6 Cases Of Secondary COVID-19 Spread Reported In Iredell Schools

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — Positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in 17 Iredell-Statesville Schools this week, the school district said Friday.

ISS reported Dec. 11 that at least six positive COVID-19 cases were considered "related to secondary spread within schools."

Between Friday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 11, at least 231 students were in quarantine due to a possible COVID-19 exposure in school, 239 were in quarantine from a possible COVID-19 contact in the community, and 110 students were isolated with COVID-like symptoms. At least 19 school district staff members and 19 students tested positive, the school district said.

The news comes as Iredell County reported 903 new COVID-19 cases in the span of a week and state public health officials urge county residents to reduce their public interactions to essential activities.

The schools reporting positive COVID-19 cases from Dec. 4 through Dec. 11 include:
Elementary Schools

• Celeste Henkel
• Cloverleaf
• Coddle Creek
• East Iredell
• Lake Norman
• Lakeshore
• N.B. Mills
• Third Creek

Middle Schools

• East Iredell
• Lakeshore
• The Brawley School
• Third Creek
• Woodland Heights

High Schools

• CCTL Early College
• North Iredell
• South Iredell
• Statesville

Community spread of the virus continues to surge throughout Iredell County. Friday, at least 229 new cases were reported, increasing the county's tally of known cases to 7,127. At least 63 county residents were hospitalized Friday, and 80 deaths attributed to the virus, according to the Iredell County Health Department.

SEE ALSO: NC's Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Plan: What You Need To Know

Iredell County health officials group cases into three regions of the county: North, Central and South. Here's a breakdown of how many cases were confirmed in each region as of 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11:

North Region (zip codes 27020, 27028, 27055, 28625, 28634, 28636, 28660, 28689 and 28678)

• 1,419 cases (up from 1,234 cases reported Dec. 4)

Central Region (zip codes 27013, 28166, 28677)

• 2,840 cases (up from 2,498 cases reported Dec. 4)

South Region (zip codes 28036, 28115, 28117, 28125)

• 2,868 cases (up from 2,492 cases reported Dec. 4)

Iredell County is one of 48 counties in the state where the current spread of COVID-19 is at a critical level, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The number of North Carolina counties considered to have critical levels of community spread have more than doubled in the past two weeks, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said earlier this week.

According to the state's new color-coded COVID-19 County Alert System, 48 counties — including Iredell — are now considered "red," up from 20 reported Nov. 23, while 34 counties are "orange" due to substantial community spread.

"If you are in a red or orange county, you should limit going out to essential activities," Cohen said. "You should avoid people that you don't live with."

DHHS recommends the following for Iredell, along with other "red" counties:

• Limit mixing between households and minimize the number of people in your social circle
• Avoid setting where people congregate, like outdoor bars and night spots
• If patronizing restaurants, consider ordering take out from restaurants and/or eating outdoors socially distanced
• Individuals who are high-risk for developing serious illness should consider staying at home as much as possible
• Reduce your public interactions to mainly essential activities, like going to work or school, caring for family members, buying food, getting health care or picking up medications