Back-to-school season is busier than ever for the local health unit as it prepares for new outbreak scenarios and inevitably more complicated contact tracing.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit's medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, said today he and his team have been meeting with school superintendents and school board officials in the days leading up to the start of classes.
The health unit is also working on communication with parents to better prepare them and their children for control measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in school settings.
“We remain deeply engaged with the topic of reopening schools,” said Gardner.
Gardner has been given an advance copy of the province’s outbreak management plan for schools, which won’t be released publicly until tomorrow, he said.
The doctor said he’s happy with the plan.
“I think it’s well-crafted,” said Gardner, noting the health unit should be able to work with schools to implement the plan.
“The school environment, in general, is going to lead to some transmission,” said Gardner. “We’re seeking to have it as controlled and contained as possible.”
He indicated there’s a potential that one case may lead to an entire class being placed in isolation for 14 days, and it could also lead to isolation for the students who share a bus with the known case.
He said it's unclear if family members would also be required to self-isolate, but noted it was something that would be determined through contact tracing.
“There is the potential for a significant number of people to end up in isolation as a follow-up to a case,” said Gardner.
Part of the health unit response to COVID-19 and schools reopening includes hiring up to 20 nurses, based on new funding announced by the province.
Gardner said Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is just posting now for five nursing positions and will be posting more in three weeks.
“We will be reviewing our finances to determine whether or not we’re going to take a more accelerated approach to hiring,” said Gardner.
Among the added responsibilities of COVID control measures and managing cases, the health unit is also working on a plan for school-based vaccination clinics.
“We were unable to complete the Grade 7 vaccine series in the spring,” said Gardner.
According to Public Health Ontario, students in Grade 7 should receive hepatitis b, human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal conjugate vaccines.
“We need to get back into the community, preferably into the schools themselves, to do a catch-up vaccination series for students who missed those vaccines, and to carry on with the next cohort,” said Gardner. “This is something all health units are grappling with … we are fully committed to getting that done.”
Gardner notes the health unit isn't the only organization that needs to implement student safety plans for the return to school.
The school boards and individual schools themselves have to put safety measures in place, and that could include a ventilation system that is in good working order.
Premier Doug Ford announced $50 million for schools to spend on their heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
"Indoor air quality has certainly been raised as an issue with COVID-19," said Gardner, though he noted not much can be done other than bringing in as much fresh air as possible.
He recommended schools access the funds to use toward a tune-up and cleaning to make sure HVAC systems are at their optimum operation.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has created a resource and information webpage for parents whose children are going back to school. You can visit that webpage here.
