New Data On COVID-19 Outbreaks In WA Schools May Guide Path Ahead

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Health has released a new report on COVID-19 outbreaks in state schools which, they say, could be key to understanding more about how the virus spreads in congregate settings, and how we can safely bring more students back into the classroom.

For their study, the DOH logged outbreaks at K-12 schools all across the state of Washington from August through December. In total, they found:

• Just 13 out of Washington's 39 counties had any outbreaks in their school systems.
• In those 13 counties, however, 89 K-12 schools had at least one outbreak.
• Those outbreaks caused a total 305 new COVID-19 cases.
• 64 percent of outbreaks involved just two or three cases.
• Half of the 305 cases were in students 18 years old or younger.

Health experts say, those are all very good signs that the state's precautions are working.

"There’s encouraging news here," said Laura Newman, PhD, COVID-19 Outbreak Response Senior Epidemiologist. "We are seeing fairly low levels of COVID-19 transmission within school settings so far. The majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools involve three or fewer cases, and school administrators, teachers, and staff are doing a good job of implementing preventative measures that limit the spread of COVID-19."

Notably, Spokane County contained far and away the most problems with 33 individual outbreaks and 151 of the 305 total COVID-19 cases.

None of those 305 cases resulted in hospitalizations or deaths — another sign that schools may be on the right path forward. Currently, the Washington State Department of Health advises schools to enforce several safety principles, like having students wear facial coverings, practice physical distancing and frequently washing their hands.

"Our goal is to help schools protect the health of their staff and students, the families they go home to and the broader community. We are sharing these data so that educators, families, local public health, and communities can see and learn from what’s happening in schools with regards to COVID-19.” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Deputy Secretary of Health, COVID-19 Response.

A follow-up report including data on outbreaks in January will be released by the end of the month.

Read the DOH's full COVID-19 Outbreaks in Washington State K-12 Schools report.