More Vancouver Island schools report COVID-19 clusters
Three more COVID-19 clusters have been discovered at Vancouver Island schools, according to the regional health authority.
Island Health has recorded new clusters at EJ Dunn elementary in Port Alberni, Pleasant Valley elementary in Nanaimo and Tansor elementary in Duncan.
Tansor elementary was already on Island Health’s list of schools with COVID-19 clusters after a previous cluster was discovered earlier this month.
There are now 10 case clusters at Vancouver Island schools, according to the health authority. Schools are removed from the list 14 days after the last known exposure date.
Island Health defines a "cluster" as "two or more confirmed cases within a 14-day period, with evidence of transmission occurring within the school and no other likely source of exposure."
That differs from the definition of an "outbreak," which is "multiple confirmed cases within a 14-day period, with evidence of ongoing transmission occurring within the school."
Since the start of the school year, no full-blown school outbreaks have been declared in the health region.
Last week, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that B.C. would revamp its school exposure notification system, after facing criticism from parents and teachers for withholding information at the start of the year.
Last school year, parents received notifications whenever someone in a school community tested positive for COVID-19. That practice was discontinued ahead of the current school year, with Henry saying it had caused "anxiety" for parents.
The changes come as the number of COVID-19 infections among B.C. residents under age 10 surges.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.