James Robson, a biomedical engineering graduate student, holds a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19, on-campus testing lab, Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Boston University in Boston. Dozens of U.S. colleges are announcing plans to test students for the coronavirus this fall, but their strategies vary widely. Federal health officials discourage widespread testing on college campuses, but some researchers say it’s necessary to prevent outbreaks. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) APAP
GENESEE COUNTY, MI — Cases of coronavirus have spiked sharply in the county among teens 15-19 years old, part of a broader geographic outbreak in that age group that extends to Oakland and Livingston counties.
Health departments from the three counties announced on Tuesday, Aug. 3, a “steep increase in the South Lyon and Fenton areas since mid-July among (that age group). Some of the cases reported attending large indoor and outdoor gatherings, including graduation parties and prom like events, during July,” the counties said in a joint news release.
In Genesee County, cases increased from 19 during late-June to mid-July to 94 from mid-July to early August. In Oakland County, COVID-19 cases among 15 to 19-year-olds in the South Lyon area increased from three during late-June to mid-July to 42 from mid-July to early August, the health officials said, and in Livingston County, cases increased from three to 19 during the same time period.
“The numbers are clearly ticking upward,” Genesee County Health Officer John McKellar said. “I think it’s inevitable that we tick up” as state restrictions have eased.
Overall in Genesee County, health officials are seeing daily case cou