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Two more SD43 elementary schools hit with COVID-19 exposure

Seaview elementary in Port Moody and Miller Park elementary in Coquitlam are the latest to be flagged with an exposure to the virus.
Seaview elementary in Port Moody and Miller Park elementary in Coquitlam are the latest to be hit wi
Seaview elementary in Port Moody and Miller Park elementary in Coquitlam are the latest to be hit with an exposure to the virus.

Fraser Health has flagged two Tri-City elementary schools over COVID-19 exposures, bringing the total number of SD43 schools under investigation to four. 

Seaview elementary in Port Moody and Miller Park elementary in Coquitlam are the latest to be hit with an exposure to the virus. 

In Seaview’s case, the exposure is said to have occurred Oct. 1, whereas the Miller Park exposures span Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. 

Fraser Health has now reported a COVID-19 exposure in five schools across School District 43, spanning all three cities. 

Those include two elementary schools, two middle schools and one secondary, four of which were flagged this week alone

Beyond the Coquitlam school districts, COVID-19 school exposures continue despite recent data that suggests overall case numbers in the province are trending down. 

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has long cited evidence that young children, particularly under the age of ten, are less likely to shed virus and pass it on.

“That still holds,” she said Thursday, noting her office conducts “rapid evidence reviews” on a regular basis to assess research coming out from around the world. 

But just because there’s some variability does not mean single super-spreading events can’t happen. Indeed, they have in places like Israel and Chile, noted Colijan, also pointing to a West Vancouver elementary school where nine out of 16 student class were recently sent home to self-isolate

“Those are unlucky events, but there are enough unlucky events in this pandemic that we have a global pandemic,” said Colijan. “We need to think about those unlucky events. They're not just unicorns that we can assume never happened because we're special and we're in B.C. 

Fraser Health School Exposures