Schools See Rise in COVID-19 Cases

Local schools are dealing with a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, with most of the cases being students.

Eight schools in the CCX News viewing area are now on the list of schools having five or more coronavirus infections in a two-week period, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Last week, there was just one, Parnassus Preparatory School in Maple Grove.

The schools on this week’s list include:

• Champlin Park High School, Brooklyn Park
• Cooper High School, New Hope
• Fernbrook Elementary, Maple Grove
• Jackson Middle School, Champlin
• Maple Grove High School
• Parnassus Preparatory School, Maple Grove
• Providence Academy, Plymouth
• Wayzata High School, Plymouth

The cases reported don’t necessarily mean students or staff were infected in schools, but they were in the buildings while infectious. Schools are removed from the state list after they have had no infections for four weeks.

In its weekly report, the Minnesota Department of Health reported 859 cases of COVID-19 linked to students and staff in prekindergarten through grade 12. Another 820 infections were reported for the week ending Sept. 11. Those cases are double that for the week ending Sept. 4, which recorded 410 cases.

The Minnesota Department of Health listed a total of 94 preK-12 schools with five or more infections in a two-week period.

COVID-19 Case Rates Higher in Several Northwest Suburbs

The state’s seven-day average case positivity rate rose to 6.9 percent as of Sept. 16, the highest since mid-April. Back on July 1, it was 1.2 percent.

According to Hennepin County’s COVID-19 dasboard, the following cities have the highest case rates per 10,000 people over a two-week period as of Sept. 13:

• Rogers: 53.2 cases per 10,000
• Bloomington: 41.9
• Champlin: 40.4
• Brooklyn Center: 40.1
• Brooklyn Park: 40.1
• Crystal: 40.1

The overall Hennepin County rate is 33.9 cases per 10,000.

Champlin Park High School

Cooper High School

Maple Grove Senior High School

Wayzata High School

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