FLETCHER -- Fletcher’s school chief admitted that COVID-19 hit the district hard last month, but life is almost back to normal.
“We had a big influx (of cases) after Christmas forcing us to shut down for a couple of days because we didn’t have enough staff,” Superintendent Shane Gilbreath said. “It’s not like it was a month and a half ago.”
Now, school life is more normal with COVID-positive cases numbering two to three a week, with students experiencing mild symptoms.
“We are doing our cleaning and disinfecting as always,” Gilbreath said. “We have one staff member with it now, but that’s all.”
With spring break approaching next month, Gilbreath is hoping for good weather and temperatures that will keep students outside and away from large indoor crowds.
Sterling Superintendent Kent Lemons said his district experienced something similar with an outbreak after the Christmas holiday.
“About 60 percent of our staff had it at that time, so we had no choice but to shut school down for a couple of days. Then after that, we came back and we’d have five-10 students in quarantine and one positive case for a couple of weeks, and then it all went away,” he said.
Sterling schools haven’t had a positive case or quarantines reported in the last two weeks.
“It’s zeroes across the board,” Lemons said. “I almost hate to talk about it.”
Lemons said he has encouraged staff members to get the COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shot, but he has stopped short of a requirement.
“We’ve held a couple of clinics to make it available to them,” he said.
School officials at Elgin could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases at Lawton Public Schools are low, according to the latest figures provided by the district. Eight students and one staff member remain isolated due to a positive COVID test. Eisenhower Middle School and Freedom Elementary at Fort Sill each have three positive cases.
The district also reported three students are in quarantine because of close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
Comanche County Memorial Hospital is reporting similar COVID numbers to previous weeks, with 38 patients and 21 who have not been vaccinated. The hospital figures also show 14 COVID patients who have been vaccinated but no booster and three patients with vaccinations and booster.
Seven COVID patients are in the intensive care unit, and four have not been vaccinated, the hospital’s figures show.
State officials continue to promote vaccinations as the numbers grow. As of Feb. 7, more than 2.19 million people in Oklahoma (55.4% of the total population) are fully vaccinated, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The state’s goal is to vaccinate 70% of all eligible Oklahomans.
The health department also reported an 18% decline in the number of COVID cases at the end of January.
For more information about being vaccinated, contact the state health department or county health departments.