I had posted a preliminary version of the top graph this past Thursday on Facebook but here is the updated version with the case numbers released by Denton County Public Health on Friday. Some of what I already posted Thursday night still applies, so I'll repost some what I said with some adjustments.
“In a crisis, don’t hide behind anything or anybody. They’re going to find you anyway.”
-Paul “Bear” Bryant, head coach University of Alabama 1958-1982
I’ve been pulling data on pediatric COVID cases from Denton County Public Health’s daily weekday press releases and the top graph is the seven-day average of new cases (ages 0-19) in our county in the last month.
These are absolute numbers, I am working on a new cases per 100,000 people version that should offer better comparisons to other populations.
The dips correspond to weekends where no case data is released.
The second graphs the total weekly cases of COVID in ages 0-19 in Denton County. Essentially the same data but a different way of looking at it.
The direction of pediatric COVID cases in a county of 887,000 people is clear. The continued intransigence of Lewisville ISD’s school board and leadership on a mask-mandate and a ridiculously piecemeal approach to pandemic mitigation leave me in daily disbelief that this the course of action that an organization we have entrusted the welfare and development of our children to is taking in this Delta variant surge.
The reproductive number of the Delta variant is between 5 and 9. That means each infected student or teacher can get between 5 to 9 additional people infected.
Since I sent my email to the district leadership and school board this past Wednesday that I shared, I have not received any responses other than two automated responses from two school board members, one of which was completely blank.
I am left wondering who is in charge of our school district in the midst of this public health emergency as the automated email response from the school board president laid responsibility for pandemic response on the district leadership and not the school board.
As a parent and as a physician, the lack of clarity in the leadership in the school district calls into question their ability to lead in this public health emergency.
Their continued silence as cases continue to mount call into question their leadership.
Richardson ISD has a sixth-grade student in the ICU with COVID.
Three days ago, 53% of Houston ISD's student cases were in elementary students too young to be vaccinated.
Two teachers died of COVID in Connally ISD in Waco this past week.
The likelihood that we see a student or staff hospitalization or death in Lewisville ISD increase with each passing day.
Let me point out the subsection "Honor in Conduct" for the code of conduct for school board members:
"I will base my decisions on fact rather than supposition, opinion, or public favor."
Hmmmm. Fact.
I can't believe that has to pointed out, but here we are.