A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a Kitchener high school marking the first time one has been declared at a school in the region.
“Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School (KCI),” Dr. Julie Emili, associate medical officer of health, said in a statement.
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“This is as a result of case and contact management where an additional case has been identified in the same cohort as the previously confirmed case from earlier this week.”
On Sept. 23 it was announced that a student had tested positive for coronavirus while on Friday it was a teacher who tested positive for the virus.
Emili says that no other classrooms in the school will be affected by the outbreak at the moment.
“No additional classrooms or cohorts will be dismissed,” Emili said.
“No further action is required for the current classroom as it was already dismissed as a result of the original case.”
Waterloo Public Health says parents and staff of the school will be updated about the case by the Waterloo Region District School Board directly.
“Public Health will continue to work closely with our school board partners to ensure appropriate infection prevention and control practices are in place and that they have the necessary support,” Emili said.
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Waterloo Public Health announced four more positive tests for the coronavirus on Saturday bringing the total number of cases to 1,680.
The agency also said that a further nine people have been cleared of the virus bringing the total number of resolved cases to 1,416.
There are now 144 active cases in the region including one person who is in hospital due to COVID-19. The hospitals had been clear in the area since Sept. 3.