SPOKANE, Wash. — Editor's note: This article has been edited for clarity.
Rogers High School had only been back in session for two days, yet Spokane Public Schools learned of at least one positive COVID-19 case, the district said in an email Friday evening.
In an email to parents, SPS spokesperson Sandra Jarrard stated the "situation is considered confined and not considered an outbreak."
The contact tracing team is conducting an investigation to compile a list of close contacts, Jarrard said. Anyone who is considered to have been in close contact with those COVID-19 positive received "separate communication" with more information regarding testing and quarantine requirements. Staff and students that are not notified by the contact tracing team, have been determined not to have had close contact with the confirmed case, she added in the email.
The staff is "following all safety precautions and requirements outlined by the Department of Health and the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD)," she wrote.
The email finished by addressing safety and cleaning protocols.
"Staff and students have been trained to practice good hygiene, wear their facial covering, and maintain proper social distancing," she wrote. "All classrooms are equipped with cleaning caddies that contain disinfectants for staff use. Evening custodial staff also disinfect all high-touch areas such as water fountains, sinks, light switches, and door handles. Custodial staff are equipped and trained to do a full-service disinfection to all classrooms."
When asked for more details about the case or cases, Jarrard said she would get back to KREM on Tuesday, after the holiday weekend.
Six children were in critical care at Sacred Heart as of Tuesday due to COVID-19, a spokesperson for Providence said. Last week, almost 2,100 children in the United States were hospitalized with COVID-19, Dr. Vanessa Carroll, Kootenai Health's Medical Director of Pediatrics, said. This is more than a 500% increase since July 2021. A study out of Canada also showed that children testing positive for COVID-19 with the Delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized compared to previous variants. One person infected with the Delta variant is now spreading the virus to five to nine people on average, Carroll said, compared to about two-and-a-half people on average with the Alpha variant.
