Three schools added to COVID database

Three more Macomb County schools have been added to the database tracking COVID-19 outbreaks around Michigan.

Released every Monday afternoon, the list identifies schools that have two or more documented cases of the coronavirus with the information supplied by county health departments.

Among those making the list this week are Pinewood Elementary School in Warren, a Warren Woods building where three cases were identified including both students and staff.

Also identified were Anchor Bay and Romeo high schools. Anchor Bay’s cases involved staff while at Romeo students were identified.

Warren Woods and Anchor Bay

started the school year with virtual learning only. Warren Woods implemented a partial return to class on Sept. 28 while Anchor Bay High School welcomed students back in-person five days a week beginning Oct. 5. The cases at Romeo High School Monday were not the first identified in the district though it was its first appearance on the state database. At the end of the first week of in-person class in early September, a letter sent to parents from district administration identified cases at Romeo Middle School.

“These instances are taken very seriously, and we are working directly with the Macomb County Health Department every step of the way,” district Superintendent Todd Robinson said in that letter. “Staff and parents are being informed per our case management protocols and thorough contact tracing is occurring.”

Schools included on the database have two or more COVID-19 cases from people who may have shared exposure on school grounds and are from different households. A total of 27 institutions were added to the databased Monday. Those additions come as Michigan is experiencing what some health professionals see as a second wave of the COVID-19 virus.

As of Monday, the state had a current 7-day average of 1,619, almost 1,000 cases higher than the seven-day average on Sept. 19, one month ago, when it was 621.