Risk of COVID-19 transmission at schools remains low, Coastal Health data shows

Long-awaited data from Vancouver Coastal Health authorities shows that transmission ofCOVID-19 amongchildren at school remains low.

According to the data from the health authority released Thursday, COVID-19 transmission in children between the ages of five to 17 has accounted for just six per cent of the health region's positive cases, despite representing10 per cent of region's population.

Numbersgathered between Sept. 10andDec.18showapproximately 700 of the region's 100,000 students or staffhave been diagnosed with COVID-19.

It also shows that 90 per cent of those cases have not resulted in any school-based transmission, and that a vast majority of themwere contracted either at home, or in social settings outside of schools.

Low numbers across B.C.

In late December,Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the data showedschool-aged children represented about 12 per cent of B.C.'s COVID-19 caseload at that time.

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 18, there were 526 exposure events in B.C. schools, the vast majority of which were in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions.

About three-quarters of COVID-19 cases in schools during that period had beenin students, while the rest were in staff.