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Confirmed Covid-19 cases among school-age children increased exponentially during the month of October and through November.
According to official statistics compiled daily by the Health Protection Surveillance Center, about 54%, or 3,163, of the cases of children aged 14 and under were recorded in October, the second month that schools were open. after the first wave of the virus.
Since September, the HPSC has detected 85% of the cases in children in this cohort.
However, HSE and Nphet insist that transmission in schools is negligible.
In Thursday’s weekly HSE briefing on the virus, Paul Reid, its chief executive, said that family environments remain “a major factor” in cases, “schools, not so much.”
It’s been a long 8 months for everyone. It is key not to condemn any part of society. Younger and older populations, families, healthcare workers, business owners, and many more have made great sacrifices. Let’s focus on staying determined and appreciating what people have done. @HSELive # COVID-19
– Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) November 18, 2020
Meanwhile, in terms of incidence of coronavirus outbreaks, schools currently rank fifth on the HPSC’s list of settings, with 2% of all outbreaks to date, despite no such figures being recorded before. of September.
With 179 confirmed outbreaks as of November 7, schools rank ahead of hospitals and only behind workplaces, residential institutions, long-term residential care and, with the highest percentage, private households, with the 73% of all outbreaks noted.
Hospitalizations in the under-15 group have remained low, with only 102 registered since the start of the pandemic. Once again, however, 32 of them occurred in October alone, a rate of 31% across the entire pandemic.
These public health statistics have caused concern among families of children who are struggling to meet the requirements of distance learning, despite living with vulnerable people at home.
“There is a responsibility under human rights law for all public bodies, including schools, to ensure that groups at risk are treated fairly,” said Liam Herrick, executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
“In any case where a concern arises about children living with medically vulnerable adults, risk assessments should be conducted. The emphasis should be on ensuring access to education while protecting health, ”Herrick said.
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