Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

TonyMaloney

Deleted User wrote: »

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-schools-and-childcare-facilities-mass-testing-report-week-11-2021.pdf






An average of 22 tests being completed for each school where contact tracing was carried out.

A detection rate of 2.7% from that contact tracing.

Compared to 9.6% in childcare.

It appears there is strong data to back up that schools are safer

These tests are conducted on the basis of contact tracing, right?
So do they include the index case in those stats?

If not, then taking primary schools as an example, the actual number of positive people/kids was actually 120 + 85. Or roughly 6.6%

TonyMaloney

TonyMaloney wrote: »

These tests are conducted on the basis of contact tracing, right?
So do they include the index case in those stats?

If not, then taking primary schools as an example, the actual number of positive people/kids was actually 120 + 85. Or roughly 6.6%

Its not like with like. 100% of index cases are positive. To compare like with like, you would need to combine with the testing data from kids who were tested outside of school - close contacts in the home, symptomatic etc.

aristotle25

Many schools are sending kids home with all their books today, it looks like someone is anticipating that home schooling will start again after Easter?
Have the Teachers Union asked teachers to send the school books home?

jimmytwotimes 2013

aristotle25 wrote: »

Many schools are sending kids home with all their books today, it looks like someone is anticipating that home schooling will start again after Easter?
Have the Teachers Union asked teachers to send the school books home?

No, a wise approach given the current situation could change positively or negatively

MerlinSouthDub

beggars_bush wrote: »

if they actually tested a higher % they would pick up far more positive cases
3000 is a very small sample size

If they tested more people (e.g. all the kids in a class where there is a positive case), they would pick up more cases but the positivity rate would be lower, not higher.

MerlinSouthDub

TonyMaloney wrote: »

These tests are conducted on the basis of contact tracing, right?
So do they include the index case in those stats?

If not, then taking primary schools as an example, the actual number of positive people/kids was actually 120 + 85. Or roughly 6.6%

If you want to compare like with like, the positivity rate in close contact testing was in the 10% to 15% range in previous waves, and (from various quotes from Paul Reid, Micheál Martin etc) is 20% + in the current wave (due to the new variant, and the fact most contacts are household contacts).

So, on a like for like basis, the + rate in school close contacts is far lower than a close contact of a non school case. more than 7 times lower.

MerlinSouthDub

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

If you want to compare like with like, the positivity rate in close contact testing was in the 10% to 15% range in previous waves, and (from various quotes from Paul Reid, Micheál Martin etc) is 20% + in the current wave (due to the new variant, and the fact most contacts are household contacts).

So, on a like for like basis, the + rate in school close contacts is far lower than a close contact of a non school case. more than 7 times lower.

And I found a source here for the + rate in close contact testing. see here - 24.9% - more than 9 times higher than in schools!

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-testing-and-contact-tracing-update-4-march-2021.pdf

wirelessdude01

aristotle25 wrote: »

Many schools are sending kids home with all their books today, it looks like someone is anticipating that home schooling will start again after Easter?
Have the Teachers Union asked teachers to send the school books home?

Just a few schools being proactive as a just in case measure. Don't see it happening. Further delay or widening of the secondary return is possible though.

History Queen

aristotle25 wrote: »

Many schools are sending kids home with all their books today, it looks like someone is anticipating that home schooling will start again after Easter?
Have the Teachers Union asked teachers to send the school books home?

No the Unions haven't. Schools know nothing more than anyone else, they just don't want to caught out in the unlikely event of further closures.

TonyMaloney

MerlinSouthDub wrote: »

And I found a source here for the + rate in close contact testing. see here - 24.9% - more than 9 times higher than in schools!

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-testing-and-contact-tracing-update-4-march-2021.pdf

But surely regular contact testing would usually involve only a handful of contacts, where as of it's a classroom it's 20-30 kids?

I could well be making an ass of myself here, but I'm used to it

penny piper

A school in south dublin has been evacuated due to a bomb threat...st.mac daras community college in templelogue has been evacuated and the bomb squad/gards are looking for suspect device....as of yet nothing has been found...

MarshmallowPop

km79 wrote: »

Might be an idea for the Department to inform schools if s and s will be operating as normal......if over 60s will continue to work from home.......

You know kind of important stuff to know before the Easter break !

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour that High Risk and Higher Risk staff do not know if they have to return to Face2Face after Easter. The poor principals, teachers and cover staff!! Living in Limbo Land again and guess, guess, guessing!

wirelessdude01

penny piper wrote: »

A school in south dublin has been evacuated due to a bomb threat...st.mac daras community college in templelogue has been evacuated and the bomb squad/gards are looking for suspect device....as of yet nothing has been found...

Covid related in what way?

TonyMaloney

TonyMaloney wrote: »

But surely regular contact testing would usually involve only a handful of contacts, where as of it's a classroom it's 20-30 kids?

I could well be making an ass of myself here, but I'm used to it

You are not Tony, I think - they look to be going wider in schools with 22 per case, meaning there will be lower risk contacts picked up bringing the positive rate down. Still 2.7% vs 24%

penny piper

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Covid related in what way?

sorry I put that up by mistake.....not covid related obviously..

byhookorbycrook

MarshmallowPop wrote: »

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour that High Risk and Higher Risk staff do not know if they have to return to Face2Face after Easter. The poor principals, teachers and cover staff!! Living in Limbo Land again and guess, guess, guessing!

High risk are back , as they have been so far. Pregnant teachers to remain working remotely as of now .

MerlinSouthDub

TonyMaloney wrote: »

But surely regular contact testing would usually involve only a handful of contacts, where as of it's a classroom it's 20-30 kids?

I could well be making an ass of myself here, but I'm used to it

I think the close contact testing practice in schools varies depending on the situation - it can just be the pod, or the whole class depending on the situation. but, you are right, on average it will be 20+

So, you are correct, and yes we would expect a lower + rate in schools. But sometimes I get the sense people think if one kid in a class gets infected, nearly the whole class will catch covid. In reality, on average, only 1 other child in a class of 30 will get covid. That's pretty good, in my view. If you could dig into a bit deeper, you might even find there is a correlation between the kid who catches and that kid having spending more time with the kid they caught covid off (e.g. travel together to school, play together, same childcare etc). And the other kid might have caught it somewhere else entirely.

byhookorbycrook

Deleted User wrote: »

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/covid-19-schools-and-childcare-facilities-mass-testing-report-week-11-2021.pdf






An average of 22 tests being completed for each school where contact tracing was carried out.

A detection rate of 2.7% from that contact tracing.

Compared to 9.6% in childcare.

It appears there is strong data to back up that schools are safer

Many schools have expressed frustration at the fact that HSE officials refuse to categorise what are obviously school transmission clusters as school related.

MarshmallowPop

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

High risk are back , as they have been so far. Pregnant teachers to remain working remotely as of now .

Very sadly, I lost my baby so will have to go back to work after Easter.

I have a colleague who is pregnant and working remotely.

Can I ask where you got the information about Pregnant teachers being allowed to continue to WFH. Would like to tell my colleague for sure. Thank you

Icyseanfitz

MarshmallowPop wrote: »

Very sadly, I lost my baby so will have to go back to work after Easter.

I have a colleague who is pregnant and working remotely.

Can I ask where you got the information about Pregnant teachers being allowed to continue to WFH. Would like to tell my colleague for sure. Thank you

im so sorry, I hope you are keeping okay

combat14

more good news from the govt today:

Hard to see cases dropping under 500 per day - Varadkar

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has told the Dáil that getting daily Covid-19 cases to the low numbers achieved last year is "not a prospect" due to the B117 variant.

He said it was "very hard to see" how it was possible to secure a rate lower than 500 cases per day, despite "the enormous efforts of the Irish people".

Mr Varadkar said the death toll from the virus is approaching 4,700. He said as many as died so far this year as died in all of 2020, which was an "extraordinary statistic".

https://amp.rte.ie/amp/1206064/

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/very-hard-to-see-daily-cases-fall-below-500-as-virus-has-mutated-and-is-more-deadly-varadkar-40239564.html

SusanC10

aristotle25 wrote: »

Many schools are sending kids home with all their books today, it looks like someone is anticipating that home schooling will start again after Easter?
Have the Teachers Union asked teachers to send the school books home?

I think Schools are right to send the books home. Just in case.
Our Primary school didn't do so at Christmas and then had to organise collection of books in January. They tried to allocate times but a large number of parents didn't turn up as the times didn't suit them.

17larsson

All the schools in my area are sending books home with the kids tomorrow 'as a precaution in case they don't reopen after easter'.

I don't like the sound of that. If it was just one school I'd be less worried but if they are all doing it on instruction from department of education, then is there something bad coming down the tracks?

Icyseanfitz

staff in schools know nothing more than anyone else, its just a precautionary measure, and i really dont think schools will be out after Easter, the department finally got them open in some sort of way and they will fight tooth and nail to keep them opened.

byhookorbycrook

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Many schools have expressed frustration at the fact that HSE officials refuse to categorise what are obviously school transmission clusters as school related.

That may be the case - but here, close contact tracing in 183 schools, with 22 tests per cases, has resulted in a 2.7% positive rate

MarshmallowPop

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

im so sorry, I hope you are keeping okay

Thank you. We are doing OK and taking it day by day. Such a heartbreaking time.

Not Covid Related but something I want to bring up because I see New Zealand have introduced 3 days of Compassionate Leave for those who have suffered a miscarriage.

We get nothing in Ireland, I was shocked when I found out!

sekond

Our primary school sent all books home today also - but sent a message out to parents to say that it definitely wasn't because they had concerns about re-opening, that it was to facilitate a deep clean of the school, as happens every year at Easter. Which, now they said it, does sound right, as I do remember full bags coming home in previous years before both Christmas and Easter holidays. So it may be that other schools are doing the same.

Random sample

MarshmallowPop wrote: »

Thank you. We are doing OK and taking it day by day. Such a heartbreaking time.

Not Covid Related but something I want to bring up because I see New Zealand have introduced 3 days of Compassionate Leave for those who have suffered a miscarriage.

We get nothing in Ireland, I was shocked when I found out!

Sorry to see you are going through this. It’s difficult in normal times, but I can not imagine amplified at the minute with all of the knock on effects.

Be gentle with yourself, and remember this is what sick leave exists for.

MarshmallowPop

Random sample wrote: »

Sorry to see you are going through this. It’s difficult in normal times, but I can not imagine amplified at the minute with all of the knock on effects.

Be gentle with yourself, and remember this is what sick leave exists for.

Thank you.

I know sick leave is there but I'm still shocked there is no compassionate leave.

It would very easy for me to use a lot of sick leave if I didn't go back after Easter.

I also have to think down the road, if this happened again, I would need more time off.

The last thing I wanted to do when I found out that I had a miscarriage was to ring my boss to take me off WFH and straight onto sick leave.

wirelessdude01

17larsson wrote: »

All the schools in my area are sending books home with the kids tomorrow 'as a precaution in case they don't reopen after easter'.

I don't like the sound of that. If it was just one school I'd be less worried but if they are all doing it on instruction from department of education, then is there something bad coming down the tracks?

No instructions from anyone. We have decided as a school staff not to send anything home. If something happens then we'll deal with it after Easter.