There were 195 Darien school district employees and students who tested positive for COVID-19 during the holiday break, school district officials said in an announcement Monday night.
The district now has a five-day mandatory self-isolation policy, and about a fourth of the total, 55 people, whose positive-test results were reported to the district on Monday, have been told not to come to school within that period. Of those 55, a total of 39 who tested positive were already vaccinated, the announcement said.
“Without doubt, the Omicron variant of COVID is affecting our school community,” said the announcement from Schools Superintendent Alan Addley and School Nursing Director Alicia Casucci.
On Monday, the district was informed of 31 Darien High School students or employees who been tested positive, and 22 of them (more than two thirds) had been vaccinated, the announcement said.
At Middlesex Middle School, 12 students or employees tested positive, the district was told Monday. Eleven of those people had been vaccinated.
The school district numbers dramatically show that vaccines don’t prevent people from catching COVID-19, even if they reduce the numbers of those who need to go to the hospital or shorten their stay there.
The COVID Dashboard is under revision and it will go live by the end of the week.
Full Text of the Announcement
This announcement, emailed to parents of students and school district employees, was sent to Darienite.com at 9:10 p.m., Monday:
Dear Parents and Community Members:
Without doubt, the Omicron variant of COVID is affecting our school community.
Over the holiday break, the COVID Response Team was notified of 195 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19. The affected individuals have been instructed to remain home in self-isolation for five days from the date of their positive test.
All family members have also been instructed to follow the current public health protocols for vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals, depending on their individual situation.
Please find below a summary of the cases reported today, Jan. 3, 2022. Due to the number of cases reported each day, we are adjusting our communications to reflect the cases reported daily and vaccination information. The COVID Dashboard is under revision and it will go live by the end of the week.
Image from the announcement emailed Monday night
The district was informed Monday about 55 more people with COVID-19 in Darien schools, including 39 who tested positive despite being vaccinated, broken down by school.
Please keep any child who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID, no matter how mild, at home and seek advice from your medical provider on next steps. Thank you for your ongoing collaborative efforts in helping to protect the well-being of our greater community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan Addley, Ed.D
Superintendent
Alicia Casucci, APRN, CPNP
Director of Nursing Services