As a nation, we are moving towards learning how to live with COVID.
The Council and NHS Orkney are continuing to encourage parents to ensure their children attend at school unless they are unwell or have tested positive for the virus. Schools across the country are continuing to face COVID-related challenges since the return this term and, unfortunately, Orkney is no exception. There have been and, no doubt will continue to be, instances of positive cases within some of our schools – this is a reality of life now.
NHS Orkney and the Council, who have been working together closely since the pandemic began, are continuing to monitor the situation in schools and this is backed up by support from OIC Environmental Health and Safety and Resilience teams to ensure that schools are as safe as they can be for pupils and staff. Unfortunately, there has been some unhelpful national publicity surrounding the Omicron variant and the hospitalisation of young children, aged 5 and under. Although not unheard of, it remains extremely rare for a young child to have COVID complications.
The Council is seeking to reassure parents and carers that there have been and will continue to be a host of mitigations in place within schools.
These include:
The Environmental Health team are also visiting all schools to ensure all measures are in place.
Maureen Swannie is interim Head of Children’s Health Services at NHS Orkney. She said: “The education sector has worked tirelessly to ensure protocols are in place for education settings to be as safe as possible and to allow our children to have a normal childhood.
“Unfortunately, over the last two years, children have had to miss out on many academic and social events due to COVID. As we continue to navigate the pandemic it's imperative that our children are one of our top priorities and this includes their health and wellbeing. The NHS continues to work with colleagues in Education, ensuring protocols are being followed to allow children to continue to safely attend school, learning their core skills and of course, socialising with their peers.
“Additionally, the COVID vaccination uptake has ensured teachers and support staff are also playing their part to help keep children safe and soon, children will also be offered vaccines as an important, extra layer of safety. We will continue to work in partnership to ensure that children and young people are fully supported.”
OIC Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, James Wylie, said: “When we have witnessed positive cases within a school, the initial reaction among some parents is to keep their children off school. While we understand everyone’s family circumstances are different and there may be a vulnerability aspects and anxiety amongst some, we continue to stress how important it is for all children and young people who are well to attend at school for academic, social and wellbeing reasons.
“Our staff are working incredibly hard to try and ensure that our schools remain open when that is at all possible because we all recognise just how vital this is for our children and young people. They have already missed out on so much. Far from not taking a child’s health and wellbeing into account when keeping schools open, it is at the very core of our decision-making based on Public Health advice.”
Please remember that everyone should continue to take regular lateral flow tests and register the results, whether positive or negative, here: https://www.nhsinform.scot/
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) made an official comment last week (13 January) on media reports of increased admissions of under 5s in hospital with COVID-19
In a statement RCPCH said:
“Children’s wards are experiencing a busy winter, as is usual for this time of year. As expected, this means paediatricians are seeing lots of babies and young children with fever and respiratory conditions.
“We know that Omicron is much more transmissible than previous COVID-19 variants and results in a higher rate across the community. It is therefore to be expected that there will be more children and young people testing positive for COVID-19. It is important to note that paediatricians are not reporting Omicron to be a more serious or severe disease in children and young people in the UK. We are also reassured to hear that very few children and young people admitted to hospital with Omicron are needing paediatric intensive care. While this is reassuring, we cannot be complacent and will monitor the situation.
“Parents and carers will understandably be anxious if their child falls ill, and it can be confusing to know what to do if your child is ill during the pandemic. Importantly, the NHS is open and continues to provide safe care for children and young using national guidance. We encourage families to follow the advice on nhs.uk if their child has a fever or to contact 111 or their GP.”
The Council and NHS Orkney are continuing to encourage parents to ensure their children attend at school unless they are unwell or have tested positive for the virus. Schools across the country are continuing to face COVID-related challenges since the return this term and, unfortunately, Orkney is no exception. There have been and, no doubt will continue to be, instances of positive cases within some of our schools – this is a reality of life now.
NHS Orkney and the Council, who have been working together closely since the pandemic began, are continuing to monitor the situation in schools and this is backed up by support from OIC Environmental Health and Safety and Resilience teams to ensure that schools are as safe as they can be for pupils and staff. Unfortunately, there has been some unhelpful national publicity surrounding the Omicron variant and the hospitalisation of young children, aged 5 and under. Although not unheard of, it remains extremely rare for a young child to have COVID complications.
The Council is seeking to reassure parents and carers that there have been and will continue to be a host of mitigations in place within schools.
These include:
- Increased ventilation through keeping windows and doors open;
- Hand washing and sanitising;
- Wearing of face coverings when appropriate;
- Distancing.
The Environmental Health team are also visiting all schools to ensure all measures are in place.
Maureen Swannie is interim Head of Children’s Health Services at NHS Orkney. She said: “The education sector has worked tirelessly to ensure protocols are in place for education settings to be as safe as possible and to allow our children to have a normal childhood.
“Unfortunately, over the last two years, children have had to miss out on many academic and social events due to COVID. As we continue to navigate the pandemic it's imperative that our children are one of our top priorities and this includes their health and wellbeing. The NHS continues to work with colleagues in Education, ensuring protocols are being followed to allow children to continue to safely attend school, learning their core skills and of course, socialising with their peers.
“Additionally, the COVID vaccination uptake has ensured teachers and support staff are also playing their part to help keep children safe and soon, children will also be offered vaccines as an important, extra layer of safety. We will continue to work in partnership to ensure that children and young people are fully supported.”
OIC Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, James Wylie, said: “When we have witnessed positive cases within a school, the initial reaction among some parents is to keep their children off school. While we understand everyone’s family circumstances are different and there may be a vulnerability aspects and anxiety amongst some, we continue to stress how important it is for all children and young people who are well to attend at school for academic, social and wellbeing reasons.
“Our staff are working incredibly hard to try and ensure that our schools remain open when that is at all possible because we all recognise just how vital this is for our children and young people. They have already missed out on so much. Far from not taking a child’s health and wellbeing into account when keeping schools open, it is at the very core of our decision-making based on Public Health advice.”
Please remember that everyone should continue to take regular lateral flow tests and register the results, whether positive or negative, here: https://www.nhsinform.scot/
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) made an official comment last week (13 January) on media reports of increased admissions of under 5s in hospital with COVID-19
In a statement RCPCH said:
“Children’s wards are experiencing a busy winter, as is usual for this time of year. As expected, this means paediatricians are seeing lots of babies and young children with fever and respiratory conditions.
“We know that Omicron is much more transmissible than previous COVID-19 variants and results in a higher rate across the community. It is therefore to be expected that there will be more children and young people testing positive for COVID-19. It is important to note that paediatricians are not reporting Omicron to be a more serious or severe disease in children and young people in the UK. We are also reassured to hear that very few children and young people admitted to hospital with Omicron are needing paediatric intensive care. While this is reassuring, we cannot be complacent and will monitor the situation.
“Parents and carers will understandably be anxious if their child falls ill, and it can be confusing to know what to do if your child is ill during the pandemic. Importantly, the NHS is open and continues to provide safe care for children and young using national guidance. We encourage families to follow the advice on nhs.uk if their child has a fever or to contact 111 or their GP.”
