COVID cases in New Orleans’ public schools were up last week, while the district's overall positivity rate was down, according to data released Monday.
The district was tracking 525 active cases, among 39 staff and 486 students, as of last Friday, and an additional 910 people were in quarantine due to possible exposure.
That’s a slight increase from the week before when 384 cases were identified, though a higher number of students and staff were quarantined due to possible exposure.
Cases peaked due to the omicron variant in early January, when more than 2,200 students and staff tested positive for COVID, and almost just as many people were required to quarantine due to possible exposure.
Despite the slight uptick in cases, the district’s overall positivity rate was down from the week before because a greater number of students and staff were tested. Nearly 21,600 tests were completed with a positivity rate of 2.15%.
During the previous week, nearly 15,200 tests were completed with a positivity rate of 2.8%.
Cases were spread across 56 of the district’s 76 schools. The highest number of cases, 40, was reported at Phillis Wheatley Community School, a PreK-8 school in the Treme, followed by 36 cases at KIPP Leadership in the Marigny.
Both schools reported zero quarantines, which means the students and teachers who tested positive either did not have close contact with anyone on campus or those they came into contact with were not required to quarantine because of their vaccination status.
It's also possible the district's tracker isn't up to date and that some students and teachers were ultimately asked to quarantine.
In an email, district spokesperson Taslin Alfonzo said due to the high number of cases some schools “may not be able to report all data requested through our formal reporting process."
“However, there has been a decline in our average number of quarantined individuals as compared to our case totals due to the increase in fully vaccinated students,” she said.
Bricolage Academy reported the highest number of quarantines last week, 147, after identifying 18 positive COVID cases.
The district’s vaccine mandate has been in effect since Feb. 1, in which all students 5 years and older are supposed to be fully vaccinated, though school leaders told New Orleans Public Radio at this point there are no consequences for families that failed to meet the deadline. But the lack of enforcement has also resulted in limited compliance.
When the district’s deadline was first announced in mid-December, roughly a quarter of the city’s 5-17 year olds were fully vaccinated.
That number, which includes children who attend public or private school or are homeschooled, is now closer to 43%, and roughly 6 out of 10 children are at least partially vaccinated.
This story was updated Tuesday afternoon to include more information provided by NOLA Public Schools.
