Social gatherings continue despite Covid outbreak at University of Limerick

University of Limerick will this week facilitate another round of on-campus mass testing for all students. Picture: Brian Arthur

Contact tracers dealing with a significant outbreak amongst students living in off-campus accommodation at the University of Limerick (UL) are continuing to see small and larger social gatherings taking place. 

UL this week will facilitate another round of on-campus mass testing for all students, whether or not they have symptoms, to help manage the current outbreak and prevent further spread.

On Monday, 50 patients were referred for Covid testing by the UL student health centre, compared to five patients two weeks ago.

Separately, there are ongoing inter-household and family outbreaks in housing estates and communities across Limerick and the Mid-West."

📢 UL Students 📢: We are facilitating FREE on campus #COVIDー19 testing for all students by @PublicHealthMW later this week. Check your student email for registration details.

— University Of Limerick (@UL) February 22, 2021

Students who availed of mass testing earlier this month are being encouraged to register again for a test this time round, as infection since being tested is still possible.

Contact tracers are identifying an “excessive” number of close contacts outside of households amongst students who have tested positive for Covid-19.

That is according to Dr Marie Casey, specialist in public health medicine with the HSE Department of Public Health Mid-West.

“This is problematic as, largely speaking, your only close contacts should be your own household.” 

We are also noticing that some people are building wider ‘social bubbles’, whereby some people within the same household are exposed to separate social settings, such as visiting partners or classmates.

“There are continued small and larger social gatherings, many of which we only discover during follow-up calls with cases and their close contacts.” 

Since the B117 variant became the dominant strain in Ireland, single cases are escalating quickly to whole households being infected, and quickly spreading to others.

Students have a unique risk profile as they live in large households, travel to and from their family homes, and may have a part-time job, Dr Casey added.

Many will present no symptoms, and so the level of risk multiplies when they breach their social bubble or socialise with others outside their household.

Dr Ronan Ryder, director of the Student Health Centre at UL, said that the service referred fewer than five patients for testing this day two weeks ago, but this rose to 50 on Monday.

WATCH: UL President Professor Kerstin Mey is calling on students not to mix with other households for any reason pic.twitter.com/M4OMvKNUEI

— University Of Limerick (@UL) February 20, 2021

“If you are a student in the area, and you are concerned about symptoms or you are a close contact, your first port of call should be the Student Health Centre or your own GP. The test is free for everybody,” he said.

He added that even if phone lines are busy, every student will be accommodated, and that their service will be open every Saturday and Sunday over the next two weeks to facilitate the increased level of demand.

Testing on the UL campus will be carried out by HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare and the National Ambulance Service.