By Sarah O'Connell
Lead Representative for Ireland
15th December 2021
Northern Ireland
There was an increase last week in the number of Covid cases over the past seven days when compared to the previous week period. The age group which have the highest incidence of disease currently is those aged 10 to 14 year olds. This is concerning as there is a suggestion that adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to Long Covid (in comparison to younger children).
Meanwhile there are at least ten confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Northern Ireland
Sir Michael McBride, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer warned that there is likely to be a rapid increase in the number of cases of the Omicron variant over the coming weeks.
In relation to schools, the Education Minister, Michelle McIIveen advised that, despite speculation amongst the media to that effect, there are no plans to extend the school Christmas holidays to help reduce Covid transmission amidst school children and staff. Official statistics show that 1200 staff and 11,500 pupils have tested positive over the last month.
Republic of Ireland
Two weeks ago the government brought in a requirement for all children in primary schools over the age of 9 to wear face masks in schools (unless they have a medical condition/ mental health condition which would make it difficult). Parents had originally been told their child may be refused entry if they do not comply. However this week, the Education Minister Norma Foley cautioned schools about stopping children attending for this reason.
The strength of this messaging has been a surprise to many parents and teachers, given the governments insistence for weeks that schools were not contributing to transmission.
Concerns also arose over GPs being faced with the extra workload of providing letters regarding medical conditions when they are already extremely overstretched. Many do not feel that the mitigation goes far enough, and that younger children should be included. Last week 5 to 12 year olds accounted for 21.5% of cases in the country. Meanwhile the government still refuse to reintroduce contact tracing for school children and are still maintaining that these high case numbers are coming from the community and not schools. This is despite the fact the many principals around the country have reported that when they report cases to the HSE, they are not being asked to provide information which would allow the HSE to make that assessment The pod/antigen system has now been in place for a number of weeks. It takes 1-2 days minimum for antigen tests to be sent to each parent from the HSE from when the parent calls to request them. Taking the antigen test (or even requesting the tests) is also not compulsory. Many have asked why schools do not distribute the tests to speed the process along. Meanwhile the children in the pod are supposed to attend school as long as they have no symptoms, meaning that in many cases asymptomatic positive children are likely attending school while they await their antigen tests.
In a government press release on 8th Dec, it was confirmed that NIAC (National Immunisation Advisory Committee) has recommended vaccination for 5 to 11 year olds. Health minister, Stephen Donnelly has advised that vaccination of this age group will commence next week, with the plan to prioritise children with complex medical needs or an underlying condition and those living with an immunocompromised adult.
In terms of the booster vaccination programme, there are reports of a large number of missed appointments and the government are stressing the importance of receiving the third dose.
In terms of the Omicron variant, the chief medical officer estimates that 14% of all new cases are related to the variant and that this will rise daily.
LongCovidKids.org is a UK based international charity supporting and advocating for families, children and young people living with Long Covid. Our story started with a short film on the long-lasting symptoms of Covid in children.
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