Reduce your children’s social activities, NPHET warns parents

The 5-12-year-old group has the highest Covid incidence rate.

NPHET has issued a warning to parents after a concerning rise in Covid cases. The worst outbreak is amongst children aged between 5 and 12. Parents have been advised to reduce their children's social interactions. Speaking at yesterday's NPHET conference, Dr. Ronan Glynn said parents need to make better decisions when making plans outside of school. He said parents should question if their kids "need to be engaging in everything they are engaging in at a point in time”. “If your children are going on playdates or engaging in sport, think of all the other activities they are engaging in," he said. The 5-12-year-old group now has the highest Covid incidence rate in the country. Professor Breda Smith added, “It’s really important that parents take the responsibility of keeping children with symptoms at home until they are 48 hours symptom-free." "If it is symptoms that are suggestive of Covid they need to get a Covid test.” 4,393 children were infected with Covid-19 in recent weeks. The warning comes after Dr. Tony Holohan advised parents to stop using antigen tests on symptomatic children. He told RTÉ's Claire Byrne: "We’re at the start of what might be the flu season, so that’s a very, very concerning practice." "If individuals have symptoms, the advice is not an antigen test. It is restrict your movements and get a PCR test." Parents should not be using antigen tests on children with Covid symptoms and then sending them to school when they get a negative result. Holohan said the concerning practice could lead to an increase in Covid-19 infections. If you have Covid-19 symptoms you must isolate and arrange a PCR test. You should not attend work, school, or any other social engagements until you have received a negative test result.