COVID-19 more prevalent among Ottawa children this September

Ten times as many Ottawa elementary school students were involved in school COVID-19 outbreaks last month compared to September 2020 when in-person learning generallyresumed later and there were almost four times as many elementary school outbreaks, but one expert says that's due to higher case counts in the community.

Two of the city's three largest school outbreaks during this pandemic started in September 2021 the other started in the first week of October. Meanwhile this month, all but three of the 16 child-care outbreaks have been at elementary schools.

When it comes to all cases across Ottawa, residents younger than 20 made up about one in every five cases in September 2020, and that jumped to more than one-third of cases during the same month in 2021.

Children are the onlydemographic to see cases rise compared to the year previous, while cases among those 60 and older have plummeted.

Late last week, Ottawa's medical officer of health wrote a letter to parentsencouraging them to remain vigilant with testing, symptom screeningand other health measures to help keep kids in school.

Kids not to blame, says epidemiologist

Asenior scientistat The Ottawa Hospital who works onOttawa's COVID-19modelling saidthe higher case counts in schoolshave been linked to the higher case count in the city.

"We came into Septembera little bit hot We had more community spread at the beginning of September than we had last year, and that was going to influence the number of cases," said Dr. Doug Manuel.

"We go through a period where we also pick up cases as the kids are back [in school]because they haven't been getting tested as much in the summer."

'Fragile' situation until spring, Manuel says

The increase incases at Ottawa schools is modest, Manuel believes, as teachers are now required to get vaccinated. Over the course of this pandemic, he says about half of the cases in schools have originated with school staff, but that has changed this fall.

Hospitalizations have also remained low and the province is moving slowly on reopening, he said.

As the cold weather comes, Manuel warns cases are expected to rise again in Ottawa especially with the delta variant as a dominantstrain in the city. This mirrors the second wave where the city saw one smaller spikein the fall and alarger bump during the holiday season.

• What Canadians can expect from COVID-19 this fall and winter
• Ontario'svaccine passportto remain through winter

"We had a tough time around the holidays last year. That's where our cases really picked up and then we closed schools down in January," Manuel said.

"So I don't think I'm going to breathe easy until the kids are vaccinated and we start seeing spring. Until then, it's fragile."

There is hope children age five to 11 will be eligible for their first dose by the end of 2021, but the situation remains "frustrating" for families trying to remain safe through the fall and winter.

"You do everything you can to be extra safe," said Justin Peter Milley, whose sons go to St. Benedict School, and whose entire family got COVID-19 during that school's large outbreak.

"I don't feel safe and I don't think my children are safe at this time."

Milley said only a vaccine for his children will ease his concerns, and he urgesfamilies to continue to follow public health guidelines to help keep cases inside schools as low as possible.