Nearly 85 different schools on Vancouver Island have been added to an independent website tracking coronavirus exposures in the past seven days.
According to the B.C. School COVID Tracker, a crowd-sourced independent website that has been operating for most of the pandemic, there have been 162 self-reported COVID-19 exposure notices at 84 different schools on Vancouver Island between Jan. 24 and Jan. 30.
Island Health has stopped listing school exposure notifications on its website, citing Omicron’s higher community transmission levels, shorter incubation period and increased use of rapid tests — a change has coincided with a shift in the provincial government’s communication strategy and newly updated protocols related to COVID-19 schools.
As a result, public health will now only notify families about school exposures when attendance drops below normal rates — and what that means depends mainly on the size of the school. The general rule is if school attendance is 10 per cent below what it is usually is in previous years, then a notification will go out. The public will also be notified if there are fewer than 75 per cent of students in a grade in attendance.
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Below is a list of schools that have been added to the B.C. School COVID Tracker website between Jan. 24 and Sunday afternoon (Jan. 30).
Schools are listed in alphabetical order and some appear multiple times, which is indicated below. Detailed information regarding the reported exposures can be found here.
GREATER VICTORIA
ArtsCalibre Academy
Belmont Secondary x 2
Brentwood Elementary
Campus View Elementary
Ecole Poirier Elementary (Sooke) x 3
Ecole Quadra Elementary
Ecole Willows Elementary
Edward Milne Community School (Sooke) x 3
David Cameron Elementary
Dunsmuir Middle School x 3
Hans Helgesen Elementary x 7
Hillcrest Elementary
John Stubbs Elementary and Middle School
Lambrick Park Secondary
Lakewood Elementary x 6
Kelset Elementary (North Saanich) x 4
Margaret Jenkins Elementary x 2
Millstream Elementary x 2
Monterey Middle School
Prospect Lake Elementary
Rogers Elementary
Royal Bay Secondary x 2
Royal Oak Middle School x 2
Ruth King Elementary
Sangster Elementary
Sidney Elementary x 2
Sir James Douglas Elementary
Sooke Elementary
Spectrum Community
Spencer Middle School x 2
St. Joseph’s Catholic (Victoria) x 2
St. Michaels University School – Middle/Senior x 2
Tillicum Community School
NANAIMO REGION
Bayview Elementary
Cedar Elementary
Chase River Elementary x 2
Coal Tyee Elementary x 2
Departure Bay Elementary
Dover Bay Secondary
Forest Park Elementary x 5
Frank J Ney Elementary x 2
Gabriola Elementary x 2
Hammond Bay Elementary x 2
Island ConnectEd K-12
John Barsby Secondary School
McGirr Elementary
Mountain View Elementary x 6
Pauline Haarer Elementary
Quarterway Elementary x 6
Qwam Qwum Stuwixwulh Community School
Randerson Ridge Elementary x 2
Rock City Elementary x 3
Uplands Park Elementary
COWICHAN VALLEY
Alexander Elementary (Duncan)
Bench Elementary (Cowichan Bay)
Cowichan Secondary
Crofton Elementary Community School
Discovery Elementary (Shawnigan Lake) x 2
Drinkwater Elementary (Duncan)
George Bonner Elementary (Mill Bay) x 2
Ladysmith Primary x 3
Ladysmith Intermediate
Lake Cowichan School x 2
North Oyster Elementary (Ladysmith) x 5
Palsson Elementary x 3
Quamichan School (Duncan)
COMOX VALLEY
Aspen Park Elementary
Courtenay Elementary
Ecole Robb Road
Highland Secondary (Comox) x 2
Huband Park Elementary (Courtenay)
Miracle Beach Elementary (Black Creek) x 2
Royston Elementary (Royston) x 6
PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH
Arrowview Elementary (Qualicum Beach) x 4
Kwalikum Secondary School x 2
Qualicum Beach Elementary x 2
Oceanside Elementary x 3
Springwood Elementary
CAMPBELL RIVER
Campbell River Christian School
Ecole des Deux Mondes Elementary
Georgia Park Elementary
Ocean Grove Elementary x 2
PORT ALBERNI
Ecole des Grands-cedres (Port Alberni)
Haahuupayak School x 2
With files from Jasmine Bala
Nicholas Pescod
