More cases of COVID-19 have been detected in schools in Durham Region, with 10 considered to be experiencing active outbreaks as of Thursday afternoon.
The Durham Region Health Department declared outbreaks at Lincoln Avenue Public School and Westney Heights Public School, both in Ajax, Ont., on Wednesday.
On Thursday, St. Anne Catholic School in Oshawa and Goodwood Public School near Uxbridge, Ont., received the same designation.
In Ontario, a COVID-19 outbreak in a school or child-care centre is defined as two or more lab-confirmed cases in students, staff or visitors with an infection believed to be linked to the facility.
Aziza Alakozay visited Lincoln Avenue Public School on Thursday morning to pick up a computer charger for her son, who is in Grade 5. She says he will be at home until at least next week because of the outbreak.
“It’s not easy for us and for him too,” she said.
“It’s very tough and difficult.”
With both herself and her husband working, Alakozay said it’s hard finding time to help their son learn, even with assistance from two of their children in university and one in high school.
“I don’t know how I can do this,” she added.
In Canada, children under 12 years of age remain ineligible for any of the COVID-19 vaccines. This partially explains the ongoing outbreaks at area schools, the region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Kyle, told Global News, but said that high vaccination rates in Durham Region and stable case counts should prevent future infections among students.
“When you have fewer cases in the community, you generally see fewer outbreaks, fewer cases in schools and of course fewer hospitalizations,” Kyle said.
An array of measures from dedicated COVID-19 nurses in schools to ongoing testing and immunization aim to keep students in classrooms as much as possible, he said.
“There are a lot of pieces in place to control outbreaks, to prevent them in the first place and to contain them as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Kyle explained.
In response to an inquiry from Global News, a spokesperson for the Durham District School Board wrote, “the safety and well-being of our students and staff” is a priority.
The email stated the board works with Durham Region Health Department while following directions from Ontario’s Ministry of Education to ensure safety, citing ventilation upgrades in recent years and “other safety measures.”