JoCo health officials reduce contact tracing in schools

Report a record rate of COVID-19 infectionJohnson County health officials are advising districts that contact tracing in schools “is no longer feasible.”

Johnson County Department of Health and Environment released news orientation to schools on Tuesday, claiming that due to the high level of transmission, he can no longer perform “intensive” contact tracing – investigating who has been exposed. Officials said the priority should be asking people who test positive to stay home and self-isolate.

This prompted the Blue Valley School District to notify families that it will no longer provide the health department with close contact information; and that the health department will no longer notify staff and students if they may have been exposed.

The district encouraged staff and students to monitor themselves regularly for symptoms, stay home if they are sick, and get tested.

The announcement affected many parents, some of whom said they were wondering whether to let their children go back to school this week after the winter break, as the rules on masks have been relaxed . All Johnson County districts have now made masks optional for older students while continuing to comply with the county health ordinance requiring masks in schools serving students through sixth grade.

Johnson County Commissioners Council is expected to decide whether or not to maintain sanitary order at its meeting on Thursday morning.

The highly contagious omicron variant, combined with the delta variant, has caused COVID-19 cases to skyrocket in the Kansas City subway. Hospital leaders warn they are suffering as their facilities reach capacity and staff shortages worsen.

Children’s Mercy reported on Wednesday that 30 the children were hospitalized there with COVID-19, a record for the hospital.

Johnson County on Wednesday reported an incidence rate – or the number of new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days – of 893, a new record high. It also reports a record positivity rate – or the number of positive tests in the past week – of 22.3%.

At a Shawnee Mission school board meeting earlier this week, county epidemiologist Elizabeth Holzschuh warned the department was overloaded with thousands of new cases and struggled to stay on top of the search for the contacts required.

Schools are also overcrowded due to persistent staff shortages, made worse by the surge in transmission. School nurses and other staff also find it difficult to keep up with contact tracing in their buildings.

Some districts have also said they plan to follow new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shortening the recommended isolation period for those infected to five days if they are asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing. a mask when they are nearby.

“The JCDHE recommends that people known to be in close contact with a case of COVID-19 wear a properly fitted mask for ten days after their exposure, including at all times if they are staying at school and are nearby other people, ”said county health director Sanmi Areola. said in the guide. “Testing on the fifth day after exposure is strongly encouraged. “

Health officials also recommend that people exposed to the virus at school participate in the testing program to stay in their district, which allows people exposed to someone with a known case to stay in school if they are frequently. tested for COVID with negative results.

The health service also continues to encourage the community to get vaccinated and get vaccinated, and to wear well-fitting filter masks, such as a KN95.