‘Not a major driver of COVID-19 transmission:’ Ottawa’s Dr. Etches recommending schools remain open

Ottawa's schools should remain open for the time being, according to the latest recommendation from Ottawa's medical officer of health to the directors of education at the city's four largest school boards.

Dr. Vera Etches says the situation with COVID-19 and schools in Ottawa is currently manageable, as 73 per cent of local schools have no active COVID-19 cases or possible exposures.

“In Ottawa, 98 per cent of schools are free from an outbreak of COVID,” she tells CityNews' the Rob Snow Show. “When an outbreak occurs, it's usually only two people testing positive in a school.”

She explains in her letter that the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in schools start with community exposures.

“Situations identified in schools where there was a possible exposure do not usually lead to transmission in schools,” writes the medical officer. “Child-to-staff and child-to-child transmissions remain rare in school settings.”

Dr. Etches says, as of Tuesday, April 6, schools are not a major driver of COVID-19 transmission in Ottawa, so closing them would not turn the local resurgence of the virus around.

NEW- Important letter from Dr. Etches regarding schools in #Ottawa #ottnews pic.twitter.com/Q8wUY2ZVPA

— Shawn Menard (@ShawnMenard1) April 6, 2021

“When Ottawa Public Health (OPH) decided that everyone in a dismissed cohort would be tested following potential exposure to a variant of concern, no higher rates of transmission have been seen in cohorts.”

Dr. Etches clarifies, there have been outbreaks associated with variants of concern, but there have been situations where variants have not spread.

What is needed most, according to the medical officer of health, is to get Ottawa residents to stop going to non-essential places where they come into close contact with others. 

“Until fewer businesses are deemed essential and people get the message to stay at home, closing schools may inadvertently lead to additional gatherings in environments with fewer control measures in place,” she writes to the school boards' directors of education.

As she has many times throughout the pandemic, Dr. Etches adds, keeping schools open remains a priority for the health of the population, as children and families rely on the supports provided by schools.

“We have heard from parents, the significant levels of distress that arise for families when schools are closed,” says the doctor.

Dr. Etches joined her counterparts from Toronto and Peel in writing a letter to the Ontario government, Sunday, asking for a stay-at-home order to be implemented. Part of that letter  asked for consideration of moving schools to online learning in jurisdictions where outbreaks are significant and capacity to manage is stretched.

She says OPH will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis and advise if schools need to be closed at any point.