175 Lower Mainland schools on health authority COVID-19 exposure lists

Vancouver -

As the second month of the 2021-22 school year comes to a close, the number of COVID-19 exposures at schools in B.C.'s Lower Mainland appears to be holding steady.

There were 175 schools listed on the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health exposure websites as of Friday, up slightly from the previous week, but down from a high of 184 on Oct. 15.  

As has been the case throughout the school year, the vast majority of recent exposures have been reported in the Fraser Health region. There were 161 schools on the Fraser Health list Friday, compared to 14 on the Vancouver Coastal Health list.

Schools are added to the lists when a student or staff member tests positive and officials believe there is a risk of ongoing transmission to other members of the school community.

Fraser Health removes schools from its list two weeks after the last exposure date, while Vancouver Coastal Health removes schools four weeks after the last exposure date.

Exposure notifications are not posted for every case of COVID-19 associated with a school community, and schools are not added to the health authority lists until after close contacts have been notified directly by public health officials.

The rate of COVID-19 cases among school-aged children has been declining in B.C. since the end of September, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Still, children ages five to 11 have some of the highest rates of infection in the province. 

Health Canada is currently reviewing an application from Pfizer for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children in that age group. More than 60,000 children under age 12 have already been registered to receive the vaccine in B.C. if and when it is approved.