Decision on antigen testing in schools 'matter for Nphet' – Education Minister
When asked if we will see contact tracing reintroduced in schools in the coming weeks given the high daily numbers of cases, Ms Foley said it is a matter for the National Public Health Emergency Team.
There may be a role for antigen testing in schools, but the measure will have to be recommended by public health, according to the Minister for Education.
Norma Foley was speaking ahead of the return of schools tomorrow following mid-term break, amidst a surge in the numbers of children testing positive for Covid-19.
Last week, parents were urged to impose limits on children's activities amid warnings that those aged five to 12 years are now being infected with Covid-19 at a higher rate than the rest of the population.
When asked if we will see contact tracing reintroduced in schools in the coming weeks given the high daily numbers of cases, Ms Foley said it is a matter for the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).
“It is a matter for their consideration within the school sector,” she told RTÉ’s This Week.
“We have followed very strenuously and very clearly all of the recommendations that have come to us from public health.”
When asked if antigen tests could be used in schools, Ms Foley said the matter is also being considered by Nphet.
A child should be kept home from school if there is “any question” of any Covid-19 symptoms, according to the Minister.
Speaking on that same programme, Dr Colm Henry, chief clinical officer with the HSE, said children predominantly acquire Covid-19 in a home setting and not in a school setting.
“When we stopped contact tracing of asymptomatic children in September, the positivity rate was about 5% at the time that the delta virus was quite prevalent, and household contact tracing positivity was 30% or more.”
“For the large part, predominantly, children are acquiring Covid-19, that age group is acquiring Covid-19, not within a school setting.”
“What is becoming more reassuring in time is that Covid-19 is not harmful to children. What is harmful is the RSV virus.”
Children’s hospitals, intensive care units, emergency departments and GPs are under pressure today from seasonal viruses for which we don’t do any testing, he added.
When asked about antigen testing, Dr Henry said that when Nphet looks at the value of any additional testing or contact tracing, “the first question is what does it do for children?”
“Covid-19 does not present a serious risk to children, intensive care admission or serious illness is thankfully rare among children," he said.
"The second benefit might be what would it do to prevent onward transmission in the school setting, outside in the community.”
“The experience or public health things is predominantly that transmission is, thankfully, not very efficient for children.
“Those numbers that we're seeing increasing in that age group are acquired out there in the community setting and not in the classroom setting.”
Separately, Norma Foley also acknowledged that there is an ongoing issue around teacher substitution.
In recent weeks, many schools have struggled to arrange cover for absences.
"We now have 132 substitution panels, where we used to have just six," she said.
“Today I am announcing that we will have 100 additional teachers being made available to these substitution panels. These are teachers who are being employed on a full time basis to provide emergency cover for schools.”
The restrictions on job-sharing teachers have now been lifted, teachers on career breaks can now operate as substitutes without restriction, and the higher education institutions are happy to maximise the amount of time student teachers can spend substituting, she added.
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