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In each school unit, school personnel have appointed a COVID-19 manager, as well as his deputy, who must inform and train staff in the identification and timely handling of suspicious cases, he said during the briefing. for the course of the pandemic in Greece, Vana Papaevangelou, professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at EKPA and member of the expert committee of the Ministry of Health for the coronavirus.
Mrs. Papaevangelou explained that the person in charge has the responsibility of communicating with parents and the competent bodies, as well as registering absences related to symptoms compatible with covid-19 infection, as well as the responsibility of configuration and equipment. from the default isolation site of an event displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection.
The general principle, he said, is that all students, teachers and school personnel who present at home even mild symptoms compatible with Covid-19 infection (fever or cough or shortness of breath, or anosmia, taste or gastrointestinal symptoms), should stay at home and report to the school unit.
Ms. Papaevangelou then touched on how suspicious cases will be handled at the school.
In particular, as he explained, if a student is at school and suddenly develops symptoms consistent with covid-19 infection, the family should be contacted immediately to pick up the child, and in the meantime the child should be isolated. in a predetermined and well-ventilated area. , under the supervision of the school coordinator, away from the children and by applying a simple surgical mask. Meticulous hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene should also be applied, and child care staff should improve the use of personal protective equipment. After the child leaves, the area should be thoroughly cleaned.
The child should see their doctor and if he or she decides, a virus test should be prioritized. While waiting for the test result, the child will stay home and the school will continue to function normally.
If a staff member exhibits symptoms at school, they should leave or remain in the designated area until a loved one picks them up. You will visit your doctor, who will assess your condition, and if necessary, a molecular test should be performed as a priority. The school will continue its normal operation until the test is published, added Prof. V. Papaevangelou.
If the test is negative, the child and teacher can return to school at least 24 hours after the fever has subsided without taking antipyretics. If the molecular test is positive, both the student and the teacher return to school after at least 10 days from the first day of symptoms.
At the same time, the person in charge of the school is informed, while if it is a child, their contacts outside the school are also informed. Ms. Papaevangelou added that “as a magic number we must have 48 hours before the onset of clinical symptoms” to trace contacts.
If the positive case is a student, all students in the department are evaluated. Ms. Papaevangelou emphasized that for the return of both children and teachers, a second laboratory test with a molecular test is not needed.
According to the Athens Agency, in the case of a teacher teaching in a particular department, all students are considered close contacts. In the case of a high school teacher who comes into contact with more than one student, a contact risk assessment must be conducted within the last 48 hours.
All of them must be removed from school with instructions for a close monitoring of their health, and if they do not show any symptoms, they can return to school after 14 days. If during this time one of the close contacts shows symptoms, only then will she be tested. If we have two cases in the same school, there the person in charge must inform the whole school. The measures must be strengthened and the scope of the laboratory test will be decided based on the results and the risk assessment, Ms Papaevangelou clarified.
If three laboratory confirmed cases of symptomatic or asymptomatic infection are detected in the same school unit within 14 days and there is no close contact outside of school, we have the definition of “confluence of cases” at the school. In this case, and based on the results of the epidemiological investigation, the scope of the laboratory test will be decided, but also possibly the closure of the educational unit.
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