Relief for many families as B.C. bringing back school COVID-19 case notifications

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — After an outcry from several B.C. parents, the province is re-implementing notifications when a child tests positive for COVID-19.

When students and staff returned to school earlier this month, the province took a different approach to contact tracing, saying it would no longer issue school-wide letters. Instead, for the first two weeks of school, clusters and outbreaks would be reported.

Related Articles: 

• BCTF COVID concerns abound as teachers, students ready for return to school

• B.C. COVID school case tracker disappointed single exposures won’t be reported

• B.C. mental health toolkit aims to ease the transition back into school amid COVID-19

However, after hearing from concerned parents and educators, Dr. Bonnie Henry says they’ve recognized “parents do need an authoritative source to have an understanding of what’s happening in their children’s schools.”

“If your child has COVID, if your child has been exposed to somebody with COVID in the school system, you will be notified,” Henry explains. B.C.’s top doctor says she aims to have the system up and running by the end of the week.

Parents relieved

Among those who had called for the province to reverse course was Burnaby mom Sylvia Fuller. Last week, she spoke with NEWS 1130 about her concerns as her partner has a compromised immune system and is therefore at a greater risk to COVID-19 complications.

“If we can be notified quickly that there’s is a case in his classroom than we can make sure that we don’t go and see my kid’s dad on the weekend so that he can avoid being exposed if my child has been exposed,” Fuller said.

Fuller’s partner has moved out during the pandemic and the family is very conscious of his safety as he is a kidney transplant recipient.

“It was clear that parents were feeling a whole lot more anxious about not knowing, than having the notifications go out,” Fuller said. “That makes a difference for us for what we do to keep my partner safe.”

Few COVID-19 cases in B.C. schools

Henry has long said schools were not significant sources of COVID-19 transmission. Studies from Vancouver Coastal Health found fewer than eight per cent of COVID-19 cases were acquired inside the school environment last year.

In Fraser Health, which includes the Surrey School District, 87 per cent of school-associated cases happened in community or household transmission, and not from a school setting.

The COVID-19 Immunity Task Force says there is no greater risk to school staff getting sick from COVID-19 in a school compared to their community.

Related Articles: 

• Masks will be required at B.C. schools as COVID-19 concerns remain

• COVID-19: B.C. sees upward trend in hospitalizations

However, that was before the Delta variant, prompting more calls for safety measures and notification systems for parents.

“It does take time to follow up on each individual case. And sometimes that can take longer than you expect. But you will be notified and public health teams are prioritizing our schools because we know how important it is to make sure that children are safely in schools,” Henry said.

Vaccines for children in the works

Although Fuller says being notified is important for parents, there is more to be done. She says masks should be worn by everyone in school, including young children who are currently exempt, and rapid testing. As well, the family can’t be reunited under the same roof until her son is vaccinated. Right now, he is too young.

Currently, children in B.C. 12 and older are encouraged to get their shots.

This week Pfizer announced the results from its study on its COVID-19 vaccine in children between five and 11 and determined it was safe and effective for the younger age group. Moderna is also conducting studies on vaccine safety for youngsters.

Tuesday, Henry said the province will be ready to rollout vaccines for children under 12 as soon as its approved by Health Canada and those vaccines are distributed to the provinces and territories. There is no date set for the rollout.

After an outcry from several B.C. parents, the province is re-implementing notifications when a child tests positive for COVID-19.https://t.co/L3E1WdRQ1a #COVID19BC pic.twitter.com/kZZmrgmXEX

— CityNews 1130 Vancouver (Inactive) (@news1130) September 23, 2021