Peterborough Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Adam Scott Collegiate following confirmation Monday (October 5) that a fourth student has tested positive, but insists the school’s closure is not necessary.
In her weekly media briefing held Wednesday (October 7), Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosanna Salvaterra said public health officials aren’t certain if the latest student case was a result of transmission within the Langton Street high school.
“We can’t rule it out, which is why we’ve taken an abundance of precaution and declared an outbreak,” she said. “We’ve identified an additional cohort that needed to be excluded and those students were sent home Monday and will be out for 14 days. We are awaiting test results on those high-risk contacts and they will be able to go back to school once we’ve been able to clear them with a negative test result.”
A total of 31 students were sent home on Monday as a result of the fourth positive case.
Dr. Salvaterra noted that, if public health officials were to have “difficulty controlling the outbreak”, that would be a reason to close Adam Scott “but that hasn’t been the case.”
“Many of the excluded high-risk contacts (of three Adam Scott students who tested positive earlier) have returned. They’ve cleared their incubation period. We don’t need to close the school. We’ve only had the one transmission where we can’t link it to a close contact or any other exposure.”
Adam Scott CVI Principal Wilf Gray sent an email to families on Wednesday afternoon advising them of the outbreak.
“Signs will be posted on school doors identifying the current outbreak status,” Gray states. “We continue to implement our enhanced daily pandemic cleaning protocols, and regular disinfection of our school with the electro-static sprayer.”
You can read the complete email at the end of this story.
Turning to the latest COVID-related data, Dr. Salvaterra said, as of Wednesday morning (October 7), there were eight active cases in the Peterborough area, with the last confirmed new case being that of the Adam Scott student. In addition to the Adam Scott outbreak, an earlier declared outbreak at Fairhaven Long-term Care Home remains in effect.
Of the total 130 local cases since mid March, 120 have been resolved while a total of 31,500 residents have been tested — just more than 21 per cent of all residents. Public health officials, said Dr. Salvaterra, are currently monitoring about 100 high-risk cases.
Across Ontario as of Wednesday morning (October 7), 583 new cases were reported, with 60 percent of those cases under age 40. That affected age trend is being reflected locally, with 62 of the 130 cases confirmed falling the age group of 39 and under. That, said Dr. Salvaterra, isn’t surprising.
“Our seniors have been very cautious and self-isolating until very recently,” she said.
“That population has continued to be very careful. They’re very aware of their vulnerability. But given what we know about socialization, it’s not surprising to see younger adults and youths being infected. There were lots of social gatherings over the summer — a lot of house parties. What we’re seeing is the result of that kind of behaviour.”
With the Thanksgiving long weekend fast approaching, Peterborough Public Health is “strongly recommending” that celebrations be restricted to those only in your household and that travel outside the region be avoided.
“Connecting with others is what the holiday is all about, so for family and friends outside your household, we encourage you do so virtually or outdoors,” Dr. Salvaterra states in a media release issued on Wednesday morning.
For a lower-risk Thanksgiving celebration, Dr. Salvaterra advises the following:
- Stay home.
- Stay local.
- Plan an indoor celebration with household contacts only.
- If planning to visit with family and friends, keep it outdoors, stay within gathering limits and stay at least two metres apart. Wear face coverings when moving about but remember, they are not an excuse to get close. Physical distancing and masks must work together to be effective.
- Connect with family and friends virtually.
For a moderate-risk celebration, her recommendations are as follows:
- If your household will include any students or family members who are not usually part of your bubble, have them practice hand hygiene, wear a face covering indoors and keep at least two metres distance, especially while eating or drinking.
- Ensure food is individually plated by someone who is symptom-free and knowledgeable in safe food handling. Do not share food and beverages buffet or family style.
- Before anyone comes in your home, check to make sure they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and have not been identified as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19.
- Do not participate in social gatherings, including religious services, if you are sick, have recently travelled outside of Peterborough to an area with a high rate of transmission, are awaiting testing results or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
Dr. Salvaterra further advises that those who travel from Peterborough to a higher-risk area of the province limit their contacts and take the normal precautions. Upon returning home, self-monitor for symptoms and limit your number of contacts for 14 days.
Beyond Thanksgiving, Halloween is next big traditional social occasion. At Wednesday’s media briefing, Dr. Salvaterra said Peterborough Public Health has been told, as recently as this week, that the Ontario government intends to provide guidance as it pertains to both Halloween and Remembrance Day.
“That guidance is imminent,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll have it in time to do some good planning. I have to see the provincial guidance and determine if it’s a good fit with our local experience. We do have that flexibility in Ontario that allows us to strengthen much of the provincial regulations but I have to see and understand that provincial guidance first.”
Also attending Wednesday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien, and Selwyn mayor and Peterborough Board of Health chair Andy Mitchell.
Regarding progress on the potential vaccine front, MP Monsef noted contracts are in place to purchase more than 150 million doses. As well, supplies have been purchased to administer more than 72 million doses “when a safe and viable option is available.”
PDF: Email sent to families from Adam Scott CVI Principal Wilf Gray
Email sent to families from Adam Scott CVI Principal Wilf Gray
This story has been updated to include the email sent by Adam Scott CVI to families.
