Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 19, 2021

COVID-19 in Primary and Secondary School Settings During the First Semester of School Reopening — Florida, August–December 2020

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  • COVID-19 school-related incidence among Florida students was low (August-December 2020), were most schools resumed in-person instruction sometime during August 2020, and was correlated with community incidence and was highest in smaller counties, districts without mask requirements, and those that reopened earliest after closure in March 2020.
  • A total of 63,654 total cases of COVID-19 were identified among school-age children in Florida during this time period, of which 60% were estimated to be not school-related. 
  • Fewer than 1% of registered students were identified as having school-related COVID-19 and <11% of K-12 schools reported outbreaks. 
  • Among school-related cases, 101 hospitalizations and no deaths were reported among students, and 219 hospitalizations and 13 deaths were reported among staff members. 12% of 86,832 persons who had a close school setting contact received a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result (27% of contacts who were tested).
  • A total of 695 school-based outbreaks were identified in 62 of 67 school districts (4,370 total cases), for a statewide average of 6.3 COVID-19 cases per outbreak. 20% of these outbreaks were associated with activities outside the classroom setting, including sports, non-school-sponsored social gatherings or transportation to school.

Doyle et al. (Mar 19, 2021). COVID-19 in Primary and Secondary School Settings During the First Semester of School Reopening — Florida, August–December 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7012e2