Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
11,500 pupils test positive
Union hits out over Covid figures in Ulster schools
MORE than 1,200 school staff and over 11,500 pupils has tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month, official figures show.
And the Public Health Agency’s weekly bulletin statistics have been seized on teachers’ union the NASUWT.
It said a “keep open schools at all costs” approach is “not acceptable both in relation to the spread of Covid and the contractual rights of teachers”.
The weekly epidemiological bulletin states that in the 28 days, up to ‘Epidemiological Week 47’, or November 28 there were 11,575 pupils with Covid and 1,250 teachers.
The high number of cases in schools tallies with the Department of Health’s daily Covid dashboard figures which show an age breakdown of positive tests.
By far the highest rate of positives is among the 10 to 14 age group at 1,672 per 100,000 with females and 1,653 with males. The next highest rate is among the five to nine age group at just over 1,200 positives per 100,000. Reacting to the figures, NASUWT National Official for Northern Ireland Justin Mccamphill said the case numbers are adding pressure with spiralling staff absences.
The union has previously called for a “circuit-breake”’ in the run up to Christmas holidays. Yesterday the Department of Education insisted there “are no current plans to shut schools early”.
Mr Mccamphill said: “The spread of Covid-19 is out of control in Northern
Ireland schools. At least 1,250 school staff have caught Covid in the past four weeks as have at 11,575 pupils.
“The figures published by PHA do not include nursery schools but principals are reporting to us that many teachers and support staff in that sector have also contracted Covid.
“The NASUWT are now receiving daily reports of classes and year groups being sent home simply because there are not enough teachers available.”
Meanwhile, latest figures for Northern Ireland show there were a further four deaths of patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 and another 1,908 cases of the virus were notified yesterday.
There were 326 Covid-positive patients in hospital, of whom 30 were in intensive care.