Thread by @smartrestartaps

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

😡: Almost no students who are exposed are being told directly of exposures or quarantined.

We encourage parents w/COVID+ kids to DIY your own reporting to parents and families where you can; assume APS isn't going to notify exposed. It's up to you.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

The worst school, with >13% of its students catching COVID in Jan, is #Montessori Public School.

MPSA was found to be one of the worst schools for ventilation + parents reported a lack of implementation for outdoor lunch in Jan. for some classes.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

So far, YTD, two dozen Arlington public schools have had more than 10% of their student body test positive for COVID-19.

In such an environment, removing masks when community transmission is so high seems like the ultimate folly.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

In fact, there should be hard questions asked about the schools that have had such high numbers, and if enough has been done to mitigate spread within them.

If a school does not address problems when ~14% of kids get sick w/COVID, something's wrong.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

Highest % kids sick in Jan: #Innovation, #Jamestown, #Discovery, #Taylor, #HoffmanBoston, #ArlingtonTraditional, #Campbell, #CarlinSprings, #Jefferson, #Oakridge, #Fleet, #Nottingham, #Kenmore.

+ Schools w/YTD high %: #Wakefield, #Gunston, #Claremont

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

One last chart to show the burden of COVID-19 in APS schools in the 2022 #Omicron surge. (The last week still lacks some data, but we hope this has peaked and cases continue to decline; during a surge, we need strong mitigations.)

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

The chart looks out of control, but it could have been worse. We need:
#APSOutdoorLunch
#HEPA filtration at 6 ACH to remove >90% of particles 2x per hour
#BetterMasks
Better #OutbreakManagement
⬆️#Testing
⬆️#Vaccination
County #WastewaterSurveillance

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

As crisis subsides here — we hope — we should look at how we could be prepared for the next wave or variant. We have no reason not to expect a repeat surge next fall or Jan. 2023. Preparation, with common sense precautions for surges, will be needed.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

Finally, cases are still more than 15 times higher than when we began school. So now is still NOT the time to remove mitigations. We need to make sure this surge is over, and our community transmission rates return to low, and follow the CDC.

#Arlington #COVID19 #Cases

Here's a look at our peak in cases, from APS and Arlington County/VDH reporting, and broken down via school. (Snapshot as of Jan. 30th reports.)

We doubt we'd see this decrease without mitigations— including universal masking — to keep schools open.

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