Covid: School children driving Calderdale case spike

Public health officials have asked schools to consider measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19

Grandparents providing half-term childcare in part of West Yorkshire have been warned to be "vigilant" amid a spike in children with Covid-19.

Debs Harkins, Calderdale's director of public health, said the case rate in the borough was the "highest" it had ever been.

She added infections were being driven by school-aged children who then passed it to older adults.

The area recorded 1,257 cases in the seven days to 9 October.

That was a rise of 107 on the previous week and gave the borough, which includes Halifax, a rate of 594 cases per 100,000 residents.

The England average rate was 385.

Ms Harkins said: "The number of high cases is being driven by the virus spreading in schools, cases in school-age children have never been so high."

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She added that the data suggested those young people were transmitting it to older members of society, resulting in hospital admissions.

"Unfortunately we now have the fifth highest case rate in people aged 60 plus in England," she said.

"We're seeing real pressures within our hospitals at the moment, due to the extremely high numbers of Covid-19 cases in the borough."

With half-term approaching, she advised grandparents who were providing childcare to be vigilant and recommended parents use lateral flow tests for children without symptoms.

Ms Harkins said families should consider other childcare arrangements if grandparents "were vulnerable or had underlying health issues."

Ms Harkins suggested schools should think about whether residential trips should go ahead as planned

She said the council had written to schools and parents asking them to consider introducing measures to try and reduce transmission of the virus.

"The first think we are asking is where someone in the home tests positive for Covid any children or young people who live with them should stay away from school for three to five days and get a PCR test."

She said they were also asking school to consider the greater use of face coverings, increasing ventilation and to consider limiting the amount of mixing between groups in schools.

Ms Harkins added schools should also consider if residential overnight educational trips should go ahead.

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