COVID clusters reported at 19 Triangle schools as number of new cases drops across NC
The number of Triangle public and private schools reporting COVID-19 clusters is dropping at the same time that the state says the delta surge is waning.
Nineteen area schools have active COVID-19 clusters, according to the latest North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services report released Tuesday. That’s down from the 28 Triangle schools that had clusters listed on last week’s DHHS report.
The report lists clusters at seven schools in Durham, five in Wake County, three in Orange County, two schools in Franklin County and one each in Chatham and Harnett counties.
Coronavirus cases are dropping in North Carolina after a surge related to the delta variant, The News & Observer previously reported. But the virus is still a concern for many students because a vaccine is only approved for children 12 and older.
However, Pfizer could soon get federal approval to administer the vaccine to children ages 5 to 11, The N&O previously reported.
Schools are dealing with the delta variant, a mutation of the coronavirus that’s more than twice as contagious as the original strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There’s a time lag between when cases are identified and when they are listed on the state report. Schools may currently have more or less COVID cases than are shown by DHHS. A cluster is defined as five or more linked cases in a 14-day period.
Fewer clusters at area schools
For the first time, Durham has more active school clusters reported than the much larger Wake County.
The report lists ongoing clusters at Bethesda Elementary, Eno Valley Elementary, Northern High and Sherwood Githens Middle in Durham Public Schools. Two Durham private schools were also listed: The Duke School and Immaculata Catholic School.
Central Park Charter School in Durham is back on the state report.
Wendell Elementary is now the only school in the Wake County school system listed on the DHHS report. Several district schools that had previously been on the state report are now listed with their clusters being over.
Two Wake County charter schools are listed on the state report: Cardinal Charter Academy at Wendell Falls and East Wake Academy. Cardinal Charter is listed at 52 cases, but school officials said last week that the information on the state report is outdated and that there hasn’t been a new case in several weeks.
Two Wake County private schools are also listed: Chesterbrook Academy North Raleigh and GRACE Christian School.
Two schools in the Orange County schools are on the state report: Central Elementary and New Hope Elementary. Franklin Porter Graham Elementary, which is part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system, is listed on the state report with 17 cases.
Clusters were also shown at Crosscreek Charter and Franklinton Middle in Franklin County, Chatham Central High in Chatham County and Anderson Creek Primary in Harnett County.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 4:51 PM.
