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November 10, 2021 - 1:00 PM
More than 450 children were sent home from Mar Jok Elementary school in West Kelowna yesterday, Nov. 9, after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared by Interior Health.
They join hundreds of children sent home from Vernon Christian School and King’s Christian School in Salmon Arm where outbreaks were declared Nov. 4.
Unlike the Christian schools, which are smaller and have all grade levels, Mar Jok is an elementary school with children under the age of 11 who are all unvaccinated, Dr. Silvina Mema, a medical health officer with Interior Health told iNFOnews.ca today, Nov. 10.
“Closing a school like this is a decision we do not make lightly,” she said. “There is a big impact to families that have to keep these kids at home and they, maybe, require supervision. There is the impact to the workplaces where those parents go. There is an impact to the child – being in school is a good experience.”
Cases at Mar Jok were closely monitored last week and protective measures were put in place but the numbers got to the point that Interior Health decided to close the school until Nov. 22 and have the children learn remotely.
There were 30 cases when the outbreak was declared, Dr. Mema said. That doesn’t include family members who may become infected.
The vast majority of cases are amongst children, she said.
There were 43 cases at Vernon Christian School and 35 and King’s Christian School, Dr. Mema said. She estimated those schools to have about 300 students each.
All three schools are in some of the most heavily infected areas of the Interior Health region.
“Schools reflect what’s happening in the community,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry pointed out during her news briefing yesterday.
Salmon Arm has the second highest infection rate in the Thompson Okanagan region at 29 cases per 100,000 people during the week of Nov. 2 to 8, according to data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Along with the outbreak at King’s Christian School there are potential exposures at four public schools in Salmon Arm. It also has a fairly low vaccination rate of 81% of those over the age of 12 with at least one dose.
West Kelowna has the highest infection rate in the Central Okanagan with 19 cases per 100,000 and has seven of the 10 schools with possible exposures in the Central Okanagan school district.
It, however, has a relatively high vaccination rate at 87%. The provincial vaccination rate for one dose was 90.3% on Monday.
Vernon had 17 cases per 100,000 during the week. Along with the outbreak at Vernon Christian School there are four other schools in the city with potential COVID exposures. The vaccination rate in Vernon is 84%.
Enderby has the highest infection rate in the entire Interior Health region at 31 cases per 100,000. It is also tied with Kettle Valley with the lowest vaccination rate in the region with only 72% of people over the age of 12 with one dose. Enderby has one school with a potential outbreak.
The Central Okanagan as a whole has an infection rate of 12 per 100,000 and an overall vaccination rate of 88%. Vaccination rates range by neighbourhood from 90% in Okanagan Mission to 84% in Rutland and Lake Country.
Kamloops has a 15 per 100,000 infection rate with a vaccination rate of 89%, although Kamloops Centre South is vaccinated at 94%. Kamloops Centre North is only 86%. It has four schools with potential exposures.
Penticton has an infection rate of three per 100,000 and a vaccination rate of 87%. It has one school on the potential exposure list.
Revelstoke has the highest vaccination rate in the region at 95% but still has an infection rate of six per 100,000. Golden has the second highest vaccination rate at 93% with an infection rate of only two per 100,000.
READ MORE: 37 potential COVID-19 exposures reported in Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan schools
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