COVID-19 update from Marion County Public Schools: 16% drop in cases in past seven days

The seven-day total of new COVID-19 cases and quarantines in Marion County schools continued its decline, with cases decreasing by 16.3% and quarantines by 28.9% in one week, according to school district data released Monday.

The Marion County Public Schools report shows that 41 people (34 students and seven employees) tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of Oct. 9-15, down 16.3% week over week and down 94.4% in seven weeks.

The record for COVID-19 cases in one week was 733 during the week of Aug. 21-27.

COVID-19 update:Schools see 49% drop in cases from Oct. 2-8

Seven weeks ago:Record 733 Marion teachers and students test positive

The latest:Natural immunity is good. Getting vaccinated after being sick with COVID-19 is better.

Marion County Public Schools, the county's largest employer, educates about 42,500 students using 7,000 employees at 51 schools and dozens of district offices. The county is larger in size than Rhode Island.

There were 123 people (121 students and two employees) who were placed under quarantine from Oct. 9-15, down from 173 people for Oct. 2-8, and 283 for the week of Sept. 25-Oct. 1. The record was 3,404 for Aug. 21-27.

That's a drop in quarantines of 28.9% in one week and 96.4% in six weeks. Communitywide, there has also been a downward trend in cases, positivity rate and hospitalizations.

See the list:Which Florida schools require masks?

The number of new Marion County cases declined to 313 (an average of 45 cases per day) for the week of Oct. 8-14, down from 427 cases from Oct. 1-7, 614 for Sept. 24-30 and 1,038 for Sept. 17-23.

The record was 3,228 for the week of Aug. 21-27. That's a decline in cases of 90.3% since late August, state Department of Health data shows.

Seven school district employees have died since July 29, but no more deaths of school employees have been reported in the past six weeks.

Total COVID-19 cases in Marion now stand at 56,318, which means 1 in 6.5 Marion residents has been infected. Marion deaths are about 1,600, or 2.8% of those who have been infected with COVID-19 in Marion.

From Aug. 20-26, Marion recorded a seven-day record of 3,228 cases, or an average of 461 per day. The winter surge peak, which was then a record, was 1,988 in one week.

Volunteers could return soon

Marion County school officials said the district may be about one week away from relaxing its mask regulation for students and staff, as well as allowing school volunteers back into its 51 schools.

The school board enacted a mask requirement (with an opt-out option for parents) in mid-August after COVID-19 cases and positivity rates began to soar. By late August, the local case rate was 850 per 100,000 residents and the positivity rate was 30%.

The board also banned volunteers until the case rate dropped below 100 per 100,000 population, as well a positivity rate of less than 10%, for a two-week period.

On Monday:Marion schools see 45% drop in cases in past seven days

Six weeks ago:Marion school board implements mask mandate with opt-out clause

Last Friday, the case rate was 83 cases per 100,000 for the week ending Oct. 14. It was based on 312 Marion cases reported for the week of Oct. 8-14. The state issues case data every Friday.

Officials are hopeful the case rate again drops below 100, or 365 or fewer new cases, for the for the week ending this Thursday. That would mean for two consecutive weeks the case rate would be below 100 and positivity rate below 10%.

Data shows that numbers countywide have have been declining sharply.

The seven-day positivity rate on Tuesday was 6.07%, according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Last week the state of Florida reported that Marion's positivity rate was 5.6% for the week of Oct. 8-14.

COVID-19 testing is available most days. For more information, call the Department of Health in Marion County at 644-2590.

Marion continues to see decline

Marion County's seven-day total of new hospitalizations dropped to 36 on Monday, down from 66 new admissions reported on Oct. 12, according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Seven weeks ago the total was 350.

The seven-day positivity rate is also ticking down. It was 6.07% on Tuesday, down from 7.5% on Oct. 11, 10.1% on Oct. 4, 12.7% on Sept. 27, and 16.7% on Sept. 20. (For the week through Aug. 12, Marion County's seven-day positivity rate was 30%.)

The percentage of hospital beds with COVID-19 patients is now 6.8%, down from 11% on Oct. 11 and 30.2% on Sept. 13. The percentage of ICU beds being used to treat COVID-19 patients was 10.9% on Tuesday, down from 30.4% on Sept. 20.

In all, 209,480 Marion County residents have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That is an increase of 1,350 vaccinations.

The report shows that 65.2% of Marion residents ages 12 and older have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, while 85.7% of residents ages 65 and older have had at least one dose. The data shows that 57.3% of Marion's entire population has had one dose.

Joe Callahan can be reached at (352) 817-1750 or email him at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.