Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘TOO LATE’ FOR SCHOOLS SPIKE
Warning of surge as Tories discard safety measures
MINISTERS have “left it too late” to avoid a devastating rise in Covid cases when schools return in September, experts fear.
Safety measures previously used, such as face masks, class bubbles and school closures have been scrapped.
And Tory dithering continues on whether to vaccinate children aged 12 to 15 – despite many other developed countries pressing ahead.
In Scotland, where pupils have already returned, daily cases have since surged to record levels.
And Independent Sage scientist Prof Christina Pagel fears a similar spike in England is on the cards.
She said: “It’s pretty likely there will be a significant surge in children.
“Even though we are vaccinating 16 to 17-year-olds, that’s not going to kick in until the middle of
September. If we do start vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds, that’s not going to help until October. “In that sense we’ve left it too late to do much about a September surge. “Many highly vaccinated countries are struggling with Delta, but we are one of the countries that does have the fewest public health protections.” Plans are being drawn up to jab over-12s but approval from the Government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is still pending.
And Sage scientists warned the Government on Friday: “It is highly likely that high prevalence will be seen within schools by the end of September 2021.”
Experts and school leaders had called for better ventilation measures to be put in place. The Department for Education pledged to supply 300,000 CO2 meters to monitor airflow and heads were told classes could be held outside if case numbers rocket. James Bowen, from school leaders’ union NAHT, said the Government had cut “many of the mitigations that were in place” and done little to replace them. A Department for Education spokesman said: “Measures in place strike the right balance.”