Outbreaks among schoolgoers more than doubled last week

Coronavirus outbreaks associated with schools have more than doubled while private homes account for more than half of all recent outbreaks.

New data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows 49 outbreaks occurred among schoolgoers in the past week compared with 22 the week before. The report notes these outbreaks are associated with school children or school staff and transmission of the virus within the school has not necessarily been established.

There were 19 outbreaks in childcare facilities in the seven days to Saturday, March 27th, which is a slight increase on the previous week, when 16 were confirmed.

An outbreak or cluster is defined as two or more cases of confirmed Covid-19.

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Private homes continue to be the main source of outbreaks, with 270 confirmed among families sharing a house out of a total 454 outbreaks recorded last week. The report also shows there were 27 clusters of the virus among extended families.

Six outbreaks were confirmed in hospitals, two were identified in nursing homes and seven were found in residential institutions. There were three associated with restaurants or cafes, despite these venues being closed to the public except for takeaway and one outbreak a pub-related cluster. Eight clusters were traced to social gatherings, two were associated with retail outlets and 12 occurred in workplaces.

Meanwhile, the weekly incidence rate of the virus among those aged over 85 dropped by a third last week, with 49 cases confirmed per 100,000 people.

A new surveillance centre report examining weekly epidemiology of the virus shows that the seven-day rate among this older cohort has reduced by 68 per cent over a four-week period. The rate of the virus among this age group peaked in the second week of January, when it hit 1,411 cases per 100,000.

Key indicators

Just 33 people aged 85 or over were diagnosed with the virus last week.

The weekly rate fell by 16 per cent among 75- to 84-year-olds (to 47 per 100,000) last week and by 24 per cent in the 65 to 74 age cohort (to 39 per 100,000).

Nationally, the weekly incidence rate stood at 84 cases per 100,000 of the population on Saturday. Although this was a 3.8 per cent increase on the week prior, it is still 12 per cent lower than four weeks previously.

While the weekly rate has declined significantly in the older age cohorts, it has been rising among young people in recent weeks. Last week it was highest in children under the age of five, with 114 cases per 100,000 infants and toddlers. This is an increase of 10 per cent on the previous seven days. There were 378 children under the age of five who tested positive for the virus last week.

There was also a 17 per cent jump in the weekly incidence rate among five- to 12-year-olds, with 103 cases per 100,000, and a 12 per cent rise in the rate among the 19 to 24 age cohort, which stood at 110 last Saturday.

The rate among most teens (aged 13 to 18) was relatively stable, experiencing an increase of less than 1 per cent to bring it to 84 confirmed cases per 100,000.