Dear Wildcat Families...
On Thursday, October 1st, the Ministry informed our school board that the screening tool for children has been "changed" and updated based on the most recent research available.
THIS ONLY APPLIES TO STUDENTS – we will continue to use the existing protocol for staff.
The Ministry of Health has updated the symptoms list and language on school screening (ATTACHED)
My child has woken up not feeling well, what do I do?
If you notice that the child has new or worsening symptoms, what you do depends on the symptom and how usual they are for your child.
1) If the child has new or worsening:
- Fever/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Decreased or loss of smell or taste
= The child should isolate immediately and you should contact your child’s health provider for further advice or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine whether the symptoms are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should get tested for COVID-19.
2) If the child has “ONE” new or worsening symptom (that is not related to a known cause or condition) that include:
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose/runny nose
- Headache
- Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
- Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches/malaise
= The child should stay home for 24 hours to be monitored to see whether the symptoms get better or worse. If they start to feel better and symptoms are improving, they can return to school/child care when well enough to do so and no COVID-19 testing is needed.
If the symptoms get worse, they should contact their health care provider for further advice or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine whether the symptoms are related to another non-COVID-19 condition, or if they should get tested for COVID-19.
3) If the child has “TWO or MORE” new or worsening symptoms (that are not related to a known cause or condition) that include:
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose/runny nose
- Headache
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches or malaise
= The child should isolate immediately and you should contact your child’s health provider for further advice or assessment. The health care provider can help you determine whether the symptoms are
In addition, the symptom list no longer includes abdominal pain or conjunctivitis (pink eye). The updated symptoms and language have been approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Please note that these changes apply to students and children only. Staff and essential visitors are to continue to use the existing screening criteria and/or make use of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 self assessment tool.
The government’s web-based screening tool will be updated to reflect these changes. The updated tool is expected to be posted shortly.
Let us know if you have any questions...