As MA Schools Reopen, Kids' Coronavirus Cases Rise

MASSACHUSETTS —Positive coronavirus tests in recent weeks show people under the age of 19 accounting for a bigger proportion of active COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts.

The alarming uptick comes the same week as most public elementary school returned to in-person classrooms full time and as the state pushes school districts to bring older students back to the classroom. New data released Thursday by the state Department of Public Health included break down by age groups for the first time. Of the 6,982 confirmed cases recorded between March 21 and April 3:

• 1,116 were in kids 0 to 4 years old
• 1,396 were in kids 5-9 years old
• 1,722 were in kids 10-14 years old
• 2,748 were in kids 15-19 years old.

The data also show a troubling increase in cases among adults between the ages of 20 and 29. At the same time, cases among older residents have fallen as more Massachusetts residents get vaccinated.

All Massachusetts residents over the age of 16 will be eligible to get vaccinated beginning April 19. But none of the vaccines have been approved for patients under the age of 16.

Learn more about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts at Patch's information hub.

The rise in cases reported by DPH mirror reports from school districts, which have also shown an increase in confirmed cases among students in recent weeks. Positive tests for staff members, however, have dropped.

Officials, however, note a variety of reasons for the increase beyond a resumption of in-person learning, including increased testing.

"As cases increase in the community, we expect that cases identified in schools will also increase," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during news conference Friday. "This is not necessarily indicative of school-based transmission."

Officials also point to data showing in-school transmission of the coronavirus is rare. Earlier this month, Russell Johnston, senior associate commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education told the Boston Globe most of the cases among students had been contracted at non-school events.