Dozens of cases tied to COVID-19 outbreaks at 2 B.C. private schools

VANCOUVER -

The list of locations dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks in B.C. now includes two private schools in the Interior.

The local health authority told CTV News in a statement that dozens of cases have been confirmed at the Okanagan independent schools.

An outbreak of the novel coronavirus was declared Thursday at King's Christian School in Salmon Arm. An Interior Health spokesperson said there were 35 total cases confirmed as of Friday.

The authority could not provide a breakdown of how many cases were in students (kindergarten to Grade 12) and staff.

Interior Health lists the possible exposure dates at KCS as Oct. 25 to 28.

On the same day, a similar declaration was made about Vernon Christian School in Vernon. As of Friday, 39 total cases of COVID-19 had been connected to that outbreak in the preschool-to-Grade-12 school.

Possible exposure events at VCS occurred on Oct. 25 to 29.

Both schools are now closed, Interior Health said.

"Declaring outbreaks and temporary closure was felt to be necessary to break the chain of transmission at these schools where we have seen a high and rapid increase in the number of cases," the spokesperson said.

"We needed to address in-school transmission which was not being clearly controlled by isolation and other public health management measures alone."

According to Interior Health, staff and students are notified in the event of a positive COVID-19 test when they need to take action, such as self-monitoring or isolation.

Exposure notifications are posted only when a staff member or student was at school while infections, and there's considered to be a risk of exposure to others.

Health officials have often said that school exposures mimic what's being seen in the community at large, and indeed, of the new cases added Friday, the Interior had the second-highest number, and number per capita.

Interior Health also has the highest number of unvaccinated health-care workers in B.C., with more than one-third of the 3,668 workers employed in that region. 

It's also the only health authority in B.C. with restrictions in place for every one of its communities.

Allowed elsewhere in B.C., personal gatherings are limited to the household plus five visitors or one other guest if taking place indoors. 

Outdoor gatherings have a maximum of 50 people.

These restrictions began in the Kelowna area, but were expanded in mid-August to all of Interior Health. 

Regional restrictions are in place in the Fraser and Northern health regions, but do not apply to all communities, and are not the same.