The State Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is in favor of continuing physical classes with strict COVID-19 Appropriate Practices (CAB) for school children in the 6-18 years group. This is based on a low test positivity rate (TPR) of 0.05% in this group, which is much lower than the state’s seven-day average TPR of 0.31%.
TAC members, who deliberated on surveillance of school children for COVID-19 in the 139th meeting of the committee held on Monday, reviewed data on RT-PCR testing of school children in the 6-18 year old group from December 1 to 10. examined. Out of 4.28 lakh children screened, 29,675 samples were collected for COVID tests. Of these, only 15 tested positive, which is 0.05%. “Low TPR (0.05%) among school children favors continuation of physical classes with strict CAB,” the TAC report said.
TPR. decline in
TPR among school children declined from 0.08% in mid-September to 0.04% by November 30. Although it rose marginally to 0.05% in the first 10 days of December, it is still below the state average. This indicates that transmission among children is under control despite the reopening of schools, a TAC member said.
After the reopening of classes VI to VIII (from 6 September) and classes IX to XII (from 23 August), RT-PCR testing of school children was being done regularly.
Although the health department had announced that 10% of the daily testing would be in children, the testing rate fell from 9% to 3% in September. Concerned about this, the TAC recommended that the 10 per cent testing rate be maintained in children. Thereafter, the testing rate increased to 7% by 30 November.
Veena V, deputy director of the National Child Health Program, said that efforts are being made to speed up testing. “Our testing staff are regularly visiting schools to conduct tests. We are testing only symptomatic children right now,” she said.
Pointing out that testing of children is now done only in schools, the official said, “Earlier, when schools did not open, our staff were visiting villages to test symptomatic children. But now as we can get all children under one roof in schools, we are testing only in schools. This is in addition to routine testing in health facilities,” she said.
test in schools
TAC President MK Sudarshan said that testing of children in schools has its own epidemiological significance. “If a child tests positive at school, it does not mean that the infection has been picked up at school. The contacts of the child can be easily traced and tracked at home, thereby preventing transmission. Most importantly, CAB is strictly followed in schools.
Pointing out that clusters are being reported mainly in nursing colleges, hostels and boarding schools, he said this is due to lack of proper screening and COVID-19 especially in dining halls and common areas of boarding schools and hostels. This was due to the lack of implementation of appropriate measures. “We have now recommended random checks in educational institutions, hostels and residential schools by joint surveillance teams of health and education departments at the taluk level. Children should be allowed in the dining hall in a staggered manner,” he said.
In addition, the TAC had also recommended weekly testing of kitchen staff, wardens and other office workers of hostels and residential schools. “These people should submit weekly negative RT-PCR reports during random screening. Unless these things are monitored and implemented, clusters are bound to happen, especially in the winter months. We have to be especially careful in terms of Omicron.”
,