COVID-19 Case Reporting in Schools

Ben Nelms/CBC

As of October, COVID-19 safety restrictions in BC have eased, gradually allowing for the return of normalcy in the midst of a pandemic. However, the easing of safety measures has yielded an influx of COVID-19 cases, especially in schools.

In late September, two COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in Lower Mainland schools where 20 to 30 cases were recorded at Promontory Elementary in Chilliwack and Maple Ridge Christian School. Outbreaks also occurred in Metro Vancouver at Sir Alexander Mackenzie Elementary, Kerrisdale Elementary and John Norquay Elementary.

In the two weeks after BC resumed publishing reports, more than 160 schools in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley were added to COVID-19 exposure lists on the Fraser Health website. The increase of cases in schools parallel COVID-19 case percentages in young children, increasing from 9 per cent to 18 per cent in September. Although provincial officials initially maintained that cases among children were of low severity, public concern among parents has prompted action.

According to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schools without mask mandates have 3.5 times more COVID-19 cases when compared to schools without.

Parents like Claude Martins are still concerned about outbreaks and how their children will face safety risks when attending school. “It is the biggest percentage of our population that can’t get the vaccine until they’re approved for that age group. I feel like school children and schools in general need to be treated the same way we’re treating longterm care facilities, where we have vaccine mandates for staff,” he commented. “We need to look at those same kinds of protocols for our education environments, as well as looking at a mask mandate for all of our staff and all of the students who go to schools.”

Similarly, some physicians are also concerned about current safety protocols. Dr. Anna Wolak, a Vancouver physician, has been especially worried about the safety measures and COVID-19 cases in elementary schools. “We’re already seeing clusters. We did not see clusters this early on in the school year when we went back last year. Whether it has to do with Delta and its increased transmissibility or the lower protocols, it’s hard to say.”.

The 2021-22 school year began without a system for notifying the pub- lic of COVID-19 exposures in schools. BC health officials maintained contact tracing for every case within the school community, where close-contacts were instructed to isolate as well. Public notification of school exposures was “anxiety-provoking”, according to Provincial Health Officer, Bonnie Henry, in the school year prior. Henry has since reversed course on her statement after complaints and outcry from parents, stating that parents need an “authoritative source” for data on COVID-19 exposures.

There is much debate and discus- sion around vaccine requirements for teachers and mask mandates, which prompted the expansion of the mask mandate from grades 4-12 to grades K-12 for all students. “This additional measure we are putting in place today is one more layer that will ensure we can continue to engage and support children throughout this ever-chang- ing pandemic,” Henry explained. “The majority of COVID transmission continues to occur in homes and through social networks. Nevertheless, in- creased diagnoses has led to increased numbers of potential exposure events and several school outbreaks have been detected and reported.”

Uncertainty and conflict still remains much between parental concerns and safety measures imple- mented by the BC government. “My biggest fear is that we’ll just be reactive, that we’ll just continue to put in measures two weeks too late... we’re looking to our leadership to actually provide information and to provide safety precautions, rather than having to rely on parents in the community to crowdsource this,” stated parent Claude Martins. With the concern around students’ safety in schools, much remains unresolved around school safety measures and whether they will continue to ease and allow for the return of normalcy to student life.