Name: Teens in 3 Michigan counties hit by COVID-19 outbreak — and parties may be to blame
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Teens in 3 Michigan counties hit by COVID-19 outbreak — and parties may be to blame

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Detroit Free Press More than 100&nbsp;teens in three southeastern Michigan counties have tested positive for the coronavirus since mid-July, and health officials believe at least a half-dozen large indoor and outdoor gatherings in recent weeks, including graduation&nbsp;parties and prom-like events, may be responsible.&nbsp;The steep spike in positive COVID-19 cases&nbsp;has&nbsp;hit those in the 15- to 19-year-old age range&nbsp;in Oakland, Livingston and Genesee counties, in particular the South Lyon and Fenton areas, officials from the three counties said in a news release. The number of cases in that age range has gone from a relatively few to dozens in each of the counties.“We need parents and young people in our community to recognize the risk they take to their own health and that of their family and friends when attending gatherings without taking precautions,” said Leigh-Anne Stafford, Oakland County health officer. “We can work together across our communities to contain the spread, and I urge parents to be aware of activities your kids attend.”The teens' conditions range from asymptomatic to mild symptoms, said Bill Mullan, spokesman for Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter.&nbsp;What isn't clear is how many adults may have been infected.&nbsp;Officials said there has been a lack of cooperation in contact&nbsp;tracing as health workers&nbsp;try to get a better handle on the virus' spread.“When individuals cooperate with health departments to complete contact tracing and case investigations, it goes a long way to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Genesee County Health Officer John McKellar said. “No one wants to be the one who spreads COVID-19 to someone who becomes very ill or dies.”More:Mullan said:&nbsp; "The potential is there for the teens to act as vectors to further spread it&nbsp;among adults. The investigations are continuing. We expect to uncover more cases as we make more contact. ... Because of their casual contact and their lack of exercise in social distancing and wearing masks, it has the potential to spread throughout the community, not just other teens."He said part of the problem identifying adult exposure is the lack of cooperation officials are getting. Adults and teens should know when the health department contacts them, they are not in trouble. The person's information is private and officials are trying to determine close contacts to prevent additional spread of the virus, he said.For parents who hosted any of these events, Mullan said "it would go a long way to reach out to our investigators" about who attended and when."We don't think any parent hosted an event with the intent to spread COVID around," he said. "Now, they can help us, help the community and help us figure out who was there and help us get in contact with those who attended to get them the resources they need to prevent the further spread of the virus."More:Mullan said officials know of at least one event sponsored by parents where there was no social distancing or masks required for the teens. He said they also know of one instance in which a student attended a party knowing he or she had a positive COVID-19 test. Mullan did not know whether&nbsp; that occurred&nbsp;in the South Lyon or Fenton area."We have lots of rumors and few facts; it's really important&nbsp;we get all the facts," he said.Mullan said officials have been able to confirm a half-dozen events, though they have not been able to get specifics on locations and attendees. He said group sizes are in the "dozens, certainly" but a precise count is unknown:Mullan said the teens were interacting closely with each other, whether dancing or playing games in the yard or sharing memories at a table.He said officials are pretty sure this is going to impact the start of school in a few weeks, as districts statewide decide about in-person or online learning, or a hybrid.Mullan did not know how many school districts are impacted, but "if they are in the South Lyon or Fenton areas, certainly the school districts would be on notice."Many&nbsp;of the cases in Oakland and Livingston counties are likely tied to students in South Lyon Community Schools, which straddles both counties. There were reports of an unofficial "prom," put on by a parent or parents, on&nbsp; July 23. A July 23 post on the South Lyon Varsity Pompon Facebook page shows a photo of eight young women wearing formal dresses&nbsp;posing together arm in arm with the title "Prom!!"More:The spike was noticed when comparing the number of positive COVID-19 cases in this age group from late June to mid-July and mid-July to early August.Preliminary information indicates a significant increase in cases among high school age students. Those numbers could change as the case investigations continue in the three counties, according to the release.The numbers break down like this, officials say:The three health departments are asking anyone who attended a large gathering in the South Lyon and/or Fenton area during mid- to late July who may be developing any COVID-19 symptoms to call their doctor or local health department.Symptoms can be mild to severe and&nbsp;appear two to 14 days after exposure. They include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headaches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said graduation parties and unofficial proms are considered social gatherings, "and social gatherings make up the second most frequent setting for outbreaks."She said long-term care facilities&nbsp; are the most frequent setting for outbreaks.More:"Although we understand celebrating accomplishments such as graduation, we urge Michiganders to avoid crowds," Sutfin said in an email to the Free Press.&nbsp;"We also remind residents about taking precautions including wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands often and staying home if you are ill."Officials in the three counties also urge people to take precautions if they are considering attending an indoor or outdoor event.“When attending both indoor and outdoor gatherings, it is important to stay 6 feet from others and wear a mask,” said Dianne McCormick, Livingston County health officer. “Socializing responsibly could help quickly turn things around.”Other precautions include: &nbsp;washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, and staying home when you are sick.South Lyon Community Schools covers an&nbsp;area of about 83 square miles, with an estimated population base of about 45,500, according to the district's website.&nbsp;It states that the district contains areas of Oakland, Washtenaw and Livingston counties, including eight communities, South Lyon, Lyon Township, Novi, Wixom, Milford Township, Northfield Township, Salem Township and Green Oak Township.It has two high schools.Mullan said officials were not aware of any spikes in teen cases in Washtenaw County at this time. He said the number of positive cases coming out of each event may become&nbsp;clear as the investigations in Oakland, Livingston and Genesee counties continue.More:The Oakland County Health Division COVID-19 dashboard as of Monday shows the 48178 ZIP code in Oakland County, which is the South Lyon area,&nbsp;has had 147 cases and 10 deaths since the pandemic began. Michigan&nbsp;Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state's first cases March 10. That same area&nbsp; has had 59 positive cases&nbsp;within the last 30 days, according to the dashboard.In Livingston County, the 48178 ZIP code has had 44 confirmed and 11 probable cases, according to that county's dashboard.The 48165 ZIP code, which covers part of Lyon Township, has had 38 cases and one death since the virus began, according to the Oakland County dashboard. It states there have&nbsp;been 16 recent cases, or positive cases within the last 30 days, which is half of the total cases for that ZIP code since the pandemic began.Mullan said parents need to be aware of what gatherings their children are going to and to exercise common sense on how large the gathering is, where it's held and whether to social distance and to wear a mask."If you're not worried about yourself, you should be worried about your parents, your grandparents, your neighbor," he said.Staff writer Kristen Jordan Shamus contributed to this report.Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

Detroit Free Press More than 100&nbsp;teens in three southeastern Michigan counties have tested positive for the coronavirus since mid-July, and health officials believe at least a half-dozen large indoor and outdoor gatherings in recent weeks, including graduation&nbsp;parties and prom-like events, may be responsible.&nbsp;The steep spike in positive COVID-19 cases&nbsp;has&nbsp;hit those in the 15- to 19-year-old age range&nbsp;in Oakland, Livingston and Genesee counties, in particular the South Lyon and Fenton areas, officials from the three counties said in a news release. The number of...

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Christina Hall

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

Teens in 3 Michigan counties hit by COVID-19 outbreak — and parties may be to blame

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