COVID-19 cases decrease at Modesto-area school districts for week beginning Sept. 5
Stanislaus County schools reported fewer COVID-19 cases last week.
High school students made up the largest share of 256 confirmed cases for the week beginning Sept. 5, followed by pre-K to fourth-grade students.
As of Wednesday, more than 1,700 students and staff were in isolation or quarantine — including modified quarantines, in which people meeting testing criteria can remain in school in person. Last week, the county reported almost 6,000 people were in school-related quarantines.
Schools reported 16 outbreaks and 24 active clusters. An outbreak is three cases linked to the same exposure, and a cluster is two cases linked to the same exposure.
The Health Services Agency reported almost 200 instances being “monitored for additional cases,” compared to 679 the previous reporting period.
Data from seven K-12 school districts reviewed by The Modesto Bee showed less than 1% of each district’s population tested positive for COVID-19.
The week beginning Sept. 5 included Labor Day, which meant one less day of school testing data and that may be one reason cases decreased, said Brent Powell, an associate professor of public health promotion at California State University, Stanislaus.
It’s unlikely that Stanislaus County’s new indoor mask mandate affected last week’s data. Research shows mask mandates produce visible changes after 14 to 21 days, Powell said.
But there also is research to suggest that COVID-19 daily growth rates decline about five days after a mask mandate is issued. That’s because people might begin wearing masks in anticipation of the mandate, said Wura Jacobs, an assistant professor of public health at Stanislaus State.
Stanislaus County’s mask mandate took effect Sept. 4. Masks have been required inside school buildings since the start of this academic year, though cases on campuses are influenced by the surrounding community.
Mask mandates are shown to reduce rates of infections and deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masking is the most effective strategy after vaccines to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and children under 12 are not eligible to be vaccinated.
Cases fall at Modesto City, Turlock Unified
Modesto City Schools reported that 0.233% of students and staff on campus confirmed cases Sept. 4-10, slightly lower than the previous reporting period. School officials now post daily case updates in addition to weekly overviews.
The district has confirmed about 440 student and staff cases since school began Aug. 9. About 70 were confirmed last week.
Cases at Turlock Unified School District were lower last week, too. About 50 students and staff confirmed cases, or roughly 0.32% of the campus population, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Nearly 500 students and staff were identified as close contacts. Those who do not show symptoms and are fully vaccinated or test negative twice over 10 days can continue attending school in person, though it is unclear how many people that affects.
School leaders from smaller districts told The Bee they are not able to maintain a public COVID-19 data display because of limited staffing resources.
Several districts have created data displays since the school year began. Here are other K-12 school districts in Stanislaus County that The Bee knows to have COVID-19 dashboards:
