The Director of Public Health in the Midwest says a measured response is needed in combatting the spread of Covid-19 in schools.
Case numbers in Clare and across the region appear to be plateauing over the past fortnight, though the number of people who have contracted the virus still remain high.
The HSE’s testing system remains under huge pressure due to the high number of young people presenting for a Covid test.
The Department of Public Health Midwest is managing a significant number of complex outbreaks of Covid-19 in the region, though they say that the numbers appear to be plateauing over the past fortnight.
391 cases of the virus were confirmed in Clare in the two weeks up to Tuesday this week, with 33 cases on that day alone, a high daily figure for this county.
The Director of Public Health says there are now more cases in younger groups in the region, with around 38% of confirmed cases in those aged under 18.
There have been 11 outbreaks linked to schools, but despite this, Dr Mai Mannix says a measured response is needed.
Provisional data from the HSE shows only 2.5% of children who were close contacts in primary schools tested positive for the virus between March and July, with 1.8% in secondary schools and 3.4% in the Special Educational Needs sector.
Dr Mannix says children with symptoms should stay at home, but she’s reassuring that the number of children picking up the virus from other kids at school is quite low and that all outbreaks and cases are being thoroughly investigated.
Over 12,000 children remain out of school across the country however because they ‘re a close contact and parents are raising concern about the amount of school their children are missing.
The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting today to discuss the matter, with the Chief Medical Officer saying health officials expect to be in a position to change isolation requirements for schoolchildren soon.
Public Health Prof at DCU Anthony Staines thinks the policy should remain unchanged until the majority of school children are vaccinated.
