The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has declared three more COVID-19 outbreaks at area elementary schools.
According to the health unit, outbreaks have been listed at Marlborough Public School, Northwood Public School and St. Anne French Immersion Catholic School.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai says since the beginning of the school year about 250 classes have been dismissed.
"They're been more young people excluded from school this year, in this early part of this academic year then all of the fall semester the previous year," he stated.
Dr. Nesathurai says the health unit is always concerned additional classes will be dismissed.
"I think it's an important public health priority to try and keep schools open for instruction and that's been a key goal of the local public health service."
He says it's important to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate among young people, and it's an achievable goal as 90 per cent of students have received vaccinations under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
"With COVID-19, I think the number is probably closer to 70 per cent right now of young people," he continued. "If we could bridge that gap between 70 to 90 per cent then I think we'll be in a better position to manage from a public health point of view and more likely keep schools functioning."
The Delta Variant has been detected at Marlborough Public School and St. Anne French Immersion Catholic School.
There are currently six school outbreaks in Windsor-Essex.