ST. LOUIS — On Monday, many school districts released tentative plans for students returning to school in the fall. While COVID-19 keeps those plans from being set in stone, parents, educators and leaders are weighing in on what the best options is.
On Friday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson spoke about getting students back in the classroom on The Mark Cox Morning Show on NewsTalk 97.1 FM.
“There’s data out there," Parson said. "There’s scientific evidence now of who this effects and who this doesn’t, and kids are least likely to have a problem with this."
Parson's comments echo the advice given to 5 On Your Side in previous interviews with multiple doctors who said COVID-19 does not pose as great of a risk to children as it does to other age groups.
One person, who was under the age of 20, has died from the virus in Missouri. In Illionois, that number is five.
However, while the number of deaths for this age group has remained low, the number of cases for people younger than 20 has spiked recently along with young adults.
Missouri, as a whole, saw a 56% increase in cases from June 30 to July 20. However, cases for people younger than 20 increased by 108%. While that doesn't mean the youngest age group makes up the most cases, it means the group saw the greatest percentage increase of cases of all the age groups.
People younger than 20 were also one of just three age groups that had an increase in the percentage of total cases for the state. On July 20, the youngest group made up 9.7% of the state's total cases, which is up from the 7.25% it made up in June. The two other groups with an increase are people in their 20s and people in their 30s.
In St. Charles County, the currently local hot spot for COVID, positive cases for people younger than 20 have more than doubled from June to July, so far. The county, like the state, saw an increase in the percentage of cases for the youngest age group.
Meanwhile, in Illinois, teachers are voicing their concerns of the positivity rate. For the entire state, it's down. However, for the region that includes a large portion of the Metro East, it's ticking up, which is one of the factors the state's health department will look at when considering stricter restrictions.
RELATED: Metro East nearing COVID-19 positivity rate threshold that could result in stricter restrictions
Another point Gov. Parson made Friday, that followed suit of what doctors said, is that children are less likely to face deadly results from contracting the virus.
“These kids have got to get back to school," Parson said. "They’re at the lowest risk possible. And if they do get COVID-19, which they will, and they will when they go to school, they’re not going to the hospitals. They’re not going to have to sit in doctor’s offices. They’re going to go home and they’re going to get over it.”
Meanwhile, many educators in the area continue to protest in-classroom learning as concerns for the virus' impact on families, particularly in underserved communities, continue.
For a full county-by-county breakdown of cases in the state, use our interactive map. Some of the local county numbers come from local health departments and may not match data from the DHSS.