CDC: Unvaccinated teacher spread COVID-19 to 12 students

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Twelve of 22 students in an elementary school class were infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 after being exposed to an unvaccinated teacher with the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.

The age of the students was not included in the data, though they were "all ineligible for vaccination because of age," the CDC said.

Eight of the 12 students developed symptoms of COVID-19, although none were hospitalized as a result, it said.

Desks in the classroom were separated by 6 feet, in compliance with CDC recommendations regarding social distancing, and all staff and students in the Marin County, Calif., school were required to wear masks while indoors.

However, the unvaccinated teacher "was reportedly unmasked on occasions when reading aloud in class," the CDC reported.

"This outbreak of COVID-19 that originated with an unvaccinated teacher highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff members who are in close indoor contact with children ineligible for vaccination as schools reopen," the CDC researchers wrote.

"The outbreak's attack rate highlights the Delta variant's increased transmissibility and potential for rapid spread, especially in unvaccinated populations such as schoolchildren too young for vaccination," they said.

The report comes as school districts across the country are reopening and debating whether COVID-19 vaccines should be required for eligible students and staff.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week gave full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to be used in people 16 and older. Ages 12 to 15 are eligible to receive the vaccine under the FDA's emergency use authorization.

Many schools are also implementing social distancing protocols and mask mandates, over the objections of some parents. On Friday, a Florida judge struck down an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis banning school mask mandates.

Nearly 165,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported across the United States on Thursday, with at least 80% of them the more contagious Delta variant, based on CDC data.

Between Aug. 12 and 19, there were more than 180,000 confirmed infections among children across the country, with about 2% developing serious enough symptoms to require hospital treatment, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Children accounted for more than 22% of all confirmed COVID-19 cases during that week, a more than 50% increase from earlier in the pandemic.

In addition to the 12 cases among the unvaccinated teacher's students in California, a separate class in the same school saw six of 14 tested pupils infected, the CDC said.

Four students from four separate grades in the school were also infected, as well as four parents of children there.

All of the cases in the school involved the Delta variant and could be traced to the infected, unvaccinated teacher.

"Ineligibility because of age and lack of vaccination contribute to persistent elevated risk for outbreaks in schools, especially as new ... variants emerge," the CDC researchers wrote. "However, implementation of multiple prevention strategies within schools can mitigate this risk."