Chicago Public Schools says it will distribute about 150,000 take-home COVID-19 test kits this week to 309 schools in communities hit hard by the pandemic.

       The news comes after CPS reported its highest weekly COVID-19 case count last week — 768 students and 251 adults. The district also reported its highest daily case count on Monday — 225 students and 59 adults. Last month CPS was recording about 300 to 400 total cases a week.

       Schools picked to receive test kits are said to be in neighborhoods designated high risk for COVID-19, or they are elementary schools in neighborhoods deemed medium risk. Families who receive the kits are “strongly encouraged” to test students Dec. 28 and drop the sample at their nearest FedEx Drop Box that day.

       “Research shows us that most of the COVID cases we see in CPS are not because of in-school spread — they are due to social situations like playdates and family gatherings that have fewer protections in place than our schools,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement.

       “We know that families will be gathering for the holidays, so we are providing these tests to our students who may be at most risk so we can reduce the spread of COVID and protect our school communities. I want to thank our partner Thermo Fisher for working closely with us to get as many tests as possible to our schools and our families ahead of the break.”

       Broadway Medical staff set up to test teachers and staff for COVID-19 outside of Murphy Elementary School in Chicago on Nov. 4, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

       CPS already has a weekly testing program that’s mandatory for unvaccinated staff members and voluntary for students. A CPS spokesperson said the district has conducted more than 237,000 tests through the program.

       About 0.82% of those who participated last week — 257 people — tested positive from 31,500 tests administered, according to CPS data.

       The district directs unvaccinated people who came in close contact with an infected person to quarantine. About 6,800 students and 380 adults on Tuesday were in isolation because they tested positive or in quarantine because they were a close contact. CPS is piloting a test-to-stay program that would allow unvaccinated students to avoid quarantine through a series of negative COVID-19 tests.

       The district said indoor masking, social distancing, promoting strong hand hygiene and reporting cases promptly to the CPS Contact Tracing Team are effective mitigation strategies. A CPS spokesperson said the district has 38 contact tracers plus five in training who could start taking cases after winter break. CPS started the school year with 24 contact tracers.

       tswartz@tribpub.com

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