Alberta’s top doctor has confirmed the first COVID-19 transmission within a school.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw made the announcement during a special media conference early Friday afternoon.
She says Alberta Health Services has identified two cases, that were infectious while in Edmonton’s Waverley School, where one seems to have been the source for the other.
As a result, about a dozen students from a Grade 1/2 combined class, along with seven staff members, are required to isolate for 14 days.
Hinshaw says this is not a cause for alarm, adding “even with the cautious approach we have been taking, we expected that we would eventually see some examples of transmission in schools.”
She also urged Albertans to refrain from shaming those infected, or the school itself, saying they have done nothing wrong and should be supported during this time.
There have been 78 cases of COVID-19 reported in 57 schools so far and Hinshaw says it appears this is the only case where transmission has occurred within the school.