The Michigan state reports 93 new pre-K-12 outbreaks and discontinues reporting them in universities

As of Tuesday, 628 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools in Michigan had reported new or ongoing COVID-19 infections. Ninety-three of those are new outbreaks reported Monday.

The state reports COVID-19 outbreaks associated with schools and sports on a weekly basis, but this week’s report was delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Michigan is currently experiencing a fourth COVID outbreak. A total of 1,301,593 Michigan residents have tested positive for the virus, and 23,732 have died as a result of the infection. Since Wednesday, the state reported an additional 25,329 cases and 137 deaths.

There are 243 schools from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, including Western High School (88 cases), Bullock Creek High School (77 cases), Ovid Elsie High School (71 cases), Garber High School (69 cases), Handy Middle School (69 cases), St. Johns Middle School (67 cases), Pinconning High School (64 cases), and Lapeer High School (64 cases) (61 cases).

Tuesday, the state ceased reporting occurrences of COVID-19 in colleges and universities.

According to Lynn Sutfin, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), this is to “streamline the local health department’s weekly outbreak reporting survey to focus on congregate settings where patients and staff may be more susceptible to infection and/or experience severe outcomes from infection” during the current outbreak surge.

The state health department defines an outbreak as three or more cases that are linked geographically and temporally, showing a shared exposure outside of a home. Schools remain the most prevalent location for reported COVID-19 outbreaks, as fewer than half of kids are vaccinated and just 222 school districts have a mask policy, compared to 311 districts that do not.

The CDC advocates a multi-tiered approach to preventative efforts, including increased vaccination rates, proper mask use, physical separation, and increased screening and testing for illness.

For K-12 schools, outbreak data only includes cases in which a student or staff member was infected at school or at a school-related function. Individuals who contracted the illness outside of school are excluded.