3 Michigan Schools Added To List Of Ongoing Coronavirus Outbreaks

MICHIGAN — Michigan on Monday reported three new outbreaks of the coronavirus, state health officials said.

According to data released by the state, five staff at Olivet College in Eaton County, six people at New Wonders Preschool in Kalamazoo County and one student and one staff member at Lincoln Elementary in Ottawa County have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Monday's coronavirus outbreak update includes the fewest number of new coronavirus outbreaks since the state began releasing such information.

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It's important to note that a coronavirus outbreak is different than a case. A COVID-19 outbreak is defined as two or more cases with a link by place and time indicating a shared exposure outside of a household.

The information provided by the state on Monday includes K-12, college and university school name, address, number of cases and if the cases involved staff, students or both. Students or staff exposed to COVID-19 outside the school building and are not thought to have spread the virus in the school due to quarantine or self-isolation are not included in the data.

Many factors, including the lack of ability to conduct effective contact tracing in certain settings, may result in underreporting of outbreaks, MDHHS said. This information does not provide a complete picture of school outbreaks in Michigan and the absence of identified outbreaks in a school does not mean it is not experiencing an outbreak.

Read More: Michigan Coronavirus Cases Surpass 500,000 Monday