When Jeffco Schools discontinued its COVID dashboard this summer, JPEN decided to create a new JPEN Jeffco Schools COVID dashboard to fill the gap. At this time, the JPEN dashboard includes cases among Jeffco children ages 0-19. We also maintain a list of active outbreaks in K-12 schools throughout Colorado.
Since we created this dashboard, Jeffco Schools has reinstated a COVID-19 dashboard for 2021-22 as well.
Our data comes from from Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and school districts across Colorado. Case data includes all students in Jeffco Schools, as well as reported cases from students who live in Jeffco but attend private schools, attend schools in other districts, or are homeschooled. In addition, students who attend Jeffco Schools but live in another county are not reported here.
JCPH tracks COVID cases by age. The data on their website is updated weekly on Monday evenings.
This JPEN dashboard will be updated approximately weekly. More detailed COVID-19 case data is available from JCPH and CDPHE. Last update: Dec. 2, 2021.
If you have trouble viewing the data, please try this link.
Case Counts
Jeffco Cases Among Children 5-11
JCPH recently added a comparison of 2020 and 2021 case counts searchable by age group and date. The graph below shows 2020 case counts from Aug. 1 through mid-October in both 2020 (orange) and 2021 (red) among Jeffco children ages 5 to 11. Case counts among the 5-11 age group have increased sharply since school started in August 2020. In comparison, 2020 case counts among the same age group remained relatively low until the end of October.
Jeffco Cases Among Children 12-19
The graph below shows 2020 case counts from Aug. 1 through mid-October in both 2020 (light blue) and 2021 (dark blue) among Jeffco children ages 12 to 19. In the 12-19 age group, case numbers started out higher than in 2020, and now are comparable to the numbers of cases seen in mid-October in last year. Cases in this age group remain lower than the 5-11 group, likely because approximately 70 percent of the 12-19 population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 case incidence rates in Jeffco are currently highest among the 5 to 11 age group, which only became eligible for vaccination this November.
Active Outbreaks in Colorado K-12 Schools
Active Outbreaks by County
CDPHE tracks outbreaks in a variety of settings, including K-12 schools. CDPHE defines an outbreak as, “five or more confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, of which at least one case has had a positive molecular amplification test or antigen test in a facility or (non-household) group with onset in a 14 day period.” The state outbreak data is updated weekly on Wednesdays.
Active Outbreaks by District and School
Jeffco Hospitalizations, Ages 0-30
JCPH reports hospitalizations by age, but groups K-12 students in a 0-30 age group range. The graph below shows the 14-day rolling average of hospitalizations.
COLORADO PEDIATRIC COVID CASES AND OUTCOMES
Colorado Metro-Area COVID Hospitalizations Ages 0-17
CDC tracks hospitalizations by age via COVID-NET. This reporting system includes nearly 100 counties in 10 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Tennessee).
In Colorado, counties participating in the reporting program are Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson.
The graph below show rates of pediatric hospitalizations per 100,000 population in the five participating Colorado counties.
This graph is not a rolling average and shows actual reported hospitalizations by week.
For comparison, the graph below show rates of pediatric hospitalizations per 100,000 population in all of the counties in the states participating in COVID-NET reporting.
This graph is not a rolling average and shows actual reported hospitalizations by week.
For comparison, the graph below show rates of pediatric hospitalizations per 100,000 population in all of the counties in the states participating in COVID-NET reporting.
This graph is not a rolling average and shows actual reported hospitalizations by week.
COVID-19 is a Leading Cause of US Deaths in Children
Peterson KFF analyzed CDC mortality data by age and found that COVID is a leading cause of death in the United States, even in children.
The chart below shows that in 2021, COVID has ranked in the top 10 leading causes of death among children:
- Ages 1-4: 7th to 15th leading cause of death
- Ages 5-14: 6th to 12th leading cause of death
- Ages 15-24: 4th to 7th leading cause of death
“Yes, it is absolutely true that COVID-19 is less severe in kids than it is in adults, and particularly older adults,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary of Children’s Hospital Colorado. “But in absolute numbers, COVID is causing more harm to kids than influenza, which we consider to be a serious condition for kids, even in a typical year.”
The numbers are more sobering when you consider that deaths in kids in the United States – even in a typical year – are rare, O’Leary said. “This is where the conversation about severity gets a little bit more complicated,” he added.
