Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Testing and tracing 'key to schools returning'

Testing and tracing 'key to schools returning'

Current testing and contact tracing is inadequate to prevent a second wave of coronavirus after schools in the UK reopen, scientists have warned.

Increased transmission would also result from parents not having to stay at home with their children, they say.

Researchers said getting pupils back to school was important - but more work was needed to keep the virus in check.

The head of the NHS test and trace scheme said it was "already delivering" and on the right track for future.

Baroness Dido Harding said: "I absolutely don't accept that this is failure, it's the opposite."

She said more testing is required but maintained the current level of contact tracing was "well within the bounds" of what the researchers "are saying is necessary".

The UK government said plans were in place to ensure schools can reopen safely at the start of the school year.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate contact tracing systems.

Asked about the estimate that only 50% of contacts are being traced in England, Simon Clarke, minister for regional growth, told the BBC government figures were higher.

He said NHS test and trace is "maturing all the time" and getting children back to school in the autumn is a "top priority" that the government would not "be willing to trade".

"You're building an entirely new infrastructure which there's no precedent for," he said.

"But we're confident it is working, we're confident that it will continue to improve, and we're confident that it will allow schools to open safely in the autumn."

'Very bad surges'


Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organization's special envoy on Covid-19, said the virus is "capable of surging back really quickly" and stressed the importance of being able to trace, test and isolate people.

"If we can do that, and do it well, then the surges are kept really small, they're dealt with quickly and life can go on," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He later said he thinks Britain "will do really well" because there is "really good attention to where the virus is locally" and a lot of "public engagement in getting on top of it".

A government spokesman said local authorities will "be able to determine the best action to take to help curb the spread of the virus should there be a rise in cases".

Researchers from UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used computer models to see how the virus might spread in the UK as pupils returned to the classroom and their parents were more able to go back to work or resume other activities.

The study assumes children are less likely to catch - and therefore spread - coronavirus and that some parents would continue to work from home.

As first reported in June, the combined effect on pupils and parents would be enough to cause a second wave if there was no effective test-and-trace programme.

This would happen around December 2020 and would be twice as big as the first peak, unless the government took other actions such as reimposing lockdown.

The study, now formally published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, shows a second wave could be prevented if:

* both 75% of people with Covid symptoms were found and 68% of their contacts traced or
* both 87% of people with symptoms were found and 40% of their contacts traced

'Doesn't look good enough'


However, the researchers said NHS test and trace in England was falling short.

They estimate only half of contacts are being traced and while it is harder to know the percentage of people being tested, they say this also appears too low.

"It is not achieving the levels we have modelled. It doesn't look good enough to me," said Prof Chris Bonell, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths, from UCL, added: "With UK schools reopening fully in September, prevention of a second wave will require a major scale-up of testing to test 75% of symptomatic infections - combined with tracing of 68% of their contacts, and isolation of symptomatic and diagnosed cases."

How test-and-trace works:

* People with symptoms of cough, fever or loss of sense of smell or taste are tested
* If they are positive for coronavirus, they isolate for 10 days and their household does so for 14 days
* They have to inform the NHS of everyone they have come into close contact with
* These contacts must also spend 14 days in quarantine




Schools have been shut around the world as countries used lockdowns to control the spread of Covid-19. It is estimated 1.6 billion children have been kept out of the classroom.

In the UK, schools closed on 20 March, except to children of key workers or vulnerable children. On 1 June, they began a limited reopening for early years pupils, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

Schools are due to restart for all children in Scotland on 11 August and across the UK in early September.

But every step taken to open up society makes it easier for the coronavirus to spread.

Cases are already starting to rise and the idea of closing pubs in order to open schools has already been floated.

The UK government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has said "we are near the limit" of what we can do without causing a resurgence.

The individual nations of the UK have their own contact tracing systems.

The government said NHS test and trace in England has reached 80% of those testing positive and traced over 75% of their contacts.

The Welsh government said its advisory group recommended that schools open in September with all pupils present on site, and "we should be aiming to trace an estimated 80% of contacts, at least 35% of which are to be traced within 24 hours".

Since 21 June, 90% of close contacts were reached by the service, according to Welsh government figures.

A Scottish government spokesperson said guidance set out "a number of specific risk-mitigation measures that will need to be introduced" including an "enhanced surveillance programme".

In Northern Ireland, the latest figures for the week to 29 July showed 98% of contacts were successfully reached by the country's contact tracing service.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×