Report: Asymptomatic testing suggests schools not spreading COVID-19

The same week the province put school boards on notice about a possible extended winter break, a new report is suggesting that schools are not to blame for the spread of COVID-19.

The Toronto Star is reporting that asymptomatic testing in schools across the province is highlighting the fact that students are not catching the virus while attending class.

Around 3,600 tests were conducted in Toronto, York, Peel and Ottawa with only 57 bringing positive results. That makes a test positivity rate of less than 2 per cent.

Nearly half of the cases came from one Toronto school, testing done at Thorncliffe Park Public School turned up 26 cases of the virus. The East York school has since been closed as a result.

In a memo issued to school boards this week, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said while the transmission of COVID-19 in schools has remained “low” they should prepare for the possibility of remote learning beyond Jan. 4.

Last month, Lecce said there was no need to extend the Christmas break, pointing out Ontario schools have been “remarkably successful at minimizing outbreaks” during a second wave that has seen record-breaking daily counts, most notably in Toronto and Peel Region.

Opposition parties have pressured the Ford government for more widespread testing in schools and the asymptomatic testing program is set to be expanded in 2021.

Earlier this month the Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (OSSTF) sent an open letter to Ontario’s government and Toronto Public Health “calling for extended asymptomatic COVID-19 testing and for schools to remain closed for the first two weeks of January.”

Over 7,000 COVID-19 cases have turned up in schools in the province since classes began in September.

Nearly 20 per cent of schools in the province currently have a reported case of the virus. Twenty-two schools outside of Windsor-Essex are currently closed as a result of COVID-19. This includes 12 schools in Toronto.

All schools in Windsor-Essex are currently closed for in-person learning.

All high schools in the York Catholic District School Board have switched to remote learning for three days this week, Wednesday to Friday.

You can find which schools are reporting cases on the province’s website, when it is updated daily at 10:30 a.m