Confusion over symptoms to blame for pupils with Covid attending school, says union

About 14,000 students are out of school after being designated as close contacts, leaving many principals struggling to make contact with public health. File picture

A lack of awareness of the expanded list of Covid-19 symptoms is leading to symptomatic children arriving at schools, according to the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO).

Following a meeting between public health officials, the Department of Education and the teaching unions, staffing is to be ramped up on the school principals' Covid-19 helpline.

It comes as about 14,000 students are out of school after being designated as close contacts, leaving many principals struggling to make contact with public health. 

Following the meeting, the department also agreed to ramp up its messaging around Covid symptoms for parents, according to the INTO. This lack of awareness has become a “central issue”.

The department lists fever, a new cough, shortness of breath, loss or change of smell or taste, fatigue, and aches and pains as common symptoms of Covid, including the Delta variant. A sore throat, headache, runny or stuffy nose, feeling sick or vomiting, and diarrohea are other uncommon symptoms.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Norma Foley has rejected the Labour Party's description of the reopening of schools as a "shambles".

Covid Learning and Supports Scheme

She was speaking at the launch of a new Covid Learning and Supports Scheme (CLASS), a Department of Education fund to address learning loss due to pandemic school closures.

When asked if she was happy to stand over the possibility there could be a generation of people in the future who contracted Covid-19 while unvaccinated at school, Ms Foley said the public health advice has been followed “in every instance”.

“That has been advice that has served us very, very well. All the infection prevention control measures that we've been asked to put in place in our schools, we have put in place in our schools, and they have been very, very significantly effective in terms of how we run our schools.” 

The use of face coverings for younger students is currently being reviewed and will be implemented if the advice changes, she added.

When asked about delays in principals getting through to contact tracing, Ms Foley said many have gotten through successfully but there will always be "pinch points". 

Additional resources to schools' helpline

She welcomed a commitment by Dr Colm Henry of the HSE to provide additional resources to the schools' line, and said: “We're talking about 14,000 children approximately out of 1m students who are part of our student body and I think that's an important consideration.” 

Public health has advised her department that the positivity rate is coming down, she added. “They're telling us, everything is moving in a positive direction. But notwithstanding all of that, we have continued to put in place all the required mitigation measures within our schools.”

Through the CLASS, every school will receive an allocation of additional teaching hours, which they may use in accordance with the needs of their students. 

Educate Together is calling for these new Covid resources to be allocated based on this year’s enrolment numbers to ensure developing schools do not miss out.