18 new covid-19 cases reported in North Hills School District during past week

The North Hills School District reported that there were 18 more active cases of covid-19 during the past week.

Including the most recent cases reported between Dec. 10 and 15, there are 31 people in the district — 18 students and 13 staff members — who either tested positive for coronavirus or are presumed positive.

A presumptive positive result is when a patient has tested positive by a public health laboratory, but results are pending confirmation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection.

Of the 18 new cases:

• Four are students and three are members of the staff at North Hills Middle School.

• Three students at Highcliff and two at McIntyre elementary schools tested positive for the virus.

• Two teachers and a student at the high school were infected.

• Two staff members at Ross Elementary School and one teacher at West View also have covid-19.

Since the start of the school year, there have been 101 active cases at North Hills affecting 65 students and 36 staff, according to a covid tracker created by the district.

Because of the surge in covid cases in Allegheny County, students in the North Hills School District will continue with online-only instruction until Jan. 11, when the switch back to a blend of in-person and online instruction is scheduled to take place.

The district’s decision to switch to online-only instruction was based on data provided by state health officials, who recommend against in-person classes when the Community Transmission Level is rated as “substantial.”

District students were scheduled to return to a mix of online and remote learning on Dec. 14 but those plans were canceled because of the growing number of covid cases in the county.

Allegheny County on Wednesday reported the highest total of new coronavirus cases in the state, with 1,074 new cases bringing the county-wide total to 43,007.