Ottawa Public Health proactively monitoring absenteeism rates in schools, Etches says
Ottawa's top doctor says Ottawa Public Health will not wait for schools to report absenteeism rates above 30 per cent before investigating a possible COVID-19 outbreak in schools.
As students returned to in-person learning last week, the Ontario government said principals are only required to report possible COVID-19 outbreaks at schools when absenteeism rates hit 30 per cent.
However, medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches says Ottawa Public Health is proactively looking at the absenteeism rates itself and, "not waiting for the 30 per cent threshold."
"Where we see that they're higher, we're reaching out to schools to understand what's behind that," said Etches on Wednesday.
"We’d like to know is it because many people are choosing to do online learning, is it because we have an illness, is it because it’s something else. We’re trying to understand is it all in one class, is it across many because if we see concerning patterns of transmission there may be practices we need to reinforce, there may be situations where the exposures could have been higher risk so we want to address these things."
Ottawa Public Health's school nurses, public health inspectors and an infection prevention and control team are monitoring COVID-19 cases in schools to support the transition back to school during the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., five Ottawa schools had an absenteeism rate of 30 per cent or more.
- Ottawa Carleton District School Board Adult High School – 37.8 per cent
- Clifford Bowey Public School – 31.5 per cent
- Frederick Banting Secondary Alternative School – 33.3 per cent
- Regina Street Alternative School – 30 per cent
- York Street Public School – 31.9 per cent
“The context I’m operating in is that we are looking at the transmissibility of this virus and trying to minimize morbidity and mortality as well as maintain essential services," said Etches.
"So school being an essential service for children and youth, the disruption of learning is there when whole cohorts are dismissed."
The medical officer of health says screening every day, masking and physical distancing can slow down the introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in schools.
“Dismissal of cohorts doesn’t stop transmission, it won’t stop transmission necessarily. The community surrounding levels of COVID are an ongoing source of introduction into schools. So the first thing we have to do every day is check whether we have symptoms that could be COVID," said Dr. Etches.
"Overall, we are not aiming for a COVID zero environment; we are aiming for migrating the harms and protecting the people at higher risk.”
Etches: Stay cautious
With students back in school for in-person learning, the medical officer of health is asking parents and guardians to limit interactions outside of school so kids can remain in the class.
"I would like to see us approach all of our interactions with caution still. We still have high levels of COVID-19 in the community," said Etches.
"My recommendation for families is to prioritize the school settings, knowing there can be exposure in schools and think carefully about what other exposures are added in in the community setting."
Dr. Etches says social and sports activities are important for a child's health.
"We're just trying to proceed step-by-step, have children and youth back in school, get them after that back to the activities that make a difference for them as well."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.