Grafton releases data on COVID-19 in schools; town sees 18 new cases this week

Grafton schools had six positive cases of COVID-19 this week, none traced to exposure in school, according to the school department’s new data dashboard.

Both the School Department and Board of Health made efforts to make Covid data more accessible to the public, with the BOH sending out daily reports. As of Thursday, four new cases were reported, bringing the total number of Grafton cases since the start of the pandemic in March to 222. A total of 18 cases have been reported just this week.

The numbers come at a time when Massachusetts is seeing a surge in new COVID-19 cases, part of a national trend. On Wednesday, the national death toll from the pandemic surpassed 250,000, with health officials warning that Thanksgiving gatherings could increase the spread.

Daily reported COVID-19 case totals in Massachusetts exceeded 2,000 on Thursday for the the eighth time in the last nine days, and 62 communities are now considered high risk for spread of the virus. Grafton remains in the yellow on the state map, with moderate risk, but surrounding towns — Worcester, Sutton, Northbridge — fall under the high risk category

On Thursday, the state’s Department of Public Health reported 2,532 new coronavirus cases and 27 new deaths.

According to Grafton schools’ data, a total of 19 positive cases have been reported since the start of the school year, with six at North Grafton Elementary School, five at Grafton High, three at Millbury Street Elementary, two at North Street Elementary, two at Grafton Middle School and one at South Grafton Elementary. 

No cases were traced to school transmission. The schools have been using a hybrid model, with students trading off a week in the classroom (socially distanced and masked) with a week of remote learning.