Central Bucks East Records 7th Student COVID-19 Case

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Five students have contracted the coronavirus since Central Bucks High School East began accepting some students for in-person classes last Thursday, but the cases are not being attributed to school-related activities, a Bucks County health official said Tuesday.

Superintendent John Kopicki sent a letter to families of students Tuesday morning to announce that another Central Bucks East student had tested positive for COVID-19, marking the seventh recorded case among East students since Sept. 5.

Two student athletes tested positive on Sept. 5 and Sept. 24., prior to the school's reopening. Of the East students who began in-person classes Thursday, five have tested positive, but the cases aren't related to any school or school athletics activities, according to Bucks County Public Health Director David Damsker.

"The cases had nothing to do with school, which I think is important," Damsker said.

While Damsker declined to disclose the origins of the recently diagnosed cases, he noted that local health officials have seen an increasing number of cases of the virus being spread among friends and family members, especially at parties and social gatherings.

Central Bucks students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate until 10 days have passed since their symptoms first appeared. Meanwhile, school district officials notify students and staff members who came into contact with the student while in school, athletics or other activities, a tracing process overseen by the Bucks County Health Department.

Five new deaths from coronavirus were recorded last week in Bucks County; four of them had underlying health conditions but none lived in long-term care facilities. Ten deaths were reported in September, increasing the death toll to 530 out of 8,457 Bucks County residents who have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Related: Bucks Co. Coronavirus Data: Numbers Remain Low As Schools Reopen