Outbreak at Pennsylvania Elementary School Investigated By Ralph Ellis
Investigators are trying to find out what caused eight second-graders in one classroom plus two fully vaccinated family members to test positive for COVID-19 last week.
The classroom at Penn Valley Elementary School in Narberth, a Philadelphia suburb, has been quarantined for deep cleaning while the rest of the school remains open, Lower Merion School District spokesperson Amy Buckman told CBS Philly.
In a statement, the school district said it has not seen any cases of “linked/in-school transmission” beyond that classroom.
Montgomery County Public Health says a coronavirus variant may be responsible for the outbreak, “citing both the rapid spread within the class and the fact that two vaccinated family members of impacted students have also tested positive,” the school district said.
“Because this was the first time we observed significant linked (in-school) transmission in our District, the LMSD Health Services team this week went beyond contact-tracing in an attempt to further investigate and understand conditions that could be factors in the outbreak,” the spokesperson wrote. “While the District does not have the ability to determine what strain of COVID is involved in these cases, it is able to look at other factors, such as those within the classroom.”
The district’s Operations Department made a full assessment of the heating, ventilation and cooling system of the impacted room. Their inspection revealed that a manual damper within the ductwork above the ceiling was too far closed, allowing about 30% of the maximum of fresh air it should have allowed into the room.
“Because this was the first time we observed significant linked (in-school) transmission in our District, the LMSD Health Services team this week went beyond contact-tracing in an attempt to further investigate and understand conditions that could be factors in the outbreak,” the spokesperson wrote. “While the District does not have the ability to determine what strain of COVID is involved in these cases, it is able to look at other factors, such as those within the classroom.”
The district’s Operations Department made a full assessment of the Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) system of the impacted room. Their inspection revealed that a manual damper within the ductwork above the ceiling was too far closed, allowing about 30% of the maximum of fresh air it should have allowed into the room.
8 students, 2 fully vaccinated adults test positive for COVID-19 in Montgomery County
Updated 8:06 AM;
Eight second graders and two fully vaccinated family members have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting a Montgomery County school district to investigate the apparent outbreak.
The students attend the Penn Valley Elementary School in the Lower Merion School District, where school officials say the class has been quarantined since Friday, NBC 10 is reporting.
School officials say they have seen no evidence of in-school transmission beyond that one class, according to reports. School officials are consulting with the county’s public health department.
Officials are now trying to determine if the outbreak is linked to a ventilation problem in the classroom, Action News 6 ABC is reporting.
8 Classmates, 2 Fully Vaccinated Family Members, Test Positive in Pennsylvania David Chang
Penn Valley Elementary School
An investigation is underway after eight classmates at an elementary school in the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) as well as two family members who were fully vaccinated tested positive for COVID.
A spokesperson for the district said eight students in a second grade class at Penn Valley Elementary School tested positive. The class has been quarantined since Friday and so far officials have not seen evidence of linked/in-school transmission at Penn Valley beyond that one class, the spokesperson said.
LMSD Health Services are consulting with the Montgomery County of Public Health (MCOPH) in the investigation.