Compared to a dozen schools last week, the number of Tri-City schools marked for possible COVID-19 exposure has dropped to nine.
However, five facilities listed by Fraser Health as of 9 a.m. today (Dec. 7) are new since the Tri-City News previously reported on Wednesday (Dec. 1) — most of them now include a December date.
Three are in Port Coquitlam, where vaccination rates among eligible school-aged children 12 to 17 years old have not changed in three weeks, including a 90 per cent single-dose total.
Two are in Coquitlam, where two-dose rates against the virus have gone up ever so slightly and has been the main contributor to that stat's week-to-week increases.
The other new exposure is at Anmore Elementary for Dec. 1
Eight of the nine institutions are associated with School District 43 (SD43).
You can view the full list at the bottom of the story.
Collectively, the Tri-Cities holds a 90.4 single-dose vaccination rate among school-aged children as of Thursday (Dec. 2), according to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
Its double-vaccination rate went up by nearly half of a per cent to 87.4 per cent in the last week thanks to noticeable bumps in the north and southwest Coquitlam sub-regions.
Current vaccination rates, as of this publication, are broken down by the BCCDC as follows:
North Coquitlam
- 92 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 89 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with a second dose
Southwest Coquitlam
- 90 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 87 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with a second dose
Southeast Coquitlam
- 89 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 86 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with a second dose
Port Coquitlam
- 90 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 86 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with a second dose
Port Moody-Anmore-Belcarra
- 91 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 89 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with a second dose
When an exposure event or lab-confirmed infection is found at Tri-City schools, Fraser Health says it follows rigorous steps:
- Public health will investigate to determine if there were any potential close contacts within the school
- If it is determined that there are close contacts within the school, public health will notify the school administrators and request information to assist with contact tracing and provide guidance on what steps should be taken
- Public health may then:
- Recommend 14-day self-isolation if necessary
- Recommend self-monitoring for symptoms if necessary
- Provide follow-up recommendations if necessary
- Schools will ensure students who are required to self-isolate are able to continue their educational program. Together, schools and public health officials will determine if any other actions are necessary
- Parents, caregivers and families will be notified by public health if their child is determined to be a close contact of a COVID-19 positive person
If you don't receive a phone call or letter from public health, Fraser Health explains children can continue to go to school but should also be monitored for the virus' symptoms daily, including fever or chills, cough, difficulty breathing or loss of sense of smell or taste.
COVID-19 SCHOOL EXPOSURES
ANMORE
- Anmore Elementary: Dec. 1
COQUITLAM
- Our Lady of Fatima (Independent): Nov. 23–24
- Bramblewood Elementary: Nov. 18–19
- Glen Elementary: Nov. 23
- Hampton Park Elementary: Nov. 23–26, Nov. 29–Dec. 1
PORT COQUITLAM
- Birchland Elementary: Nov. 23–24
- Cedar Drive Elementary: Nov. 30–Dec. 1
- Hazel Trembath Elementary: Dec. 1–2
- Terry Fox Secondary: Nov. 26
