Four K-12 schools in Orange County have reported numerous COVID-19 cases to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) since the start of the semester. The NCDHHS released its weekly report identifying these cases at local schools Tuesday.

Three schools within the Orange County Schools district are on the state report: Central Elementary with six COVID cases, Gravelly Hill Middle with five cases and New Hope Elementary with seven cases.

Frank Porter Graham Elementary, which is part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system, is also listed on the state report with 17 total cases since school began the week of August 23. CHCCS’ personal COVID tracker, however, lists Frank Porter Graham Elementary as having 22 total cases, with the majority stemming from the first few weeks of school.

The NCDHHS is reporting COVID-19 clusters and positive cases in both childcare and school settings. Per state legislation, childcare operators and school principals are required to report suspected cases of communicable disease to the local county health director. This now includes coronavirus cases.

Erwin Road Montessori School, a childcare facility in Orange County, has reported five positive cases.

In a childcare or school setting, a COVID-19 cluster is defined as a minimum of five positive cases
identified within a 14-day period with plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases.

According to the state health department, coronavirus cases are dropping in North Carolina after a surge related to the delta variant. The virus, however, is still a concern for many students as a vaccine is only approved for children 12 and older. Pfizer is currently seeking federal approval to administer the COVID vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 in the coming weeks.

Coronavirus cases in North Carolina (photo via NCDHHS)

On Wednesday, the White House said children age 5 to 11 will soon be able to get a COVID-19 shot at their pediatrician’s office, local pharmacy and potentially even their school.

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