Ontario’s chief medical officer was blunt in addressing the province’s parents, who for weeks have been on a back-to-school roller coaster: first preparing to send their children to class amid a surge in COVID- 19, then switching to online learning. while schools closed, and now prepare to return to in-person learning.
“I understand that sending your children back to school on Monday is going to be a concern for many,” Dr. Kieran Moore said at a press conference alongside Education Minister Stephen Lecce, held ahead of the reopening of schools across the country. the province on January 17.
Ontario parents are worried, yes, and confused, exhausted and stuck in ever-changing rules and updates, judging by the 130-plus questions they submitted to the Star this week (many of which we’re still trying to answer. Stick around). . tuned up.)
At Wednesday’s press conference, Lecce provided the latest on the province’s plan to do “everything humanly possible to protect our schools.” That includes providing rapid antigen tests to students and staff in schools and daycare centers, and distributing masks to school boards: N95 respirator masks for staff, three-ply masks for students.
Lecce and Moore tackled some burning questions, while the Star searched for the latest information available to others. Here is a collection of questions from parents and guardians, answered.
I am concerned about student immunity seven months after receiving a second dose of the vaccine, lunches without masks, poor filtration, lack of testing, and cohorts dropping out when numbers allow. Is there a move to approve boosters for children over 12?
The Ministry of Health says that so far Health Canada has only authorized the use of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as a booster dose after completing the primary series in people over 18 years of age. necessary to further protect our children and schools,” the ministry told the Star in an emailed response.
Will vaccines against COVID-19 be mandatory?
No. Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s medical director of health, said at Wednesday’s news conference that because the vaccine is “new,” the government wants “more experience with it before we mandate it.” . (More than 9.5 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide, and serious side effects are rare.) Some schools will offer immunization clinics, but parental consent will be required.
What exactly has been implemented in schools over the last two weeks that has made them safer for students?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided to students and staff in Ontario schools. N95 masks, widely considered the best option to protect against COVID-19, are being distributed to staff. Students will receive a three-layer mask, three million of which have already been shipped to Ontario schools, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said.
Two rapid antigen tests will be distributed to each student to allow parents to monitor possible cases. The rapid tests will replace a previous program in which take-home PCR tests were provided to symptomatic staff and students.
Meanwhile, the minister said an additional 3,000 HEPA units have been provided to schools, building on the 70,000 HEPA systems already in place in schools. Similarly, improvements were made to the ventilation of schools, while schools without mechanical ventilation received HEPA filters, Lecce said.
Stricter screening protocols will be implemented at the school.
How will school boards be collecting information about positive cases in classes? How many cases will result in the closure of a class or school?
Directors will monitor absences and notify public health units when they reach 30 percent, which Moore believes will represent an increase in community spread. This will prompt public health to notify families of increased absences. However, recorded absences will not be COVID-specific and will include students who are absent for any reason. Public health units will communicate guidance according to the local situation.
When asked about schools asking parents to volunteer to be emergency substitutes at schools in case of emergency staff shortages, Lecce said there has always been an “emergency supply staff list ” at school boards across the province, and sometimes these lists include family members.
How do I switch to homeschooling if online learning is not available?
Parents who wish to switch to homeschooling will need to check the specific requirements in their region before proceeding.
In general, parents must notify the school board of their intent to homeschool and provide the student’s name, date of birth, and relevant contact information such as address or phone number. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), for example, requires that the letter be sent to the superintendent in your area.
How did the province decide on the 30 percent absence figure as the threshold for informing families of cases?
The province announced that families will now only be notified when absences at their schools reach 30 percent, a significant departure from previous waves, when parents were notified of only one case in their child’s classroom.
Asked Wednesday how they settled on that number, Moore said the percentage of absences has for years been a threshold for other viruses, indicating “increased activity in the community” that should be communicated to families.
“Based on our previous experience, that number has served us well,” Moore said.
A community clinic run by Michael Garron Hospital is giving out PCR tests that people can bring in for testing. Children can also be swabbed over their mouths and cheeks. It was very helpful for me as I have a special needs son who gets very anxious during COVID testing. If PCRs are the most accurate mode of testing, why aren’t they more widely available to students/schools?
PCR tests are being reserved for high-risk settings such as hospitals and long-term care, the government says. That said, some in-school PCR tests distributed when the Delta variant was dominant are still available for students who exhibit symptoms while at school, but the province is now “transitioning” to using rapid antigen tests for students in primary and elemental environments. Rapid tests will be available at high schools on an “as needed” basis. Dr. Moore also said that rapid antigen tests have more value now.
“Omicron is more transmissible but less virulent as a disease,” Moore said. “And we have modified our protocols as a result. The empowerment capacity (of parents) is to have the (rapid) tests in your house. If your child evaluates to have symptoms compatible with COVID-19, they have rapid antigen tests, they have a very rapid response that empowers parents to make the decision to keep their child at home.”
I have three children, all double vaccinated, but my daughter is only four years old. How do I protect it? Will it do any good to keep her at home if the kids go to school?
This scenario was not directly addressed at the provincial press conference on Wednesday, however, the province assured that more rapid antigen tests are coming. While they don’t offer protection, the results do provide some answers amid so many questions.
What is the difference in risk of transmission in a setting with more than 25 elementary students eating lunch in a classroom versus people eating in restaurants and bars, the latter of which are closed for in-person dining due to the risk of contracting and spreading the virus? Omicron variant? ?
Again, not directly addressed at Wednesday’s news conference, but the province has emphasized student mental health and in-person learning as priorities.
“While the risk of transmission in school settings can never be eliminated, it can be reduced or mitigated through public health measures including improved vaccinations, better masking, ventilation, grouping and staying home when sick,” Moore said. .
Reference-www.thestar.com