STUDENT GOT COVID AFTER A DESK SWAP
■ 80 staff and pupils contract virus since schools reopened ■ Nationwide restrictions on house visits to be enforced as cases hit six-month peak
A PUPIL passed Covid-19 on to a classmate just by swapping desks.
The incident was detailed as part of HSE analysis of the spread of the virus in our schools – where more than 80 staff and students have contracted the virus since schools reopened last month.
HSE chief executive Paul Reid said that of the 4,300 tests conducted in 183 schools, 84 cases were identified.
It comes as 442 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed last night – the highest daily figure since April, almost six months ago. There were also four more Covid-related deaths identified. The surge in cases has prompted restrictions on household visits to be enforced across the entire country, aimed at clamping down on house parties which have been linked to the spike of new infections.
In relation to Covid cases in schools, Dr Una Fallon, director of public
health in the midlands, detailed at yesterday’s Department of Health briefing how a connection was found between two students who tested positive in a school after they exchanged desks.
When the first positive case was reported, the entire class was excluded and all of the pupils were tested for the virus.
While they identified that the original case had been infected in the family home, they struggled to identify the source of the second infected student.
‘We want to know: is there onward transmission in this school and do we need to do any further intervention? For the most part, usually what we find is that there’s no inclass transmission,’ Dr Fallon said. ‘The students sat at either ends of the classroom, one at the top of the classroom, one at the bottom.’ She said there ‘didn’t seem to be any connection’ and this made them ‘uneasy’.
But after interviews with parents and teachers, it was discovered that the students had swapped desks for a particular class where one of them preferred to sit closer to the blackboard. Dr Fallon said the discovery gave them a plausible connection and reassured them that there was not further transmission in the school or the town.
College students were also in the spotlight yesterday, as colleges look to step up measures to control mass socialising among youths and to prevent house parties.
One institution, University College Cork confirmed yesterday that
1,950 cases in the North in one week
it had reprimanded 11 students.
They were suspended following breaches of student rules, among them issues relating to public health, UCC said.
During freshers’ week, videos and pictures emerged of hundreds of young people socialising together in Galway, Cork and Sligo.
In a statement issued yesterday, UCC said: ‘UCC can confirm that in 11 cases a temporary suspension has been put in place pending the outcome of a hearing, as per the student rules.’
Meanwhile, restrictions on household visits are to be put in place nationwide. The National Public Health Emergency Team has recommended that visits to family homes should be restricted to six people from one other household.
It will mean that only two households can mix in a family home at one time, and the number of visitors will be limited to six.
While people can continue to meet socially in other settings, they can only do so with people from one other household. The rule is currently enforced in Dublin and Donegal as the two counties are under Level 3 restrictions.
It remains to be seen whether greater restrictions for other counties will be announced later tonight ahead of the weekend.
With four more deaths announced yesterday, NPHET expressed concern about ‘trends in indicators of disease severity’.
‘There are 119 people in hospital with 20 in critical care and there were 32 deaths in September,’ officials said in a statement.
‘While there continues to be a number of counties with particularly high incidence, NPHET’s main concern now is the overall national picture. Given the disease profile, NPHET today recommended that no more than two households s hould meet at any given time.
‘People should only have a maximum of six visitors from one other household to their home. People can continue to meet socially in other settings, but only with people from one other household.
‘NPHET have further advised that Government extend the Level 2 measures currently in place for a further period of three weeks, with Donegal and Dublin remaining at Level 3.
‘NPHET will continue to monitor this situation very closely.’
Health officials in the North, meanwhile, are also struggling to control the spread of the virus, with 421 cases recorded on Wednesday – the highest daily figure since the pandemic arrived. The North now has recorded 11,693 cases of coronavirus and 579 deaths.
However, 1,950 cases have been reported in the region within the past seven days.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly could not confirm last night whether or not additional restrictions will be extended to more counties – but added that he doesn’t expect Donegal or Dublin restrictions being eased.
‘My hope is that there are no announcements in terms of moving counties up. I don’t expect any announcements in terms of moving counties down,’ he said.
The urgency of NPHET’s advice will decide when the Government will implement any new measure, the Health Minister said.
‘So it really depends on the recommendation. They could recommend, for example, something being needed very urgently or they may say, in their view, you could wait until midnight on Sunday or Monday,’ he said.
Mr Donnelly also welcomed the
news of ‘national hero’ Dr Tony Holohan’s return to his role as Chief Medical Officer and he praised the work of the acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, in his absence.
The five-day average for cases in the Republic is now 412 and 18 counties have had an increased incidence rate when compared with last week, the HSE said. The reproduction rate is estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.4, with the growth in cases between 4-5% per day.
Among the cases confirmed yesterday, 170 were in Dublin, 47 were in Cork and 28 in Donegal.
In Meath, 23 cases were confirmed, while there were 21 in Galway, 20 in Monaghan, 14 in Clare, 12 in Roscommon, 11 each in Laois and Longford, ten each in Cavan, Limerick and Tipperary, nine in Kildare, eight in Wicklow, five apiece in Louth and Wexford, with the remaining 28 cases spread over nine counties. Some 67% of these cases are under 45 years of age.
A total of 69 have been identified as community-transmission cases, with 54% associated with outbreaks or close contacts.
HSE chief Paul Reid yesterday commented on the exasperation being felt across sections of society about the current situation.
However, he said a ‘ magic strategy’ that could target a particular group and allow others to continue their lives as normal does not exist.
‘We do understand the growing frustration among the public as we continue to live with continued uncertainty,’ he said.
He added: ‘I’d make a special plea to the public just to deter from blaming certain sectors of the economy or certain elements of society in terms of the spread of the virus... The reality is that the virus spreads rapidly in the community as we meet and then transfers rapidly, like wildfire into our homes. That’s the area we all need to continuously, relentlessly look at.’