Close to 20,000 students in Mississippi have been forced into quarantine because of the coronavirus spread in the state, NBC News reports. This happened after only the first week of school.

How many kids are in quarantine in Mississippi?

Per NBC News, there are 20,334 students in quarantine after the first week of school, which ended last week.

  • 4,251 students were infected with the coronavirus during that week.
  • 948 teachers and staff tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of the first school week, too.
Related
Grand County is the only place in Utah with a school mask mandate. Here’s how, and why

The jump is pretty significant. Back on Aug. 12, there were 4,400 children under quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19, according to CNN.

  • This happened right before the start of the school year.
  • Some counties had started school already when these cases were revealed, as I wrote for the Deseret News.

Mississippi and its rising COVID-19 cases

View Comments

Mississippi has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the entire United States. Mississippi health department figures show that about 36% of the state’s total population is vaccinated against COVID-19 so far.

Related
Congress and parents pressuring FDA to approve COVID-19 vaccination for kids
5 things to know about COVID-19 and the start of the school year
  • The state has seen a massive increase in COVID-19 cases recently, too, rising by 123% in the last two weeks, according to Newsweek.
  • The state has an infection rate of 110 people per 100,000, which is the second-highest rate in the country, Newsweek reports.
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.