The Alberta Health Services is conducting a contact tracing investigation of COVID-19 in schools following an outbreak that has been detected. The health authority is working to find out how many students are infected and what the source of this infection might be.
Parents should check their children’s symptoms if they have been exposed to someone who appears sick with a fever.
Premier Jason Kenny announced this move on Tuesday afternoon after noting concern over whenever a school has more than two infections. He authorized that the COVID-19 cases in schools be posted online. This exercise will assist the Alberta health services to trace the virus and help in reducing the infection rates.
Contact tracing exercise will require the school heads to assist the medical officers in identifying contacts for students and close community contacts within the school settings.
The Alberta medical health officers advised the school administration to declare an outbreak whenever the school records about 10 cases or more within a period of two weeks.
To support this exercise, the Alberta government will work closely with the officers and provide the rapid test to schools that have witnessed outbreaks. Children below 12 years are not eligible for vaccination because of their vulnerability.
Parents are expected to perform the rapid tests at home because it will be a voluntary cause. In addition, the fourth wave has posed a great challenge for young children that cannot be vaccinated. Therefore spread of the virus is expected to run for a period of time because of this susceptibility.
