As school systems across the state prepare to return to the classroom, a number of Georgia counties are seeing an increase in COVID infections among school-aged children.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, about 30 Georgia counties have seen COVID cases trending upward in kids between 5 and 17 years of age over the last two weeks. On top of that, DPH says in about a third of those counties' infections are trending upwards at a “high” rate.
The trend mostly skews to rural counties, but every region of the state is touched by increasing COVID cases among kids.
That includes metro Atlanta, where Henry County recorded a jump of 80 new COVID cases among children in the past two weeks — a 2000% increase compared to the two weeks prior.
Statewide, across school districts as varied as the Bibb County School District, Athens Clarke-County Schools and Taliaferro County Schools (which has just over 100 students), leaders say they will require universal mask use regardless of vaccine status.
“A key goal for our district this year is to do all we can to keep students learning in person throughout the year," Bibb County Schools Superintendent Curtis Jones said in a press release. "Based upon the latest available information, encouraging individuals to be vaccinated and requiring all individuals to wear masks are the two most effective ways we can help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Everyone must do their part to keep students and staff safe so we can have a normal school year."
Meanwhile, both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are both being urged to speed along trials of their COVID vaccines in children between 5 and 11 years old.
