(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is seeing a significant jump in the number of schools reporting high absence rates due to illness.
Iowa Health and Human Services reports a boost statewide in respiratory virus infections like COVID-19, R-S-V, and the flu, as well as norovirus. Addie Olson, spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department, says at least 14 schools in the Des Moines metro area reported high absence rates this month, and some of them had sick absence rates greater than 10 percent for two or three consecutive days.
State health officials reported last week 73 schools statewide had absence rates of at least 10 percent for the prior week, a big increase from 11 schools the week before.
