38 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on weekend
COVID-19 cases at schools ‘inevitable,’ says top health official
Dr. Mustafa Hirji isn’t surprised by the number of COVID-19 cases that have been connected to Niagara schools.
Late Sunday afternoon, Niagara Catholic District School Board said in a news release that an individual at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School in Niagara Falls has tested positive for COVID-19.
As a result, students and staff were exposed to the coronavirus while this individual was infectious, the board said.
On Saturday, the board said a case had been confirmed with an individual at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Elementary School in St. Catharines.
In the same release, the board said an individual at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School is another confirmed case — but there is no risk of exposure to students and staff.
This makes six confirmed cases tied to schools since classes started earlier this month, including three cases at Eastdale Secondary School in Welland, which is considered the site of one of five active outbreaks in the region.
One in seven Niagara residents are associated with a
school in some way through a student or staff member, Niagara Region’s acting medical officer of health said in an interview Sunday.
“The fact that we have cases in Niagara, in the community in general, I think it’s pretty much inevitable we’ll see some cases in schools,” said Hirji, calling the school-related cases in Niagara “minimal.”
The case at Holy Cross should not be a concern because the person carrying the virus was “never in the school while able to spread infection,” he said.
“The school community isn’t really affected by it,” he added.
There were 77 active cases in Niagara Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, there were 14 new confirmations and on Sunday another 24.
“That’s a big jump from what we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks,” said Hirji, adding the average spike during that time had been four new cases per day.
He said it’s a result of people being social.
“These cases have many more contacts to whom they can spread infection,” said Hirji, noting 17 of the new cases since Saturday are tied to outbreaks at a high school, a long-termcare home, retirement home and in a workplace setting.
The Toronto area has been
“It’s concerning that is a trend we may see picking up here as well now.”
DR. MUSTAFA HIRJI NIAGARA REGION’S ACTING MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
seeing high numbers, but so have regions such as Halton and Hamilton closer to Niagara.
“It’s concerning that is a trend we may see picking up here as well now,” Hirji said.
People aged 20 to 40 have been an area of focus in the province recently, but Hirji said the cases revealed over the weekend “span most age groups.”
On Oct. 12, Niagarans will be enjoying Thanksgiving. Hirji said he is “very worried” about the holiday as it is a “prime opportunity” to spread the virus.
Large parties with extended family should be done with a virtual component — not several people at crowded dinner tables, he said.
“It’s really something people should be celebrating as a nuclear family.”
A total of 1,048 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Niagara since the start of the pandemic, 907 of them resolved. At least 64 people have died.