5 Manatee public school students catch COVID-19. These are the affected campuses

Five more students in the Manatee County School District have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Manatee County School District reported Thursday. As a result, at least 72 people were sent into quarantine because they were directly exposed to one of the infected students while at school.

The newest cases were reported at:

• Abel Elementary School, one positive student and one exposure.
• Bayshore Elementary School, one positive student and 18 exposures.
• Braden River High School, one positive student and 23 exposures.
• Buffalo Creek Middle School, one positive student and 25 exposures.
• Manatee High School, one positive student and five exposures.

As of Thursday, the highest number of COVID-19 cases this semester — 21 — has been reported at Manatee High School, followed by 18 at Parrish Community High School and 17 each at Buffalo Creek Middle School and Southeast High School.

The district has reported a total of 316 coronavirus infections and at least 4,372 quarantines this semester, which started Jan. 4. To read the number of cases and exposures at each campus, go to the school district’s online dashboard at manateeschools.net.