COVID-19 cases continue to track higher in March in the Tri-Cities compared to earlier in the year with schools and a Port Coquitlam Costco store grappling with cases.
Last week (March 7-13), BC Centre for Disease Control counted 212 test-positive cases, down 12% from 241 the week previous and 22% lower than 272 in mid-February, a month in which there were more exposures in the region since numbers were made public in early December.
Still, the more than 200 weekly case count so far in March is higher than in January, when cases hovered at around 100 or slightly more.
The elevated case numbers come as Fraser Health immunizes Port Coquitlam Costco employees to deal with a “significant cluster,” and targeted vaccinations helped to end a seven-week outbreak at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre, also in Port Coquitlam.
Four classes of students attending Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody elementary schools were also told to stay home for 14 days after numerous exposure dates at their schools last week.
According to the latest BCCDC case-count map, the Tri-Cities had the third-highest number of cases in the Lower Mainland (212) after Surrey (925), and Burnaby (246).
Meanwhile, school COVID-19 exposures in the Tri-Cities kept pace with community cases last week as the coronavirus continued to circulate in the area at elevated numbers.
Fraser Health has sent exposure letters to six schools in Coquitlam, six in Port Coquitlam and three in Port Moody for exposures during the week of March 7-13.
Friday, March 19, was the last day of classes before spring break, with students returning to school April 6.
Despite the break, pending exposure notifications may still appear for this past week. For that reason, School District 43 is alerting parents that they may receive exposure notices or be contacted by Fraser Health.
“Please follow the directions of the Fraser Health Authority if they contact you. Hand hygiene, social distancing, mask wearing and continual daily monitoring for symptoms are still recommended and we all hope to return to class healthy and safe,” stated superintendent Patricia Gartland.
Teachers, meanwhile, have been added to the list of essential service workers slated to get the AstraZeneca vaccine in April and the provincial government is speeding up its vaccination program for all B.C. residents so that everyone age 18 and over can get their first shot by July 1 if they want one.
New public schools flagged for exposures include Citadel middle (8, 9, 10, 11, 12), Kwayhquitlum middle (March 15) and Cedar Drive elementary (March 12) in Port Coquitlam and Moody middle school in Port Moody (March 11). As well, École des Pionniers de Maillardville, a francophone public school in Port Coquitlam, also had an exposure on school grounds (March 9, 10).
An independent school in Port Coquitlam, Our Lady of the Assumption, had an exposure on March 12, according to the Fraser Health school exposure website.
The following is the list of schools with COVID-19 cases to Friday, March 19.
COQUITLAM
• Coquitlam River elementary: March 8, 9 and 10
• Panorama Heights elementary: March 5, 8 and 9
• Porter Street elementary: March 5 and 8
• Ranch Park elementary: March 10
• Winslow Centre: March 9
• Greater Heights Learning Academy: March 8, 9 and 10
PORT COQUITLAM
• Riverside secondary: March 5
• Terry Fox secondary: March 5
• Kwayhquitlum middle: March 15
• Minnekhada middle: March 8, 10 and 11
• Castle Park elementary: March 10, 11 and 12
• Hazel Trembath elementary: March 5
• Cedar Drive elementary: March 8, 9, 10 and 11
• Citadel middle: March 8, 9, 11 and 12
• École des Pionniers de Maillardville (francophone): March 9, 10
• Our Lady of the Assumption (Indep): March 12
PORT MOODY
• Port Moody secondary: March 5
• Moody middle: March 11
• Moody elementary: March 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
• Seaview elementary: March 9
