KITCHENER -- The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has reported a fourth case of COVID-19 at a Kitchener school where an outbreak was declared last week.
The latest was reported at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School on Nov. 1. The Catholic school board's website shows that it was a staff member at the school who tested positive.
Region of Waterloo Public Health declared an outbreak at the school on Oct. 29 after three cases were linked to one another. According to a WCDSB spokesperson, the new case is connected to that outbreak.
The union for support staff at the school said the case is in one of its members.
"It's really out of any educator's hands," said Joanna Delaney-Fraser, president of CUPE 2112. "We just have to go with that or hope that parents and students are practicing good protocols for COVID."
"The affected person was already among the isolating individuals so there is no further impact on the school," the spokesperson said in an email.
There have been a total of four cases in the school so far:
- Case 1: A staff member, reported on Oct. 25
- Case 2 and 3: Students in the same cohort, which was in self-isolation, reported on Oct. 29
- Case 4: A staff member, reported on Nov. 1
After just two cases were reported in the region's Catholic schools through September, there have now been a total of 14 cases in seven WCDSB schools.
The school board said no other classes will be dismissed.
The public school board, meanwhile, has reported 37 cases of COVID-19 in its schools to date.
"With respiratory cold and flu season about to hit us and people spending time indoors in general, it's unavoidable we're going to see a greater number of cases of COVID-19," infectious disease specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy said.
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Waterloo Region as a whole has seen nearly 2,200 cases since the pandemic began.
