COVID-19 outbreak at Simcoe County school surges, with 19 cases among students

Barrie, Ont. -

A surge of COVID-19 at a Bradford elementary school has forced multiple classes to close after 19 confirmed student infections.

Despite the outbreak, Simcoe Muskoka's medical officer of health said the school would remain open for in-person learning.

"We don't feel it's necessary to close the school. We want to do everything we can to keep the school open," Dr. Charles Gardner said during a COVID-19 briefing earlier this week.

On Thursday, parents received a letter stating that the school was navigating the situation with help from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

The letter also aimed to reassure parents that safety measures and protocols were being followed under the direction of the health unit and the Ministry of Education.

"Two of the total cases have unknown epidemiological links, however, we know that the remaining cases acquired the infection from either their class or bus cohort or from a contact outside the school, such as a household member," said SMDHU associate medical officer of health, Dr. Colin Lee.

The school said there would be enhanced measures around recess to limit contact between cohorts but added that "The SMDHU has indicated to us that there is no definitive indication that the outbreak at St. Marie of the Incarnation was linked to recesses."

"When there is evidence of increased transmission within the school – outside of the class cohorts – more outbreak measures are put in place," mentioned Dr.  Lee.

Several students and staff are excluded from in-person learning as an outbreak control measure.

"This coupled with other mitigating strategies is one of the reasons our school has remained open for student learning," the school letter continued.

"With affected cohorts being kept home from school and given that currently there is no cohort mixing, we believe the risk to students attending school is low," said Dr. Lee.

Meanwhile, the region's top doctor noted that while the health unit hasn't chosen to use the rapid antigen testing kits, it utilizes other methods to control the outbreak.

"We're using the more traditional approach of identifying the contacts and isolating them from the school and having them tested using PCR, which is much more sensitive as a test," he concluded.

Currently, the health unit reports three other school outbreaks in Orillia, Barrie and Penetanguishene, all elementary schools.

"It is important to remember that aside from four school outbreaks, the transmission of COVID-19 in schools and child care facilities in Simcoe Muskoka has been low," assured Dr. Lee.