Unvaccinated, unmasked California teacher spread COVID-19 to 50% of class, says CDC study – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- One unvaccinated and unmasked California elementary school teacher in Marin, County California spread coronavirus (COVID-19) to half her class, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, underscoring the virulence of the delta variant that has caused a spike in national cases.

The outbreak occurred in late May after an unnamed teacher reported exhibiting symptoms on May 19. She allegedly continued to work for two more days before receiving a COVID-19 test, the study said. During that span, the teacher read aloud, unmasked, to the class despite the school requiring masks indoors.

Between May 23 and May 26, the teachers 24 students 22 of whom are ineligible to receive the vaccine because of their age were tested for COVID-19. Twelve students received positive tests, with 80% of those results coming from students seated in the first two rows closest to the teachers desk, according to the study.

Currently, children under the age of 12 are not currently able to be vaccinated.

Four children outside of the classroom, all of who were siblings of students in the unvaccinated teachers classroom, also tested positive for COVID-19. Additionally, four parents of students in the class were infected.

Six students from a different grade in the school also tested positive after one student hosted a sleepover with two other students from the same class, the CDC said.

While vaccines have seen diminished effectiveness against the delta variant compared to the original strain that launched the pandemic, experts and studies show vaccines still remain highly effective in preventing severe disease and death.

The contagiousness of the delta variant has led to findings that vaccinated people could carry enough viral load to spread the virus. Still, the CDC said the risk of transmission remains elevated among unvaccinated persons in schools without strict adherence to prevention strategies.

The agency said the study highlighted the importance for vaccination among eligible members of staff to protect students ineligible for vaccination.

In addition to vaccination for eligible persons, strict adherence to non-pharmaceutical prevention strategies, including masking, routine testing, facility ventilation, and staying home when symptomatic, are important to ensure safe in-person learning in schools, said the CDC.

New York City is requiring every public school city Department of Education employee to receive at least one dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine by the end of September. The mandate removes the test-out option for school staff that currently allows city workers to either be fully vaccinated or be subject to weekly coronavirus testing.

On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter unveiled a 13-page handbook outlining the policies and procedures that families can expect to see this year as all students prepare to return to their classrooms for in-person instruction.

All students and staff members will be required to wear a mask anywhere on school property, whether it be indoors or outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will also be required on all school buses.

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Unvaccinated, unmasked California teacher spread COVID-19 to 50% of class, says CDC study - SILive.com