Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore provided an update this morning one month into the school year.
Dr. Moore says its great to see case counts remain low in classrooms but says the Delta variant remain an issue, prompting the announcement of rapid antigen screening for COVID-19 in specific schools and child care settings as recommended by the local medical officer of health in each unit.
“This measure may provide an additional layer of protection for schools and child care centres to minimize risks of outbreaks and potential closures.” said Dr. Moore.
Dr. Moore adds the use of rapid antigen screening won’t be necessary for those who are vaccinated.
“Routine rapid antigen screening of fully vaccinated individuals and children is not currently recommended given the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.”
Dr. Moore says the screening will only be used for unvaccinated, asymptomatic students who are not high risk contacts such as participating or currently in an outbreak setting.