By Donald Gilpin

A Princeton Middle School (PMS) student has tested positive for COVID-19, PMS Principal Jason Burr notified parents and staff in an email Monday night, September 21, the seventh new case in the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) in the past several days.

The middle school student, who was last at school on Friday, September 17, will isolate, and one close contact will quarantine, Burr reported.

PPS has stated that it will “continue to follow protocols and do the necessary contact tracing in each instance that is brought to our attention. Further we are continually adapting and responding to new information and guidelines as they emerge.”

PPS follows the CDC definition of a close contact as “someone who was within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from two days before the onset of illness.”

Earlier on Monday Littlebrook School  Principal Luis Ramirez informed the school community that two Littlebrook students, who had last attended school on Friday, September 17, were exposed outside of school and had tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.  The two students are isolating, and 11 Littlebrook students who are considered close contacts are quarantining for 10 days.

Also on Monday, Princeton High School Principal Frank Chmiel reported in an email to the school community that a third PHS student, who was last in school on September 13, had tested positive for the coronavirus. That student will isolate for 10 days, and one close contact will quarantine for 10 days.

Chmiel sent out emails last week announcing new cases involving one PHS student who was last at school on Friday, September 10 and another student who was last at school on Tuesday, September 14.

Earlier last week PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley announced that a fully vaccinated Community Park staff member had tested positive for coronavirus after being exposed outside of the district. The staff member remained in isolation for 10 days in accordance with CDC and New Jersey Department of Health guidelines.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 21, PPS thanked students, staff, and parents for “scrupulously supporting our mitigation protocols.”

The statement continued, “Wearing masks, opting for vaccinations (for all who are eligible), and doing the daily symptom check are crucial. If your child isn’t feeling well, please keep your child home. Avoiding travel, particularly if a child is not vaccinated, is also advised. So far, our positive case numbers have been low, but with the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, things could change rapidly so we will continue to implement the mitigation strategies available to us.”

The Princeton Health Department has been working closely with Princeton schools in navigating the start of the 2021 school year. “The situation is certainly ever-changing, but school administration, teachers, and school nurses are working within their health and safety protocols,” said Princeton Health Officer Jeff Grosser.

He continued, “Our community needs to continue to work together (as we have done throughout the pandemic) for our school resumption to be successful. This includes communication from the schools to the community, parental and student oversight of symptoms, and of course getting vaccinated once vaccines are available, which we anticipate will be sometime this fall for our 5-to-11-year-old population.”

Grosser did not comment on concerns over rising infection rates among children and the possibility of more schools reverting to remote learning as case numbers increase. The nearby Robbinsville School District was forced to switch last week from in-person to virtual learning for at least a week, with 30 student cases of COVID-19 and 220 students quarantined, according to the September 17 Robbinsville Public School COVID-19 Dashboard online.

The Princeton Health Department on Monday, September 20, reported 13 new COVID cases in Princeton in the previous seven days, 36 in the previous 14 days. Of the 14 most recent cases, five have been children 18 and under and only three age 40 and over. 

As of September 14, 80 percent of Princeton residents ages 12 and over have been vaccinated, 98 percent of those 65 and over.

The health department is waiting for further guidance for the distribution of additional doses for those who are immunocompromised and have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer, those who are 65 and over and have been fully vaccinated for six months or more, and those who are at risk for severe COVID-19.

Currently additional doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are approved only for the severely immunocompromised. Johnson & Johnson announced on Tuesday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is 94 percent effective, and Pfizer announced that its COVID  vaccine works for 5-to-11-year-olds and that it will soon be seeking authorization to start using it, but neither J&J’s booster nor the Pfizer vaccine for children is approved yet. 

“As this and other guidance is released, the Princeton Health Department will continue to adapt to the FDA distribution guidance and expand clinics to further populations as they’re approved,” said Grosser.

The Princeton Health Department has announced that free walk-in COVID-19 and influenza vaccine clinics will take place on September 30 at the Princeton Farmers Market on Franklin Avenue from 10 a.m. to 12 noon; on October 19 at the Princeton Senior Resource Center on Stockton Street from 12 noon to 6 p.m.; on October 22 at La Mexicana at 150 Witherspoon Street, 5-9 p.m.; on October 26 at the Princeton Public Library on Witherspoon, 5-7 p.m.; and on November 9 at Witherspoon Hall, 400 Witherspoon Street, 12-2 p.m.

In addition, Princeton University is offering walk-in vaccine clinics on Wednesday, September 22, and Wednesday, September 29, in Jadwin Gym from 1-4 p.m.