Number of active infections associated with Ontario's public schools is now higher than it has been at any point this year
The number of active cases of COVID-19 associated with Ontario’s public schools is now higher than it has been at any point this year, underscoring the urgency of the vaccine rollout for children aged five to 11.
The Ministry of Education says that there were another 320 school-related cases of COVID-19 reported over a three-day period ending Monday afternoon, including 279 amongst students.
It is the highest weekend total since classes resumed and pushes the total number of active infections associated with Ontario’s public school system to 1,655.
That is up approximately 21 per cent from this time last week when there were 1,357 active infections associated with schools.
The latest figures come as Ontario accelerates its efforts to get shots into the arms of school-aged children who only became eligible to be vaccinated on Nov. 19.
Speaking with reporters during a briefing on Tuesday, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that a total of 21,536 newly eligible children have already gotten their first dose with thousands more booked to get a shot in the coming days.
“That's 10 per cent of all kids aged five to 11 in our city so this is a super start with much more work to do,” he said.
Nearly 200 school outbreaks
School-related cases of COVID-19 declined through much of October but have now been steadily rising for weeks, in lockstep with the growth in case counts in the broader community.
According to the latest data there are now 196 Ontario schools with active COVID-19 outbreaks, including 182 elementary schools.
The last time the number of school outbreaks was that high it was April, 2020 and the Ontario government had just ordered that in-person learning be suspended amid a devastating third wave of the pandemic.
Of course, back then Health Canada was still months away from even approving the vaccine for use in children 12 and up, making schools particularly vulnerable.
This time around public health officials have insisted that they intend to keep schools open, while warning that case counts will likely continue to rise throughout December
"This is the time of year where we expect an increase (in cases) and sadly yes we'll see increased cases in school settings, especially the elementary level where they haven't had the benefit of vaccine," chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said during a briefing last week. "The silver lining, though, is that we now have the vaccine (for children aged five to 11). So for parents, I think one of the key motivators to get your child vaccinated is the decrease in risk at the school setting, the social setting or in the home setting because the vaccine is very powerful at preventing infection, around 90.7 per cent protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in the randomized clinical control trials.”
There have been a total of 7,560 school-related cases of COVID-19 confirmed to date
During the 2020-2021 school year it took until February to reach that number.
The number of schools with active cases is also steadily rising and now stands at 749, accounting for more than 15 per cent of public schools. A dozen of those schools are closed, down four since yesterday.
There are also at least 138 individual classroom cohorts that have been switched to remote learning in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area following positive cases, though that number is likely an underrepresentation as only some boards publicly report the data.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.