The Indiana State Department of Health is working with all school corporations to better report COVID-19 cases to health officials.
During a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box explained that a new online reporting tool was launched during a school webinar on Tuesday to help schools quickly report close contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.
“We’ve been working for several weeks to get the school rosters that will allow us to match positive cases to students,” stated Dr. Box. “We’re making progress in getting all of the data we need to create a dashboard. Having these records will help us quickly match positive cases among students to schools and ensure that schools and local health departments are notified promptly.”
State health officials are also developing a portal to capture positive cases among students, staff and teachers. Dr. Box said schools will be asked to update that portal every 24 hours.
“All of this data is coming together for us to build a public facing dashboard that truly reflects the prevalence of COVID-19 in our schools. My goal is to have that available by mid-to-late September. Having this information will help better inform how our schools are being impacted by COVID-19 and may help guide districts to guide their operational plans.”
Dr. Box encourages people to complete quarantine and isolation periods and avoid going to extra curricular events if they are symptomatic.
Dr. Box stated, “I cannot say this enough. The actions that you take outside of school are just as important as those that you take inside a school building. Please don’t put yourself at risk of being isolated or quarantined. Follow the guidance that we’ve been sharing for months.”
The guidance includes wearing a mask, observe social distancing and wash hands for at least 20 seconds.
