visualization

K-12 schools, children and coronavirus

overview

Child care facilities and schools in NC are points of interest on this COVID-19 dashboard because some COVID-19 clusters in NC have been linked to these types of facilities. These facilities represent environments that could have elevated risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the absence of appropriate control measures because they have enclosed spaces that enable long duration of exposure, can be crowded, and may contain a high number of asymptomatic children who can contribute to transmission.

The map below shows the location of child care facilities, schools, and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths for all ages by county and zip code. Click on a county to view zip code level data on COVID-19.

All data are preliminary and subject to change - corrections and updates are made as cases are being investigated and reported. The most current data are available on the NC DHHS COVID-19 dashboard.

To see how to use, FAQs and definitions, click here.

Stay tuned. Updates for Omicron are coming soon.

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CONTINUE

What does this visualization show me?

This map shows the location of K-12 schools and child care facilities in North Carolina and selected COVID-19 measures by county and zip code.

Each county is shaded to represent the value of the selected COVID-19 measure in that county. Click on the county to see COVID-19 measures by zip code. Each colored circle represents one child care facility or school. You can see additional details for a county, ZIP code, or facility by hovering over it on the map.

COVID-19 cumulative cases and deaths are shown dating back to June 2, 2020.

How does this visualization help us understand COVID-19?

This map helps policy makers and public health experts identify schools and child care facilities across North Carolina that may benefit from additional support to help reduce the risk of SARS-COV-2 transmission. The facilities pose potential risks because they are indoor spaces; have a high concentration of students; offer care that can necessitate close contact; and have populations with varying levels of understanding about risk.

Understanding the local burden of reported COVID-19 in each county or zip code helps policy makers and public health experts make decisions about how to operate such facilities safely.

For current data on outbreaks and clusters related to child care and K-12 school settings, consult the NCDHHS outbreak dashboard and map (DHHS outbreak data: LINK).

NOTE: This map cannot tell us if variation in testing and/or the number and capacity of these facilities is responsible for higher or lower apparent burden of COVID-19 in a county or zip code. The relationship between the number of facilities and the true burden of COVID-19 cannot be determined using this map.

Where do the data come from?

COVID-19 county-level data are from The New York Times, based on reports from state and local health agencies (LINK). The New York Times states that “all cases and deaths are counted on the date they are first announced.” Zip code level data are from WRAL (LINK). WRAL compiles data from the North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (LINK) daily.

Zip code level population counts are from ESRI Demographics provided by WRAL and NCDHHS.County level population counts are provided by NC Office of State Budget and Management (LINK, July 2020).

Information on child care facilities was provided by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (database as of March 2020).

Information on public schools was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data (LINK). Information on private schools was obtained from the NC Division of Non-Public Education (LINK).

How were the measures calculated?

The 7-day average represents the average of the daily number of newly detected COVID-19 cases per 10,000 people in that county (or zip code) over the past 7 days (i.e., 7-day average of cases per day per 10k population).

Cumulative cases is a running count of the total number of detected COVID-19 cases per 10k since June 2, 2020. Using a denominator of 10,000 residents allows us to make comparisons between counties with differing population sizes.

How often are the data updated?

All four COVID-19 measures shown in this map are updated every Wednesday.

Select a COVID-19 health measure from the drop-down box above the map
Choose a specific 7-day average date by moving the slider or clicking the arrows to select a date. The date in the box is the date that the 7-day average ended on
Hover over a county with your mouse to see the 7-day average in that county.
Click on a county to see the 7-day average by zip code
Each colored circle represents a different facility. Hover over a colored circle to see which facility it represents
If you want to only see a particular type of facility, select it from the Points of Interest drop-down. Clicking on the type of facility in the Points of Interest legend and choosing ‘keep only’ will also show only that type of facility. To undo this action choose “All” from the top drop-down.
To zoom in or out on the map roll the mouse wheel in or out or use the + or - on the left side of the map. Clicking the home icon will return the map to the original view.
To download the data click the download icon in the lower right hand corner of the map and select the appropriate file format.

TERMS USED

A facility where three or more children who are less than 13 years old receive care at least once a week for more than four hours from persons not related to the children in care.

Public (including charter) and private schools serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Someone that has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

According to NCDHHS data, “COVID-19 deaths include people who have had a positive molecular (PCR) or antigen test for COVID-19, who died without fully recovering from COVID-19, and who had no alternative cause of death identified. Deaths are reported by hospitals and clinicians directly to the local and state health departments.”

The average daily number of newly detected COVID-19 cases over a 7-day period.

The total number of cases that have been diagnosed up to a certain point in time (data on this dashboard started on June 2, 2020 unless noted otherwise).

The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. The North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT) is an advanced, statewide public health surveillance system. NC DETECT is supported by the North Carolina Division of Public Health through a federal Public Health Emergency Preparedness Grant and is managed through a collaboration between NC DPH and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Emergency Medicine's Carolina Center for Health Informatics.