Friday January 15, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends
There are seven schools listed by Island Health as having COVID-19 exposures (as of Thursday afternoon, January 14).
Schools are taken off the list after a 14-day period (that time period being used by public health as a measure of the standard incubation period of COVID-19).
Six of the schools are upisland (three in Duncan, one in Chemanius, one in Courtenay and one in Black Creek). The other affected school is in Oak Bay (at the junior private school campus of St Michael’s University School on Victoria Avenue where one student tested positive for COVID-19).
SMUS Head of School Mark Turner addressed the case in a letter to parents on Saturday January 9 regarding the exposure listed by Island Health as having occurred January 5 and 6.
“We have been informed that a member of the junior school at the Victoria Avenue campus has tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote Turner. “All students, faculty and staff from the middle and senior schools, on our Richmond Road campus, can be assured there has been no risk to them from this exposure and therefore school will resume as normal on Monday morning.” SMUS is proceeding with a virtual open house for all their campuses on January 28.
School exposures list (Island Health):
| School name | Exposure event | Date |
| Chemainus Secondary School 9947 Daniel St. Chemainus, BC | Exposure | January 4, 2021 |
| St. Michaels University School (*Junior School) 820 Victoria Ave Victoria, BC | Exposure | January 5 & 6, 2021 |
| NIDES/ Navigation SD71 Distance Education 2505 Smith Road Courtenay, BC | Exposure | January 4, 5 & 6, 2021 |
| Duncan Christian School 495 Beech Ave Duncan, BC | Cluster | January 6, 7 & 8, 2021 |
| Quamichan Middle School 2515 Beverly St Duncan, BC | Exposure | January 4 & 5, 2021 |
| Cowichan Secondary School 2652 James St Duncan, BC | Exposure | January 5, 6 & 7, 2021 |
| Miracle Beach Elementary School (on school bus route) 8763 Paulsen Rd Black Creek, BC | Exposure | January 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8, 2021 |
Public Health will contact the parents/family directly in case of any school exposure involving their child.
Island Health updates the School Exposures list when COVID-19 exposures occur within schools in the Island Health region. They provide this information so school staff, students and parents can be assured that Public Health is aware and acting upon all detected COVID-19 exposures within schools.
“If you or your child have been identified as a COVID-19 positive case or close contact, be assured that Island Health’s Public Health team will contact you directly and provide further instruction,” it is stated by Island Health.
“As always, monitor yourself and your child for symptoms of COVID-19.”
COVID-19 among children on Vancouver Island:
There have been 70 test-positive cases among children under age 10 on Vancouver Island during the pandemic to date. That’s up by 10 cases from 60 cases in just the last four days (January 11 to 14); that’s within the 14-day window following holiday season gatherings between Christmas and New Year.
Of all cases among children in this age group, the 70 cases represent 2.8 per cent of all BC cases since the start of the pandemic.
Among youth ages 10 to 19 there have been 116 cases to date (up by nine cases from 107 in the last four days). Of all cases among kids and teens in this age group, the 116 cases represent 2.1 per cent of all BC cases since the start of the pandemic.
