By Emily-Rose Toohey
Covid-19 cases in schools are on the rise after nearly two weeks of in-person learning resumed on 7 February, despite Queensland reaching its peak.
Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said Queensland should expect a significant increase in Covid-19 cases recorded in schools over the coming weeks.
As of Monday, Queensland was recording between 1000 and 1500 cases in school-aged children every day, split evenly between primary school and high school students.
“We’re not taking any greater safety measures in schools – we just need to see what happens with the trend with children,” Dr Gerrard said.
“We’re also not taking a very strong restrictive stance on isolating members of the school community because we know this virus is widespread and it will continue to be widespread.”
More than one quarter of Queensland’s 3750 known Covid-19 infections reported on Monday were school-aged children.
“What will happen this week will certainly be very interesting,” Dr Gerrard said.
“The degree of immunity in school-aged children is still not clear.
“Exactly what is going to happen over the next week or two among children at school isn’t clear, but we’ll learn in the next few days.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that Queensland is getting closer to removing its daily briefings in the face of overall declining case numbers and hospitalisations.
“We’re not quite yet there yet, but I think we’re very close if we continue to see this trend happening for the next few days,” Ms D’Ath said.
She said the briefings would be replaced by an update posted online at a certain time each day.
“Unless there’s something out of the ordinary or particularly important that needs to be shared, this will happen,” Ms D’Ath said.
“I know many other jurisdictions have stopped doing the daily reporting press conferences on this.”
On the school front, Ms D’Ath said she is thankful to parents for bringing their children forward to get tested.
“That means that we’ll have less spread in the schools because parents are doing the right thing,” she said.
Queensland health authorities said they are currently reviewing all of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions and will make an announcement by the end of the month.
