COVID-19 cases spike, then decline in Yorkville schools

YORKVILLE – Positive cases of COVID-19 in Yorkville School District 115 spiked dramatically when students returned to classes after winter break, but have subsided in the week ending Jan. 21.

Since classes resumed Jan. 3, there have been 452 confirmed positive student cases districtwide, compared with 299 in December.

However, only 85 of those cases were found during the week of Jan. 17 to 21, for a positivity rate of 1.27%.

There was only one staff case for the same period, for an even lower positivity rate of 1.12%

District 115 Director of Student Services Melinda Lasky said the major surge and the falloff are easy to explain.

Students were spending lots of time mixing with family and friends during the holidays, resulting in greater transmission of the virus that showed up in testing when they returned to class.

“It’s definitely the impact of the winter break,” Lasky said.

After a couple of weeks back in the school environment, where students are masked and socially distanced, rates began to decline, Lasky said.

“When they got back in school there are so many mitigating strategies we are using,” Lasky said

Most of the positive cases for January to date came from Yorkville High School, with 116 students testing positive for the virus.