COVID-19

We are pleased with yesterday’s announcement by Premier John Horgan that education support workers will be included in Phase 2 and Phase 3 of B.C.’s vaccination plan.

We have advocated for this on many levels. Many of our members are in workplaces with high rates of exposure or do not have access to barriers while working indoors and in close proximity to large numbers of children and co-workers.

 

• Approximately 340,000 doses of AstraZeneca/Covi-Shield, a fridge-stable vaccine, are expected to start arriving at the end of this month.
• Starting in April, priority groups will focus on frontline workers including all staff in elementary and secondary schools.
• Members in these priority groups are asked to not call their local health authority to book a vaccine appointment.
  Appointments will be organized by employers.
• Vaccines will be administered by community pharmacists, at existing immunization clinics, and at mobile clinics in some worksites.
• We expect that everyone in this sector will be able to be vaccinated by the end of May.

Details of the updated Immunization Plan can be found here.

Vaccination FAQ

If the adults in school (staff and administrators) are vaccinated, are they still at risk if they’re in a classroom of children who aren’t vaccinated?

All vaccines approved for use in Canada are effective in preventing COVID-19.

By fall 2021, we expect a large majority of adults in B.C., including school staff, to be vaccinated. As more people get vaccinated, we expect to see fewer cases of COVID-19 in communities, which means there should be fewer cases in schools.

People who are vaccinated can still get COVID-19, but are far less likely to experience severe illness. Even with most adults being vaccinated, there will likely still be some health and safety measures in place in schools and other settings until there is significantly less community transmission.

Here is the March 18 presentation on B.C.’s COVID-19 AstraZeneca/Covi-Shield Program.

View PDF.

Please follow us @cupek12bc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and view bulletins at https://bcschools.cupe.ca.

B.C.’s vaccine distribution plan focuses on first protecting the most vulnerable in Phases 1 and 2. We are now in Phase 2 which is expected to run from February to April. No one will lose their place in line. For example, if someone in Phase 2 cannot be immunized at that time, they can get the vaccine at any point thereafter.

Delay on second doses

On Monday, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that every eligible adult in British Columbia should be able to receive a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by late July based on the approval of a new vaccine and the decision to delay second doses.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) gives the Public Health Agency of Canada scientific advice about immunization. It recommends that in the context of limited COVID-19 vaccine supply, the number of people receiving vaccines be maximized by extending the interval for the second dose to four months. This provides the opportunity to protect the entire adult population in a short timeframe. NACI will continue to monitor evidence on effectiveness of extended dose intervals and will adjust recommendations as needed.

Accelerating availability

A joint statement from the Minister of Health and the PHO noted that the addition of the newly approved AstraZeneca vaccine means they may be able to look at accelerating vaccine availability for essential workers. We are hopeful that the approval of the new vaccine will result in an earlier timeline for K-12 members.

Vaccines are safe

Health Canada has conducted a rigorous and thorough scientific review of the available medical evidence to assess the safety of the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines before approving them. No major safety concerns have been identified in the data.

Canada has agreements with 7 pharmaceutical companies to get enough doses to immunize all Canadians.

The COVID-19 vaccine produces immunity which means that you can be exposed without becoming sick, or if you do become infected, it prevents more severe illness.

Vaccines protect both the vaccinated person and everyone around them.

CUPE encourages all members to receive the vaccine when it becomes available to them. We also recognize that some members will refuse the vaccine due to medical, religious or cultural reasons. If this is your situation, please work with your CUPE Local and National Representative.

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As of February 21, the U.K. variant of COVID-19 has been identified in exposure events in five schools in Surrey and one school in Delta.

Surrey schools affected are:

• AHP Matthew Elementary
• James Ardiel Elementary
• École Woodward Hill Elementary
• Surrey Traditional Elementary
• Tamanawis Secondary

One school in Delta, Hellings Elementary, also has been identified with the U.K. variant.

Thankfully all of the 35 tests, administered at the six schools, came back negative. Referencing that layers of protection are working, the PHO is not revising guidelines at this time, although they are closely monitoring the situation and will revise guidelines, following the science.

Variants

The COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, appears to make the virus more infectious, allowing it to spread more easily. There may be an increase in severity of symptoms and mortality rates depending on the variant of the virus.

When there have been several significant mutations to the virus, it is called a variant. A variant is considered “a variant of concern” when it affects:

• disease spread
• disease severity
• tests used to detect the virus
• vaccines and treatments

Stopping the spread

Our Early Years–K-12 members are to be commended for their commitment in keeping schools safe, while continuing to provide high quality education and care. It is more important than ever to remain vigilant in the personal efforts we are each making to stop the spread of COVID-19. This includes staying home when sick, washing hands frequently, maintaining physical distance when possible, and wearing a mask when not possible to maintain distancing.

Meanwhile, we are supporting you by successfully advocating for improvements to public health and health and safety measures, such as having school districts provide paid time for isolation, quarantine and school closures when directed by public health; and improvements to streamline the process of exposure notification recently announced by Fraser Health. The Rapid Response Team is now in place and will begin its work liaising with districts and health authorities next week. Fraser Health has now implemented additional protective measures in response to increasing COVID-19 and variant cases in the region.

CUPE continues to work with the BC Centre for Disease Control, the B.C. government, WorkSafeBC and all K-12 stakeholder groups in reviewing and amending health and safety guidelines. As a baseline, these are the minimum standards school districts must meet and worksite specific safety plans are required to detail these measures and address enhanced responses to local circumstances.

If you have concerns about the safety measures in your worksite, please work with your joint health and safety representatives and CUPE local to address these issues.

Please follow us @cupe12bc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and view bulletins at https://bcschools.cupe.ca.

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The Ministry of Education, in a collaborative process with provincial health officials, WorkSafeBC, CUPE and B.C.’s education partners and rightsholders, announced significant updates to the K-12 Health and Safety Guidelines earlier today. CUPE sits on the Steering Committee where we advocate for safer schools and increased guidance to the K-12 sector.

As many of these changes are welcomed, they are intentionally broad so as to allow for districts to implement them according to their individual operational structures.

We strongly encourage K-12 locals and Health & Safety Committee representatives to take part in the implementation process to ensure these measures are carried out effectively within your specific district.

Save the dates: K-12 Presidents Council meeting

The K-12 Presidents Council and CUPE K-12 coordinators will be holding two meetings next week with K-12 local presidents, unit chairs and your local Joint Health and Safety Committee representatives. We will review the practical application of the guideline changes and CUPE National OH&S representative Tom McKenna will be available to answer questions.

We encourage you to participate in these meetings to provide input as well as have the opportunity to ask questions.

Tuesday, February 9 and Thursday, February 11 at 3 p.m.

We continue to work with the Ministry of Education through the Education Steering Committee and other partner meetings on a weekly basis to discuss and advocate on behalf of K-12 members across B.C. and look to locals to guide this advocacy.

The Ministry of Education will be funding the development of a Rapid Response Team to liaise with Regional Health Authorities. This will assist with the exposure notification process.

We want to commend all K-12 members for their tireless work throughout this pandemic and their continued strength.

Provincial COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for K-12 with changes highlighted are online. Guidelines for regular reviews of health and safety plans will help ensure consistent application across districts. Other revisions include buses, cleaning and
disinfecting, and guidelines for staff only spaces.

Wearing masks

Clarifications on masks include:

• Elementary students’ mask use is based on personal or family/
  caregivers choice
• Bus drivers are required to wear a mask on buses

K-12 staff and middle/secondary students should wear a mask indoors in school except when:

• sitting or standing at their seat or workstation in a
  classroom or learning space
• there is a barrier in place
• eating or drinking

Those wearing masks must still practice physical distancing.

A new Health Check app

You can download the Ministry of Education’s K-12 Health Check app. Mobile apps are available for Apple and Google.

Provincial COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for K-12 with changes highlighted are online.

View PDF.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Canada’s first COVID-19 case. This is a difficult milestone for us all, but it is also an important moment to recognize the critical work you continue to provide during an extraordinary crisis.

Thank you for the meaningful work you do every day—especially right now. For all British Columbians, this pandemic has highlighted just how much they depend on the services you provide. Our families, friends, the economy and systems all benefit from your dedication and professionalism. The work you do should never be taken for granted.

All members, working in public schools from early years to Grade 12, are under significant stress as we cope with constantly shifting circumstances for our families and communities during this crisis. For more information on mental health resources please check out Bulletin 44.

There is reason for optimism as vaccine rollout plans have been announced. This doesn’t change the fears and pandemic fatigue you continue to face, so if there is anything we can focus on to support you, please let us know.

To assist you further during this difficult period, we want to provide the most accurate and up to date information relevant to your work in the sector. Please visit our website for information about COVID-19, including frequently asked questions and other resources. If you prefer to receive updates via social media, please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @cupek12bc.

We wish you continued safety as we all double up efforts to follow guidelines and stay safe with COVID variants now on the scene.

In solidarity,

Jeanne Marr and Chris Losito
K-12 Coordinators – BC Region

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