Nine Coquitlam area schools were hit by COVID-19 exposures last week — and one class was told to isolate — as the Tri-Cities continues to deal with an elevated number of cases across the region.
All but one of the schools flagged for cases last week were in Port Coquitlam, where Fraser Health has moved to vaccinate all residents between the ages of 40 and 55 after the city was identified as one of 13 communities across the province deemed a "high-risk neighbourhood."
Among the hardest hit of PoCo schools was Citadel middle, where Fraser Health reports that someone who tested positive for COVID-19 was on school grounds on April 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 as well as the previous week for the dates April 13, 14, 15 and 16.
An entire class was also asked to isolate for 14 days.
In Port Moody, meanwhile, Heritage Woods secondary was also hit with exposures over a two-week period — including April 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21 — with letters sent to parents as part of Fraser Health’s communication protocol.
According to Fraser Health’s school exposure page, there are now 22 schools with COVID-19 exposures over the last two weeks, including independent and francophone schools. See below for the list current to April 26.
WHAT IS AN EXPOSURE?
A school “exposure” indicates a single person with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection attended school during their infectious period.
A school “cluster,” on the other hand, indicates possible school-based transmission with two or more lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 attending school while infectious.
Finally, an “outbreak” at a school means “multiple individuals with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection” and that “transmission is likely widespread.”
SCHOOL EXPOSURES A LIMITED SOURCE OF TRANSMISSION: STUDY
School exposures have been steadily rising since the return from spring break in the Tri-Cities. Because of the recent spike, School District 43 educators and support workers who work in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody schools are now eligible for COVID-19 shots.
Last week, B.C.’s top doc pointed to two studies in Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health indicating that schools continue to remain a muted source of transmission compared to the size of the student population.
Between Jan. 1 and March 7, 2,049 COVID-19 cases were identified among school staff and students in the Fraser Health region. Of these, 83% of cases were students.
But public health determined only 267 of the cases were “likely” acquired in a school itself, and when transmission did occur in schools, it would typically lead to just one other case. Additionally, there was no transmission identified at about 85% of Fraser Health schools during this period.
— with files from Stefan Labbé
Port Coquitlam
• Riverside secondary: April 13, 16, 19 and 20
• Terry Fox secondary: April 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
• Kwayhquitlum middle: April 19
• Maple Creek middle: April 19, 20 and 21
• Citadel middle: April 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 22
• Kilmer elementary: April 13, 14 and 16
• Bramblewood elementary: April 19 and 20
• Castle Park elementary: April 15, 16 19 and 20
• Central community elementary: April 14, 15 and 16
• Hazel Trembath elementary: April 13, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20
• James Park elementary: April 15 and 16
• École des Pionniers-de-Maillardville: April 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19
• Archbishop Carney regional secondary (Indep): April 12, 13, 14 and 15
Coquitlam
• Centennial secondary: April 14, 15 and 16
• Pinetree secondary: April 15
• Maillard middle: April 14, 15 and 16
• Summit middle: April 12
• Hillcrest middle: April 13
• Glen elementary: April 12, 13 14, 15 and 16
• Nestor elementary: April 14 and 16
• Queen of All Saints (Indep): April 12, 13 and 14
Port Moody
• Heritage Woods secondary: April 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21
