‘Perfect storms’ as sickness hits schools
It comes as experts warn a second Omicron wave is starting
‘Perfect storms’ of sickness have hit Tauranga schools forcing some students to return to remote learning and leaving one principal worried about more disruption to their educations.
It comes as health experts warn a second wave of Omicron infections is beginning and could be worse than the first — particularly for elderly people and health systems already strained by winter illnesses.
On Tuesday, 409 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the Te Whatu Ora - Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty — formerly the Bay of Plenty District Health Board — region.
This was its highest number of daily cases in at least the past month. Yesterday’s new case numbers were not available, but three deaths of people with Covid were reported in the Bay.
Tauranga Girls’ College principal Tara Kanji said the school had up to 10 staff test positive for Covid in the past 10 days.
This, combined with the winter flu and teachers having to stay home to care for sick family members, meant some year groups were asked to learn from home on Monday, Tuesday Wednesday.
“We have a wonderful team of relievers but with that many staff out, we clearly cannot put a teacher in front of every class that needs cover,” Kanji said.
All years levels would back learning onsite today and tomorrow.
She said parents had been “really supportive” and understood how schools were impacted by illness and staffing shortages.
O¯ tu¯ moetai College’s Year 12 and 13 students were asked to learn from home last Friday due to 35 staff being absent from school — about a quarter of the total staff.
Principal Russell Gordon said it was “one of those perfect storms” where teachers were off sick with Covid and the flu, along with multiple staff offsite for a school sports event.
He said while remote learning was not ideal, there were not enough relievers to cover all the specialist classes.
“That was how we chose in advance to mitigate the impact on our kids’ learning.”
Gordon said next week’s school holidays were “coming for us at the right time” and hoped they would be a circuit breaker.
“That hopefully will stop the transmission and we’ll see the rest of the week out without sending any year levels home,” he said on Tuesday.
Seasonal flu, colds, stomach bugs and strep throat had been affecting the Oropi School community recently — with three days in a row late last month where 45 per cent of students — about 160 children — were absent.
School principal Andrew King said winter illness among staff peaked at the same time.
Covid cases, however, were “right down” with the numbers affected in the single digits, he said.
Bringing in relief teachers and splitting classes and combining classes were among measures taken.
He said the illnesses had typically been impacting staff and students for a “long time” — with most taking more than one or two days off school.
“They are just not recovering and bouncing back quickly. They attempt to come back and realise they can’t quite cope, so they go back and take another day,” he said.
King said the school had already gone through weeks of disruption in Term 1 when Covid cases peaked and it now felt like the year had “never really got under way properly”.
While learning continued during times when there were lots of students away sick, he said the conditions were “less than ideal”.
“A good 30 per cent of each term has been really disrupted. Kids need consistency, predictability and routine. And they are just not getting it.
“They are still getting learning programmes, but not to the consistency and normal standard we provide.”
Tauriko School principal Suzanne Billington said there were “quite a few winter flus” circulating, however Covid-19 numbers remained low among staff and students.
Billington, also the Western Bay of Plenty Principals Association president, said the majority of staff were present at school, however, some were needing to take sick days to manage long Covid.
Tauranga Intermediate principal Cameron Mitchell said there had
been a surge in staff illness over the past two weeks, with a combination of Covid and the flu.
At its highest point there were 15 staff members unwell, he said.
Student attendance was between 80 and 85 per cent, about 10 per cent lower than normal, he said.
Yesterday, 10,290 new community cases of Covid-19 were reported nationally. The last time daily cases were above 10,000 was April 21. Twelve deaths were reported, all of people aged between their 60s and 90s.
University of Auckland senior lecturer and principal investigator at Te Punaha Matatini Dr Dion O’neale said more elderly getting Covid was “concerning” as they were at risk of more severe health outcomes.
O’neale said the second wave could be worse than the first in March, as it was affecting people who were more vulnerable.
“It’s also coming at a time when it’s not just Covid that we’ve got circulating now. Back in March we had . . . very little influenza and other respiratory illnesses.”
Before the second wave started, O’neale said hospitals were already busy with such illnesses, particularly influenza.
O’neale said people could still get reinfected due to the new variants BA.4 and BA.5 circulating in the community.
“People shouldn’t be thinking, ‘hey I’ve had Covid, I’m not going to get it infected or I’ve got 90 days until I get reinfected’ . . . it’s very much a case of not just trying to avoid it but trying to avoid getting infected as many as times as possible.”
Covid-19 modeller Professor Michael Plank said the second wave would likely last “a month or two”.
“It is concerning that if this second wave predominantly affects older groups more than the first wave did, that could result in quite high levels of demand on our healthcare system.
“The vaccine is still the best tool we have to fight this virus.”
In Sydney yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asked about the cases, and said the best way to make an impact was with boosters, vaccinations and masks. A move to red would only restrict gathering limits.
A second vaccination booster shot is now available for all over 50s. Health, aged care and disability workers 30 and over, and immunocompromised people are also eligible.
Te Whatu Ora — Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty was approached.