Fraser Health's latest list now has 11 Tri-City schools alerted for possible COVID-19 exposure.
That's two more institutions than the previous update reported by the Tri-City News on Nov. 17.
This includes 10 School District 43 (SD43) schools and one independent — five in Coquitlam, five in Port Coquitlam and one in Port Moody.
Glen Elementary is the most recent school marked for an exposure event as students and staff may have come in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus for Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 22-23).
You can view the full list of school exposures at the bottom of this article.
There was also a significant uptick in two-dose vaccinations against COVID-19 among eligible school-aged children.
As of today (Nov. 24), the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is reporting 86.6 per cent of those in the region between 12 and 17 years old that have been inoculated with two doses against the virus, representing a one-week increase of more than a half per cent.
Currently, 90.2 per cent of school-aged children have received at least one dose against COVID-19.
Port Coquitlam is the latest Tri-City sub-region to reach the 90 per cent plateau for single-dose vaccinations in that same category.
Vaccination rates as of Monday (Nov. 22) are broken down by the BCCDC as follows:
North Coquitlam
- 91 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 vaccinated with at least one dose
- 88 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
- 86 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
- 85 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
- 85 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 a Tri-City school, 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
COQUITLAM
- Eagle Ridge Elementary: Nov. 10
- Glen Elementary: Nov. 17-19, 22-23
- Panorama Heights Elementary: Nov. 12, 17
- Summit Middle: Nov. 17
- Centennial Secondary: Nov. 17-19
PORT COQUITLAM
- Archbishop Carney Secondary (Independent): Nov. 15
- Cedar Drive Elementary: Nov. 17-18
- Kilmer Elementary: Nov. 15-16
- Pitt River Middle: Nov. 15
- Terry Fox Secondary: Nov. 10
PORT MOODY
- Moody Elementary: Nov. 12
