Closure of Toronto elementary school due to COVID-19 variant outbreak

BY PAUL JUNOR

The closure of a Toronto District School Board’s elementary school, Donwood Park Public School on Monday, March 1^st, 2021 has brought attention to COVID-19 variants. CBC News reported on Monday, March 1^st, 2021 that there were six cases of COVID-19 that involved variants. This has resulted in the recommendation by Toronto Public Health (TPH) that the school be closed commencing Tuesday, March 2^nd, 2021.

Principal Andrea Lane sent a letter to parents and guardians, which states, “While a whole school dismissal may last for 14 days, it can vary depending on the investigation by TPH which will notify us when the school is set to reopen.”

TPH revealed that there have been four cases, which have tested positive for the variants of concern and is believed to have been spread by community transmission. Students who have been in close proximity to the affected individuals have been informed and are aware of possibly being exposed. The news release from the TPH states, “Dismissing the school is a precautionary measure to allow TPH to complete an investigation while protecting the school community and preventing virus spread. This increases the risk that the virus will spread between people. Faster and wider spread of the virus makes it more likely that more people will get sick, which can increase strain on the health-care system. TPH is releasing this information in its efforts to ensure the public remains vigilant in efforts to help stop the spread and as part of the TPH’s response to COVID-19.”

The province’s advisory group released modelling projections which states, “Declines in cases, hospitalizations and ICU occupancy are slow. Public measures have decreased transmission and slowed spread of variants of concern. The details of these projections can be seen at the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard or on its Daily Epidemiology Summary at covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-epidemiplogjc-summaries-public-health-ontario.

These variants of concern are highly transmissible, and it is projected that they will comprise approximately 40% of the cases across Ontario by the middle of March.

There have been 449 cases in which the variants were first identified in England; there were 11 cases of the variants in South Africa, and two of the variants in Brazil. The Toronto Public Health sent a letter to school staff in Toronto on February 24^th, 2021, which reads, “Recently, new strands of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified. Some of these new strains are called variants of concern, because they spread more easily between people. TPH has identified individuals in some schools who have tested positive for a variant of concern. This is not unexpected, as these variants are known to be spreading in Toronto and Ontario. TPH has recently started updating daily case counts and information on variants of concern.”

TPH reported that as of Wednesday, February 24^th there have been eight schools where the variants of concern are probably involved. It states that, “The affected individuals and cohorts have been dismissed from school with guidance on their level of risk. TPH has followed up with close contacts in affected class cohorts and gas recommended testing.” TPH assures Torontonians that, “As Toronto continues to experience increased cases of variants of concern, it is more important than ever to follow the steps of self-protection.”