Several Alberta Schools Experience Outbreaks of COVID-19 Early in the 2021-22 School Year | The Canadian News

Just days after the 2021-22 school year, Alberta Health Services declared a COVID-19 outbreak in several Alberta schools.

According to AHS, an outbreak is currently declared in a school when there is 10 percent or more absenteeism due to COVID-19.

On Thursday, EG Wahlstrom School and CJ Shurter Elementary School in Slave Lake, as well as High Prairie Elementary School, were experiencing outbreaks.

In an update, Medicine Hat Public Schools Division Superintendent Mark Davidson said the school board learned of positive COVID-19 cases in all schools in the division over the past week.

“As positive COVID-19 cases continue to trend upward in our community, we expect positive cases to continue to be present in our schools,” he said.

The Edmonton Catholic School District told Global News on Thursday that AHS has declared an outbreak within its school division.

The Edmonton Public Schools Division says it is not aware of any schools in the district that have had a declared outbreak.

Global News has contacted the Black Gold Schools Division, the Edmonton Public Schools Division, and the Elk Island Schools Division for updates on the situation at their schools. This story will be updated if responses are received.

The nonprofit advocacy group Support Our Students Alberta provided an online tracking system for parents during the final school years during the pandemic.

The group’s communications director, Wing Li, said the program can no longer run this school year due to lack of data.

“Parents are getting closer with this information black hole,” he said.

“They want someone to fill it out. But without a consistent chain of information, there is no reliable way to do it, unless it is hearsay or hearsay. “

Last year, Li said the group received 80 to 90 percent of Alberta Health’s case confirmations. This year, they are using a “very basic tool” to detect and prevent the spread.

“Not knowing where the cases are causes more anxiety than necessary,” he said. “If we had a robust system that did not lie with schools and parents providing information, that would be (more useful).”

On July 28, Alberta announced that it would no longer contact close contacts of COVID-19 cases as of July 29, nor would close contacts be expected to be legally isolated.

Dr. Shazma Mithani, an emergency doctor in Edmonton, said contact tracing is an essential tool in the fight against COVID-19, particularly when it comes to schools.

“We are going to see that there is a lot of rapid spread. It will not be just between students. Teachers are at risk, the parents of all those students too. They are not just children. It will spread to the adult population fairly quickly. “

The province still recommends anyone with symptoms to isolate themselves and arrange a test as soon as possible.