Pierce County reports that school children in the county have experienced record numbers of COVID-19 cases in the first month of the school year. During September, 190 school children tested positive for COVID-19, which was about one third of the total cases identified in the county during that time period. According to a County press release, several factors are likely to have led to the larger increase in infection of this age group compared to other age groups. The Delta variant is now the predominately circulating variant, which is 2-3 times more infectious than the strain circulating last year. Several school districts have opted to forgo mitigation strategies that had been used during the past school year to limit spread of the virus, such as universal masking and quarantine of close contacts. Pierce County continues to urge those not yet vaccinated to talk to their doctor or make an appointment to receive the vaccine in Ellsworth or River Falls.