Covid-19 pandemic: Australian Education Union calls for mandatory random Covid testing in schools

Students and teachers may be forced to take random COVID-19 tests even if they are not showing symptoms under a new union proposal for the 2023 school year.

The Australian Education Union has accused the government of Anthony Albanese of showing a “lack of concern” for the health and well-being of students as another wave of Covid sweeps across the country.

The top education body also expressed growing fears about the high risk of ‘long covid’ in schools due to repeated infections and the removal of isolation rules.

But infectious disease experts have dismissed the parliamentary proposal, highlighting how mandatory testing would be unsustainably expensive and that rapid antigen tests can be unreliable, particularly in asymptomatic cases without symptoms.

Students and teachers may be forced to undergo random covid-19 tests even if they are not showing symptoms under a new union proposal for the 2023 school year. Pictured, masked NSW primary schools return to school in 2021 after months locked up

Schools across the country had a long list of strict covid rules when the first quarter began in early 2022, including wearing masks, RAT testing and isolating at home for at least seven days if you were infected.

Most of the restrictions are long gone, and while it is strongly recommended that cases self-isolate for a minimum of five days, it is no longer necessary after the stay-at-home restrictions were lifted in October.

However, in a recent submission to the federal government, the AEC advocated for “regular asymptomatic testing of all students and school staff,” and for RATs to be provided again to schools and parents.

“Repeated exposure to Covid at school is very likely to cause further long-term harm through the cumulative effects of repeated infections and through an increase in the prevalence of long-term Covid among students,” the union’s filing states. .

“Current government approaches to limiting covid infection, re-infection and prolonged covid demonstrate a lack of concern for the health and well-being of students, teachers and school communities at large.”

A Queensland Health report last month concluded that long-term covid is “considerably overestimated” due to the dominance of Omicron strains, which are less severe than earlier mutations.

The Australian Education Union has accused the government of Anthony Albanese of showing a “lack of concern” for the health and well-being of students as another wave of Covid spreads across the country.

Dr. Paul Griffin believes that RATs in schools will be too expensive and provide false reassurance

But Queensland infectious disease expert Paul Griffin argues that RATs in schools will not address the problem, will be too expensive and will provide false reassurance.

He says schools should focus on better ventilation, ensuring vaccinations are up to date, social distancing where possible and making it easier to test those with symptoms.

“That’s much more effective than a screening strategy that uses a test that doesn’t do that job particularly well,” Dr. Griffin said. the courier mail.

Epidemiology professor Adrian Esterman personally believed the AEU proposal was a great idea, but added that it will not get a green light from the government.

The Australian Education Union has raised concerns about the high risk of ‘long covid’ in schools due to repeated infections (NSW secondary school students pictured)

“The thing about children is that it’s not a big problem if they get Covid, but the problem is that they can pass it on to their parents, grandparents, so if you can do it to buffer it in schools, that’s a good thing,” he said. .

‘The more cases we have and this includes children, the more Covid time we have.

Queensland recorded 16,600 new cases and 33 deaths in the week of December 8-15, while Victoria reported 24,652 new infections and the loss of 84 lives.

In NSW, cases continue to rise with 40,695 new infections and 74 deaths recorded in the last week.