COVID-19 outbreaks declared at three more Windsor-Essex schools

Marlborough Public School in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (Sijia Liu / CTV Windsor)

Windsor, Ont. -

There are three more COVID-19 outbreaks at Windsor-Essex schools, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Marlborough Public School, Northwood Public School and St. Anne French Immersion Catholic Elementary School are in outbreak status.

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is reporting six COVID-19 cases at St. Anne’s. The Greater Essex County District School Board is reporting five cases at Marlborough and two at Northwood.

Impacted students are dismissed, but the schools remain open.

The health unit indicated Thursday that about 250 classes have been dismissed since the beginning of the school year.

“We are seeing a stable number of cases in our school-age children as well, which is reflected in the number of outbreaks and dismissals,” says Ramsey D'Souza, WECHU manager of epidemiology.

Acting medical officer of health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai says more students have been dismissed do far than all of last year. He says the health unit is always concerned more classes will be dismissed.

"I think it's an important public health priority to try and keep schools open for instruction and that's been a key goal of the local public health service," says Nesathurai.

Nesathurai says he’d like to see an increase in the COVID-19 vaccination rate among young people.

"With COVID-19, I think the number is probably closer to 70 per cent right now of young people," he says. "If we could bridge that gap between 70 to 90 per cent then I think we'll be in a better position to manage from a public health point of view and more likely keep schools functioning."

There are six active school outbreaks in Windsor-Essex, including three French schools - Ecole elementaire Louise-Charron, Ecole elementaire catholique Georges-P.-Vanier and Ecole elementaire catholique Sainte-Ursule.