Parents advised to remain cautious as schools feeling the impact of COVID

Allerdale Borough Council sent this bulletin at 25-03-2022 05:30 PM GMT

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Updates on the coronavirus situation in Allerdale

Parents advised to remain cautious as schools feeling the impact of COVID

Parents in Cumbria are being advised to take precautions as schools feel the impact of rising COVID infection rates.

In the last two weeks alone, 203 schools or childcare settings in the county have reported positive cases, with eight primary schools either fully or partially closed due to the impact of the virus on staffing levels.

Children aged 0-4 years have seen the greatest proportional increase in infection rates of any age group during the last 7 days (118%), with primary (41%) and secondary school (52%) age children also experiencing large increases.

With free COVID-19 testing ending next week, anyone needing to take a Lateral Flow test will need to buy one from a private retailer after Friday 1 April – such as a local pharmacist.

Latest from Cumbria County Council's Public Health Team

Claire King, a Consultant in Public Health with Cumbria County Council, said: “While testing remains free of charge (until 31 March 2022), please continue to get a PCR test for your children if they develop one or more of the three main symptoms of COVID-19 – a high temperature, continuous cough or a change to their sense of taste or smell.

“The public health advice is that you should stay at home when you test positive for COVID-19 via either a PCR or LFD test. If your child has tested positive for COVID-19, they should LFD test from day five following the onset of their symptoms (or day 5 following their positive test result if there were no symptoms).

“Children should only return to school once they have had a negative LFD test for two days in a row - and please remember a faint line on the LFD test still counts as a positive test result.

“The national guidance now advises that close contacts of positive cases (including siblings and other household members) no longer need to LFD test and can attend school as normal. However, household contacts remain at high risk of catching COVID-19, so we ask parents and carers to remain very cautious in looking out for signs of illness in their children when other members of the household have tested positive. If in doubt, get a test.

“Schools are also starting to see other infections circulating (such as sickness bugs and Scarlet Fever). There are some basic measures that everyone can take that are effective in helping to reduce the spread of most infections – such as washing your hands regularly using soap and water and using tissues for runny noses, coughs, and sneezes.”

2022 Week 11 (Ending Friday 18th March)
Summary - Produced Wednesday 23rd March

Key Points for Cumbria and districts in 2022 Week 11 (Ending Friday 18th March):

There were 4,937 new cases in Cumbria (an increase of 1,608, +48% from 3,329 new cases in the previous week);
For the 3rd week in a row, Carlisle and South Lakeland had the greatest numbers of new cases (+1,239 and +1,113 new cases, respectively);
Carlisle had the highest rate of new cases, followed by Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland (1,142, 1,070 and 1,061 new cases per 100k population, respectively);
For the 2nd week in a row, rates in all districts except Allerdale were above the national average rate (England 820 new cases per 100k population);
For the 2nd week in a row, rates in all districts were above the regional average rate (North West 678 new cases per 100k population);
Number of new cases increased in all districts, with Carlisle having the greatest increase of +476 cases, or +62%.

What to do if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) or symptoms of COVID-19

While you’re no longer legally required to self-isolate if you have COVID-19, you should try to stay at home and away from others to avoid passing on the virus.

Find out about staying at home and avoiding contact with others if you have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms or have symptoms of COVID-19.