VICTORIA -- Another COVID-19 exposure event has been reported at a Vancouver Island school, marking the sixth exposure to be announced at a school on the island this month – all of which have been located in the Mid-Island.
The most recent school exposure occurred on Nov. 12 and 13 at Alberni District Secondary School in Port Alberni.
As per previous exposure advisories, families who have children who attend the school do not need to take any actions unless they are contact by public health staff.
“A notification posted above does not necessarily mean your child has been exposed to COVID-19,” reads the Island Health website.
“If you or your child have been identified as a COVID-19 positive case or close contact, be assured that Island Health’s public health team will contact you directly and provide further instruction.”
So far, the exposure event at Alberni District Secondary is listed as an “exposure,” meaning that only a single person who tested positive for COVID-19 was at the school while they were in their infectious period.
Since the beginning of November, five other schools on Vancouver Island have reported COVID-19 school exposure or cluster events.
Four of the schools are located in Nanaimo, and one is located in Ladysmith.
The exposure event notifications can be found on the Island Health website here and will remain on the website for two weeks after each school’s last exposure date.
On Wednesday, Island Health declared that a long-term care home in Port Alberni was the first long-term care facility in the health authority to see a COVID-19 outbreak. The outbreak is so far limited to just one staff member.
