Faster pace of the epidemic: Prague schools will start the week with comprehensive tests on covid
In the last week of October, the Regional Hygiene Station registered 414 covid of positive schoolchildren or teachers. The disease occurred in 174 schools during this period, with at least one whole class closed in 115 of them. The hygienists sent about ten pupils to each positive quarantine.
“This week there was a decrease due to the autumn holidays, the number of resolved cases is still the second highest in the entire monitoring period since September 2020,” says the Hygiene Station of the Capital City of Prague, which is still processing data for the first week of November.
Councilor for Education Vít Šimral (Pirates) point out that comprehensive testing is subject to parental consent and is not offered to vaccinated schoolchildren or those within the protection period after the illness. “Most schools have already been vaccinated. For example, the Smíchov industrial school has a vaccination coverage of about 80 percent, “he said.
It will be tested mainly by antigenic tests. In rather exceptional cases, schools will replace them with more accurate PCR, which the state does not reimburse now. According to Šimral, the municipality is ready to finance PCR kits for primary schools in Prague 9. However, a pilot project of tests from school wastewater is also being implemented there.
“A more accurate PCR method makes sense there for comparing data from both methods. Wastewater tests are very cost-effective and can detect the spread of coronavirus earlier than those performed directly in benches. In addition, the collection itself is eliminated, which can be unpleasant for children and is logistically demanding, “described Šimral.
Some schools tested voluntarily this week after returning from the autumn holidays. For these purposes, Prague 6 paid for PCR tests from its own cash register. A blanket “screening” revealed 35 covid of positive students in this part of the city among almost six thousand tested. “Testing has proved to be meaningful, because thanks to it we know the actual number of people infected in our schools. In cooperation with schools, parents of children and the Prague hygiene station, we can take effective steps to prevent the further spread of the disease. And thus the possible local closure of schools, “stated Councilor Marie Kubíková (ODS).
On Monday, however, schools in Prague 6 will use state-distributed antigen tests. After the earlier deployment of PCR, Prague 7 is now also choosing them.