Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900302#Comment_117900302

Unless all 5 monitors were in the same place and orientation in the room you would expect them to have different readings.

Also, you are vaccinated. The changes of having a serious infection are massively reduced

hesaidshesaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900330#Comment_117900330

All 5 were beside each other. Primary kids are not vaccinated. We have no idea of the long term implications of infection, even mild infection, on them.

is_that_so

The requirement for children who are deemed to be close contacts of a confirmed Covid-19 case to be tested and to restrict their movements may cease at the end of this month. NPHET agreed today that this change could be implemented if no significant in-school transmission is seen in the meantime.

It also agreed that masks should not be required for children under 13 years of age, following advice from HIQA.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117898063#Comment_117898063

They should but i would bet my life they will not in our school at least.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900360#Comment_117900360

Thank goodness!

Beanybabog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900302#Comment_117900302

I don’t know how we can demedicalise our existence at this point when the DES has updated the symptoms- snotty / stuffy noses and diarrhoea and vomiting etc. Is keeping and unwell child home enough, or as per your post should every child with any symptom at all be tested before the return to school even if perfectly well?

Beanybabog

And indeed if you have more than one child you’re snookered, because any time any one of them has a single symptom they’ve all to stay off until the one with the runny nose is tested?

hesaidshesaid

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900520#Comment_117900520

Public Health dictate the symptom list, not Dept of Ed.

I see where you’re coming from, it’s headwrecking for parents to have to deal with this. But realistically, I think this is Public Health’s version of ‘personal accountability’ when it comes to primary schools. They know there’s in-school transmission and that the mitigations they’ve outlined are largely unworkable in schools. For example, one of the guidelines is that if a school finds that ventilation is not adequate the ‘school architect’ should be called on to fix it. I don’t know any school in the country with a dedicated architect or the money to employ one.

PH seem to have decided that there is enough leeway in the testing system to deal with symptomatic kids. We’ve already seen over the past few weeks that the system can’t cope with testing and tracing close contacts. So their way of dealing with this is to only test those with symptoms, leave close contacts in school and provide a symptom list that includes everything but the kitchen sink in the hope that enough parents will take on the burden of bringing kids for tests. And all those kids will be put down as community transmission.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900362#Comment_117900362

Just like flu so. The vaccines have made it just like a mild flu for the vaccinated who do get infected and subsequently get ill. And just like the flu that means a small few will get very sick and a smaller number will die. And just like the flu it’s never going away.

shesty

Can I say something here - architects are not going to solve school ventilation issues.The reality is they will advise several options, school dependent.All will be a solution or a combination of something along the lines of a complete refit of windows, all the way up to the fitting of an entire mechanical ventilation system, including associated duct work, running through the school buildings, most likely on or above ceilings.In almost all cases, significant enough building works will be required, assuming that we are not talking about classrooms whose windows open.

There is no way the Dept of Ed will take this on, tbh.They should, maybe, but they won't.They won't have the budget to do it, aside from actually not having the will to do it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900854#Comment_117900854

More contagious is debatable given the effect of vaccines. Cases falling with most activity back to almost normal. And even do, with vaccines it’s far less serious than flu for most

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117900362#Comment_117900362

All of that took place within a week?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117901078#Comment_117901078

Is the belief that we can engineer a situation where no one ever gets ill with a transmissible virus again? Because that appears to be the tone.

BobHopeless

Daughter has woken up with sore throat, cough, sniffles but no temperature. Will i get my knickers in a twist or just give her some paracetamol and let her stay home from school and sleep it off. Eh option B it is.

BobHopeless

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117898793#Comment_117898793

World's gone mad, absolutely mad.

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902315#Comment_117902315

I'd let her stay off as it’s Friday, if the symptoms settle over weekend back in Monday.

BobHopeless

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902325#Comment_117902325

That's exactly what im doing. Unfortunately there are people out there rushing their kids down to testing centres with a few sniffles for christ sake we've lost the run of ourselves.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902315#Comment_117902315

In an ideal world you would us an antigen test of some description and make your informed decisions from there.

There simply isn't enough push for people to start using antigen testing in cases like this and/or in high contact/high contacts workplaces/professions.

mohawk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902332#Comment_117902332

Have you considered that there are parents out there who aren’t doing it out of fear of covid. Runny nose is a symptom of Delta. It’s also a very common cold symptom. Parents are getting their kids tested to rule out Covid so that their child doesn’t have to isolate until all symptoms are gone. Also your child is mixing with other children in school. I know there is a parent in my sons class going through Chemo right now and another who needs a heart transplant. I got my son tested last weekend and he was negative and I sent his to school this week and back to all his afternoon activities knowing that he can’t spread it. I personally don’t want it on my conscious is my son spread to to a vulnerable household when all it would of taken from me is a quick test and keeping him home if needed.

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902896#Comment_117902896

Whilst I can't fault your actions, it's difficult to see how this kind of approach is sustainable. We have no reason to think that vaccines will be better against future variants than they are against current variants, which means the status quo maybe as good as it gets. As I see it we're aimlessly stumbling into a permanent state of medicalised education (and society more broadly).

I'm not jumping up and down shouting about psychological damage to our children (as some are), since I believe that children are generally far more robust, pragmatic, and adaptable than adults give them credit for, but at the same time I just don't think it's right.

In fairness neither do the medical authorities, who are currently trying to turn around their oil tanker of doom with talk of dramatically scaling back the testing regime.

"preventable death" is hardly a new concept in public life or public health.

BobHopeless

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902896#Comment_117902896

You've your own approach and i respect that, i've mine. If she get's worse she'll be down for a test and if not back to school Monday.

mohawk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902949#Comment_117902949

There can’t really be normality as long as a runny nose or a mild cough are reasons for children to be sent home from school and told they can’t go to football training. It’s frustrating when you know that they aren’t ‘sick’ but want them to go about their normal lives.

If the very, very high risk need boosters then they should get them and let rest of society get on with things. We probably really need to be increasing our bed capacity over next few years so health service doesn’t come to a standstill every time there is an outbreak.

mohawk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117903000#Comment_117903000

No argument here. You are entitled to make judgment call when it comes to your own child. I think people forget that.

Vaccinated30

I have 3 in school, if one is sick I will do an antigen test, if negative the others go to school and sick child will stay home, if no improvement a pcr test and go from there. If positive antigen then obviously all are out. I told the school this is my plan.

Would be nice to not have to pay 10e for an antigen test and have them supplied!

iamwhoiam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117902346#Comment_117902346

I agree . Grand child had a sore throat a few weeks ago . She is prone to sore throats and often gets them for a day or two . She was kept home and antigen test done . It was negative and repeated next morning , again negative . Her sore throat disappeared as it usually does so she was back in school after two negative antigen tests

I don’t understand why antigen testing is not encouraged in a child with no close contact history

fits

I’m participating in a trial for antigen testing over next few weeks.

fun loving criminal

What's up with kids being out of school lately?

I was in a shop this morning and a mother and young enough son, around 8 years old and the kid coughing non-stop and no mask because I think Ireland thinks kids are immune to this virus.

Vaccinated30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117903732#Comment_117903732

Ive heard numerous times from numerous people even this week

They said kids cant get it but my niece/son/grandchild got it ..

It would send you crazy telling people they said kids dont get really sick from it not that they dont get it...

mohawk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117903732#Comment_117903732

Kids do get it. Statistically they are more likely to get a milder version of the disease then an adult.

fun loving criminal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117904548#Comment_117904548

I very much understand that. But here's a kid with a cough and going about spreading whatever germs he had.