OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Thirty-five confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Omaha-area schools in the early weeks of the school year, Douglas County health director Adi Pour said.
Seventeen students and 18 school staff members have tested positive as of Tuesday night, Pour said Wednesday. Another 152 students, staff and faculty who had close contact with those who are ill were in quarantine, The Omaha World-Herald reported.
Pour told the Douglas County Board of Health she was surprised more cases haven't been confirmed but attributed that in part to the Omaha Public Schools teaching only remote classes for the first quarter.
Positive cases have been confirmed at the Millard, Gretna and Ralston school districts in recent days, she said.
County health department employees and experts from the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center are working with schools to respond to the coronavirus.
While 32% of the county's cases are among those aged 20- to 34, younger residents also are contracting the disease. Pour said 119 cases were reported last week among people ranging from infants to age 19. Those ages 15 to 19 accounted for 79 cases, or 66% of the total.