Closure of hundreds of NSW schools prompts calls for broader rapid test rollout

More than 270 NSW schools and 300 childcare centres have closed due to COVID-19 cases in the past month, forcing thousands of children into quarantine and prompting parents and paediatricians to call for the use of rapid antigen testing instead of isolation.

About two-thirds of the schools were primary schools, where most students are not old enough to be vaccinated, while 55 were secondary schools and 31 catered to all ages, figures from across the three school sectors provided by the NSW Department of Education show.

Schools notified of a COVID-19 case usually close for one to two days to allow time for cleaning and contact tracing. Unvaccinated close contacts – usually classmates – quarantine for 14 days. Their vaccinated parents are allowed to continue normal activities.

In the hard-hit region of Albury, NSW is piloting a rapid antigen testing scheme to reduce quarantine from 14 to seven days for unvaccinated students if the child returns a negative test every day in the second week. There is no indication of when that option will be available elsewhere.

However, Doherty Institute modelling has found that screening students with a rapid antigen test before their school day works just as well as quarantine for managing outbreaks. Under this system, they would miss no school unless they returned a positive result.

Source: smh.com.au