he said.
The DCHD reminds everyone – especially those who work with children – to keep up to date with the basic principles of COVID-19 prevention: washing your hands, wearing masks “whenever you are close to strangers and, in this case, day care centers”. The health department also emphasized that “quarantine and isolation procedures must be followed”.
“Just keep your mask up; Wash your hands. And if you’re sick, stay home – and get the vaccine at the first opportunity, ”said Rooney.
One of three Rosewood Academy locations in Omaha, the location near 158th and Fort Streets was reported as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps on Friday afternoon.
Frederick said the Rosewood Academy can open on Monday, if they wish, after completing the required 10-day quarantine period. He said the daycare center has been cooperating with the health department’s investigation and that the two entities have worked together to notify who was or may be infected.
The Rosewood Academy issued a statement on Friday afternoon, noting that the outbreak had been contained only in the northwestern area of Omaha, which had been closed since March 18. Even before that, the daycare center was going “beyond the requirements of public health experts and sending children home if they had a fever above 99 degrees,” says the statement, as opposed to the 100.4 degree limit recommended by the CDC.
“The health and safety of children, families and employees is the top priority at Rosewood Academy Daycare and Preschool. The spread of the United Kingdom (UK) variant at Rosewood Academy aligns with wherever it is present – it spreads more easily and children are more susceptible to it. Prevention procedures and protocols are the same as for other variants of the virus, using complete screening processes, hand washing and cleaning procedures with team members, children and families.
Before closing our northwest facility on March 18, the Rosewood Academy went beyond the requirements of public health experts and sent the children home if they had a fever above 99 degrees, instead of the 100.4 requirement. One difficulty with the highly transmissible variant in the United Kingdom is that children are often asymptomatic during daily temperature screening procedures.
For more than a year of navigating the pandemic, due to strict procedures and vigilant practices, all three Rosewood Academy daycare and preschool locations remained open without interruption until the UK variant caused many of the COVID-19 infections involving team members and children in our northwest location. The outbreak was limited to one location.
Rosewood Academy Childcare and Preschool continues to work closely and proactively with the Douglas County Department of Health and their families. Families and employees are receiving ongoing communication and instructions on quarantine requirements before returning to Rosewood Academy and Preschool. Team members are expected to continue reporting symptoms of COVID and comply with the quarantine requirements outlined by the Douglas County Health Department after any positive test results, which have always been the procedure since the virus arrived. The Rosewood Academy Childcare and Preschool will continue to work closely and cooperate with the Douglas County Health Department to monitor this situation and encourage families and employees to get the vaccine as soon as possible. “
Rooney said it is not yet known exactly how the UK variant arrived in Douglas County, but this is usually how it happens with travel.
“There is a saying that we have with the health department: that the next outbreak or next pandemic is just a flight away,” he said. “People are moving around the world, across the country, and that’s great – but there are some things we should be aware of.”
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This is a developing story. Stay with 6 News for updates.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story indicated that all cases linked to the Rosewood Academy have been confirmed as the UK variant, while some of the cases cannot be confirmed as such, according to a DCHD spokesman.
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