COVID-19 numbers soaring as students return from holiday break

COVID-19 cases are soaring in local school districts.

Only a handful have updated their dashboards since the holiday break, but their numbers are startling compared to a month ago.

Spokane County’s second-largest district, Central Valley, reported on Thursday that it had 159 positive cases in the last 14 days; that number stood at 44 on Dec. 10.

At Mead School District, 152 people have tested positive in the last 10 days, according to data posted Wednesday. The district had 45 cases as of Dec. 10.

Also reporting higher numbers were Cheney, with 46 new cases reported this week; and Medical Lake, with 36 in the last two weeks.

The only other local district with recent numbers is Coeur d’Alene, which has 65 new cases this week; that’s up from 18 in the week before the holiday break.

The area’s largest district, Spokane Public Schools, updates its dashboard only on a weekly basis, but has not done so since Dec. 16. The next post is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday.

Other local districts with outdated numbers include West Valley, East Valley, Deer Park, Riverside, Post Falls, Nine Mile Falls, Freeman and Liberty.