Thirteen school staffers in Florida’s Miami-Dade County have died in the last three weeks, none of them vaccinated, school authorities say.
The deaths come as almost all schools across the nation have returned for the 2021-22 school year. Classrooms and hallways are packed with students and staff, often without mask or vaccination mandates.
In Miami-Dade, fatalities include four teachers, one security monitor, one cafeteria worker and seven school bus drivers, United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats told CNN on Tuesday. It was not clear how the staffers became infected. New teachers began reporting to county schools Aug. 11; classes began Aug. 23.
All of the staffers who died were Black, and Hernandez-Mats said only 30% of African Americans in the county are vaccinated.
“The loss of any of our employees is one that is always profoundly felt as every member of this organization is considered a part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools family,” the district said in a statement. “We extend our hearts and prayers to the loved ones of those whose lives have recently been lost.”
Also in the news:
► After a sluggish start, the European Union’s COVID-19 vaccination drive has now surpassed the U.S. About 60% of the population has been fully vaccinated compared to 53% in the U.S.
►Kentucky has reported three times as many COVID-19 deaths this year as it did in all of last year, Johns Hopkins University data shows. The state reported 2,623 deaths in 2020. As of…