PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — As the world continues to adapt to a life with COVID-19, health officials constantly adapt new tools and techniques to monitor the virus.
In Pierce County, a new system was used to find out where outbreaks were happening in schools, and an alarming trend emerged.
“When we first reported using that new format, 89% of our outbreaks were related to sports, and only about 8% in the classroom,” said Naomi Wilson, director of data and surveillance for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. “There’s a lot of physical contact between athletes, and the Department of Health has a list of high risk sports that they have already designated as high risk for COVID.”
In Puyallup, student athletes in wrestling, cheerleading, and basketball have to be screened regardless of vaccination status in order to participate.
The district says it’s racing to keep up with the changes that are seen through the data, but it’s not easy.
“The guidance is constantly changing. For this sport season alone, the state guidelines have changed three times already,” said Sarah Gillispie, director of communications for the Puyallup School District.
Gillispie added that can be stressful for students hoping to compete.
“Our cheers teams, for example, have one more week of competing, and yet, they are again asked to adapt to the change in guidance,” she said. “So it affects everyone, student athletes in particular.”
Now new data shows a shift on where outbreaks in school are happening. According to the health department, 44% of outbreaks are occurring in the classroom.
Wilson said although it can be stressful, this breakdown is why the new format is important.
“We remain committed to keeping our schools open and safe, and part of that is making sure that we are providing reliable data to our community," Wilson said.
Wilson also said that she recognizes that sports are an important part of physical and mental health for students, and wants to make sure the community has all the information they need to make the right decision.