COVID numbers: Marion County Public Schools COVID numbers dropped 44% from last week

Deana Burleson, a teacher, talks with Makala Marshall, 10, about her Walking Rainbow experiment at South Ocala Elementary School in this July file photo. The Marion County School Board is deciding how to evaluate teachers during a pandemic year. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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Posted October 13, 2021 | By Matthew Cretul
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MCPS recorded 49 total new cases for the week of Oct. 2 – Oct. 8, as 44 students and five employees were confirmed COVID-19 positive by the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. The figures, released Monday afternoon, are down from the 86 cases reported on Oct. 1, and 157 cases reported on Sep. 27.

Quarantine numbers were down as well, with MCPS reporting 173 students and employees were quarantined due to direct contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19. The quarantines included 171 students and only two district employees.

Parents continue to opt their children out of facial coverings, however. MCPS reported 9,507 students, or 22%, have an opt-out form on file, which allows them to not wear a facial covering.

Not only are cases dropping in county schools, but also around the county as well.

Marion County’s COVID numbers as a whole fell last week.  The county registered 427 new cases, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health Friday evening, down from 614 cases the previous week and the lowest number of reported cases since the week ending July 8.

The county positivity rate and cases per 100,000 fell as well. The positivity rate dropped from 9.1% to 6.9% and the cases per 100,000 went from 164.8 to 114.6.

The state overall recorded 25,792 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Oct 1 to Oct 7, its lowest number of new weekly cases in more than four months.  Vaccination rates dropped to their lowest levels in three months as well, however, as the state recorded administering 311,720 doses.

Further, county hospitalization numbers dropped along with the number of cases.

Health and Human Services data shows 88% of all inpatient beds in the county occupied, with COVID-19 patients making up 12% of the inpatient population.

Additionally, ICU numbers dropped significantly, with 90% of all ICU beds are occupied, and COVID-19 patients make up 12% of those in the ICU.  Last week, 98% of all ICU beds were occupied, and COVID-19 patients made up 27% of those in the ICU.