An area resident is raising concerns about air quality in schools after her 14-year-old son caught COVID-19 and became gravely ill.

 

Laura Beazley has two sons, both of them at Tantramar High. The youngest, a Grade 9 student, has Type 1 diabetes. That condition makes people more likely to have serious complications with COVID-19, according to the American Diabetes Association.

 

Sure enough, when he returned to school in September — with mask mandates no longer in effect — he became sick with COVID, and his condition quickly deteriorated.

 

Medical ordeal 

 

“The time from testing positive to being in full blown diabetic ketoacidosis was so fast, it was 17 hours,” Beazley said, noting that his sickness coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Fiona. “And he was in critical condition.”

 

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition that can lead to a coma or death. He recovered after being hospitalized twice, but has suffered from other “mysterious illnesses” following his recovery.

 

Beazley, whose family is fully vaccinated and boosted, says his story shows the provincial government should step up and ensure schools have clean air.

 

But a spokesperson for the Department of Education says “no concerns have been raised” by the school district about conditions at Tantramar High. The Anglophone East School District and Tantramar High didn’t respond to queries from CHMA.

 

Last month, school principal Susan Lafford told parents that about one-third of students were absent daily because of illness, and that many staff were off sick.

 

HEPA filters 

 

Back in January, when K-8 schools in New Brunswick were reopening for in-person learning, CHMA reported that schools lacking integrated mechanical ventilation systems would have portable HEPA filters installed by the province. Because Tantramar High already has integrated mechanical ventilation, it didn’t receive one of those high-efficiency particulate air filters.

 

Beazley said she proposed using her own HEPA filter to Tantramar High, but the school didn’t accept her offer.

 

The government spokesperson said the Department of Education is aware of local initiatives undertaken by concerned parents. “While we appreciate their concern and desire to contribute, our research has demonstrated that for there to be positive benefits associated with these units, they must be properly installed and maintained,” Bell said. “That is why the 2,000 units that were deployed in January were all professionally installed and maintenance staff were provided proper training on the operation and maintenance of the units.  These units were strategically deployed in areas that did not have mechanical ventilation.”

 

Air quality monitoring 

 

Beazley is concerned that nobody is monitoring air quality in schools, at a time when public health authorities are warning about a surge in respiratory illnesses. “Is anybody actually monitoring the air quality in any of the schools? I don't know. I don't think so. Because if they did, they would be proud to show us how safe the air is there. Right now, when I ask the question ‘is the air safe?’ I don't get an answer,” she said.

 

The Department of Education says that district-level facility managers are responsible for monitoring and maintaining equipment and ventilation in schools. The province has also stated that air quality testing has taken place since 2021 at schools without integrated ventilation, and continues every winter for these schools.

 

A warning from public health

 

Dr. Yves Léger, acting chief medical officer of health, updated reporters on Tuesday about an ongoing surge of respiratory illnesses. He painted a grim picture, saying that New Brunswick has seen record-breaking levels of influenza during a flu season that arrived early – and with more intensity than in past years.

 

Between Nov 27 and Dec. 3, there were 115 influenza-related hospitalizations, bringing the total this flu season to 350 hospitalizations, the highest on record. Most of the people hospitalized were 65 and up, but almost a fifth were under 19.

 

The number of people infected with the respiratory illness known as RSV is stable, he said, but that doesn’t mean it’s low, and RSV continues to circulate widely, Léger said.

 

He also noted that COVID infections are on the rise. The latest COVID-19 surveillance report from the provincial government indicates that there were seven deaths and 40 hospitalizations during the week ending December 10.

 

No mask mandates

 

Altogether, the triple threat of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 is putting more pressure on the health care system and leading to increased absences in schools.

 

Dr. Léger urged people to get their flu shots, wear face masks in crowded public places, and stay home if they’re ill. He also renewed calls for people to practice good hygiene, like washing their hands after coughing or sneezing, and he asked people to consider limiting their contacts during the holiday season.

 

CHMA asked Léger if he has recommended a return to mask mandates in schools, or if he might take that step. He said “mandatory measures are not taken lightly.” None are currently under consideration, he said.