Screening for Covid-19 should be systematic and weekly in primary school and lead to only isolating positive cases in middle and high school, according to an opinion from the Scientific Council cited by The world.
Currently, the protocol retained by the Ministry of Education provides that a case of Covid in a primary school class leads to a closure. In the event of contamination at college or high school, students with unvaccinated contact cases must isolate themselves for one week.
A screening soon to be systematic?
According to the daily, which consulted an opinion of the Scientific Council of September 13 having not been made public, the experts believe that “at the primary level, this screening should be systematic and weekly. Only children detected positive would then be sent home ”.
“In middle and high schools, the opinion recommends screening, from the day after the appearance of a proven case, all students of the same level (and not just students of the same class, given the large mixing of adolescents among themselves). But, then, it would be enough to isolate only the positive pupils ”, indicates The world.
“A win-win strategy (…) supposed to avoid class closures in primary, and sorting between vaccinated and unvaccinated students in secondary”, often from more disadvantaged backgrounds, continues the newspaper.
This opinion is also concerned about the consequences of the Delta variant, which is more contagious and which “raises the fear of a pediatric epidemic at the start of the school year, in a context of non-vaccination in children under 12 and partial vaccination coverage in 12-17 years old. “, According to an excerpt cited by The world.
Contacted by AFP, the communication service of the Scientific Council declined to comment.