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A total of 35 Covid-19 cases were identified after students from 96 schools were evaluated, according to the Health Services Executive.
About 2,100 staff members and students have been evaluated on day zero and day seven after symptoms, said HSE Executive Director Paul Reid.
Children up to 10 years old accounted for 17% of all tests conducted in late August, increasing to 36% in the first week of September. However, the proportion of positive tests was cut in half, to 0.5 percent.
With a 39 percent increase in positive cases over the past fortnight, Mr. Reid said the trend in new cases was “steady, growing and worrying.”
If we stay on the current path, things “will only get worse,” he said.
Equally, however, it would not be good for the health service to return to the blockade, he said.
There are currently 73 cases in the hospital, including 14 in the ICU, the highest level since mid-June.
Hospitals were beginning to see wards “frozen” due to virus cases, affecting their capacity as winter approaches, while some nursing homes struggle to find staff.
Mr. Reid urged people to “take stock,” to “think like you’re a positive,” wear a mask, radically reduce your social contacts, and follow public health messages as part of the national effort to curb the increase in cases.
Weekly report
Separately, figures in a weekly report on coronavirus clusters compiled by the Center for Health Protection Surveillance show 13 confirmed outbreaks in schools since they reopened.
A breakdown of the 2,679 positive Covid-19 cases recorded between Sept. 2-15 shows that children still account for a very small proportion of all cases.
Children aged four years and under accounted for 4% of all cases, while children aged 5 to 14 accounted for 9% of cases.
The picture was different among teens: 15 to 25 year olds accounted for 22 percent of cases, the highest of any age group.
The figures come amid warnings from a teachers union that delaying obtaining Covid-19 test results may make it unsustainable to keep schools open.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has asked that teachers and other school staff have guaranteed access to a test on the day they first experience possible symptoms of Covid-19.
The HSE has said that the median of Covid-19 tests and follow-up times for positive cases in the community exceed three days.
The union said teachers were experiencing delays in accessing tests and receiving results, which meant affected teachers were unable to attend work.
He warned that the situation will get worse in the coming weeks and months unless action is taken now.
‘Not sustainable’
Michael Gillespie, TUI general secretary, said: “This is not sustainable if schools have to stay open. Given the traditional trends in terms of colds and flu during the winter months and the additional burden that will be placed on any testing regimen, it is certain that the problems we are seeing now will greatly worsen unless a robust testing system is implemented. ” .
He said that it was “extremely difficult” for school principals to recruit substitute teachers on short notice to replace teachers who are awaiting tests or test results.
A survey of principals last month found that 98 percent had experienced difficulty employing substitute teachers in the previous 12 months. This trend continues into the new school year, he said.
“When adequate replacement coverage is not available, students experience a decline in educational service,” he said.
“In financial terms, we believe that the additional investment required to make the test system fit for purpose would be money well spent and wisely and would be offset by savings in terms of required replacement coverage.”
Data published by Health Service Executive (HSE) shows that the average end-to-end response time for community cases where Covid is detected is 3.5 days. This is down from 3.9 days in the last seven days.
Experts recommend that the entire process take no more than three days, and ideally closer to two days.
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