'Have to ride this out': Illnesses continues to affect school attendance
The Calgary Board of Education said Monday that more than 10,000 of its students were out of class with some sort of illness.
That’s equivalent to about eight percent.
Stephanie Van Lissum says her daughter, who is in Grade 7 at McKenzie Highlands School, contracted COVID-19 just a couple of weeks ago.
Although she is a stay-at-home mom, she says her daughter had to stay home for 10 days.
“It’s still tough,” she said.
“She got it and I knew I was going to get it. Sure enough, a week later, so I’m trying to take care of her as a single mom, and myself as well.”
But schools are seeing absences due to RSV, the flu, common cold and COVID-19.
Any school with more than a 10 per cent absentee rate must report it to Alberta Health Services for investigation.
Calgary Catholic School District says 26 of its schools are in outbreak, or 22 per cent.
Public health physician Dr. Jia Hu says keeping kids updated on vaccinations can drastically reduce any serious outcomes.
“Influenza right now is a straight line upwards, so growing quite quite quickly,” he said.
Hu adds that updated vaccinations and mask wearing will help reduce spread, but will be difficult to change the course of the triple threat of viruses ripping through schools.
“I don’t necessarily know if all these things will affect overall absenteeism rates,” he said.
“The vaccination will certainly prevent people form landing in hospitals which is the most important thing, but we will have to ride this out for a few more weeks for sure, months probably.”
For dad Billy Stewart, he says his family takes extra precautions from catching any sickness.
“We’re trying to very careful, I’m immuno-compromised,” he said.
“(My son) missed enough school, we don’t want him to miss anymore, and fall behind, anything like that.”
McKenzie Highlands School reported more than a 13 per cent absentee rate on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.