Rapid COVID testing coming to Lethbridge schools

By Tim Kalinowski on April 14, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

While willing to work with Alberta Health Services as COVID-19 rapid-testing comes to some of Lethbridge’s most heavily impacted secondary schools later this month, Lethbridge School Division Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Glimore admitted her staff had hoped for a different announcement this past Saturday from Minister of Health Tyler Shandro– that teachers, educational support staff and other frontline workers would be added to the province’s vaccination list.
“The response (from the province) was that the teachers and our support staff, frontline workers in our schools, are not getting vaccinated because they are looking at the most vulnerable first,” stated Gilmore during a press conference earlier this week. “That is certainly understandable. As the vaccinations progress though, and I see we are starting to look beyond the most vulnerable, I think giving school staff consideration only makes sense.
“They are out there each and every day working with children,” she later added. “They are frontline workers absolutely, and we believe strongly they should be put upon the queues for vaccination.”
Gilmore said she does not have many details about how rapid-testing was going to work in some local secondary schools, but the division would be willing to help implement the program to try to identify infected asymptomatic individuals earlier.
“I think Lethbridge School Division has said throughout COVID-19, and throughout different protocols from (Alberta) Health, that we really take the advice, and believe and honour the health system,” she explained. “And so from the health system’s perspective, and from the perspective of the results coming from rapid testing from (the) Calgary (pilot), the health system and Alberta Education is seeing this as preventative.”
Gilmore also said targeting secondary students for rapid-testing did make the most sense, in her view.
“The provincial data suggests more secondary aged students have had significant numbers of cases, and more schools in outbreak status with more than two or three cases,” she confirmed. “I would say, yes, generally speaking, that holds true with Lethbridge as well. That we have had more cases identified over the course of time with our secondary aged students than with our elementary.”
Gilmore looked forward to hearing more details from the government about the process and implementation of rapid COVID-19 testing in local post-secondary schools.
“The beginning of the process would be parents making the decision to give permission for rapid testing,” she said. “So the first step would be for those schools, parents and families (chosen) the students would be notified, and there would be permission slips sent out. And only those students that have the permission would have rapid testing.”
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