The Wake County Public School System has provided a few more details about coronavirus cases in area schools, but officials say they still have questions about whether the virus is spreading in classrooms as more students resume in-person instruction.
NEXT WHAT WE ARE >>> WITH MORE STUDENTS AND STAFF GRADUALLY RETURNING TO IN PERSON LEARNING, THE STATE'S LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TAKING NEW MEASURES TO KEEP CORONAVIRUS FROM SPREADING WITHIN ITS SCHOOLS. IS IT GOOD ENOUGH? THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. >>> THIS IS AN UPDATE TO A STORY THAT WE HAVE BEEN REPORTING HOW MUCH WAKE COUNTY WAS SHARING WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. >> Reporter: WE WANT TO START BY SHOWING YOU EXACTLY WHAT INFORMATION WE ARE GETTING FROM WAKE COUNTY SCHOOLS. TAKE A LOOK AT THE DATA THEY RELEASED. 15 CASES IN SCHOOLS. THAT IS THE KIND OF INFORMATION WE HAVE BEEN GETTING FOR SOME TIME. THIS IS THE NEW PART, BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN STUDENTS AND STAFF. THIS PARTICULAR WEEK 56% WERE STAFF MEMBERS. >> IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT IF OUR SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO BE OPEN THAT THEY BE SAFE. >> Reporter: AND THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT CAN BACK IT UP WITH EVIDENCE. THAT IS CLEARER ON THEIR WEBSITE. THERE ARE HOLES WE NEED IN THE NUMBERS. IN A RECENT MEETING, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS SHARED CONCERNS. CASES ARE REPORTED. CONTACT TRACE AND SPREAD IN SCHOOLS IS A PROBLEM. >> WHY DID WE GET LETTERS. WHY DID WE HEAR SOMEONE WAS POSITIVE THEN THE NUMBER FALL LOSS THROUGH. >> Reporter: TRACING IS A JOINT INFORMATION BETWEEN COUNTY HEALTH WORKERS AND THE DISTRICT. THEY ARE EXPLORING BRINGING THE PROCESS IN HOUSE. >> WE ARE TALKING TO THE COUNTY, CAN WE DO WHAT YOU DO SO WE CAN JUST HAVE IT DOWN MORE QUICKLY AND IN A MANNER THAT HELPS BUILD THE CONFIDENCE. >> Reporter: DR. DANIEL BENJAMIN PAIRS SCIENTISTS WITH EDUCATION LEADERS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE VIRUS IN SCHOOLS. HE SAID COVID CASES IN SCHOOLS CAN BE MISSED. >> A LOT MORE PEOPLE HAD COVID- 19 THAN HAD A POSITIVE PCR TEST. WE KNOW THAT IS TRUE IN GENERAL. BECAUSE IT'S TRUE IN GENERAL, IT'S TRUE IN SCHOOLS. >> Reporter: IT WOULD TAKE EXPANDED TESTING TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF COVID CASES. THAT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF WORK. DR. BENJAMIN SAYS COVID WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE IN SCHOOLS. >> DO YOU HAVE A TIMEFRAME IN MIND OF WHAT HAVE THAT MIGHT BE? >> A COUPLE OF YEARS. >> Reporter: A COUPLE OF YEARS? HOW SOBERING IS THAT. A LOT OF THE CLINICAL TRIALS WITH THE VACCINES GARNERING THE EXCITEMENT, THEY DON'T INCLUDE VERY YOUNG PATIENTS, THE TESTING. THOSE TRIALS HAVE TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE STUDENTS COULD GET THE VACCINE. THAT IS SOMETIME OUT.
