South Wichita elementary school closes because of staff illnesses, lack of substitutes

Colvin Elementary in south Wichita is closed on Thursday and Friday because of staffing shortages from illness and a lack of substitutes, the school said.

School will resume on Monday.

“Right now, that is the only school we have this issue,” Wichita Public Schools spokesperson Susan Arensman said. “It is due to a variety of illnesses.”

The announcement comes amid concerns about a spike in a combination of respiratory illnesses, including COVID, flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. Last month, Ascension Via Christi reduced access to its pediatric unit at St. Francis because of a rising number of cases.

National data shows outpatient visits for respiratory illness are as high as they have been during the last six flu seasons. The last time it was this high during that time was in the 2017-2018 flu season and it didn’t reach that point until February.

Kansas data, which goes back to 2020, shows the percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness is twice as high as it has been in the last two years. The flu season typically peaks between December and February, according go the CDC.

Sedgwick County data shows COVID cases started to increase last month. The rolling 14-day average of cases has nearly doubled to just over 8% since late October, the data shows.

This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 12:30 PM.