Covid ‘perfect storm’ as kids head back to school could see return to remote learning

Queensland students could return to remote learning amid fears schools could become superspreader hubs, with teachers exposed to unvaccinated children.

Remote learning for students has not been ruled out with Queensland doctors warning of a “perfect storm” as kids’ eligibility for Covid jabs clashes with surging demand for boosters.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed multiple modelling and scenarios were on the table ahead of students’ anticipated return to school this month, as Scott Morrison pledged students would “go back and stay back on day one of term one”.

The Independent Education Union, which represents more than 17,000 teachers and staff in private schools, today called on mass Covid vaccination hubs to be established at schools as a matter of priority when term 1 begins.

IEU Queensland secretary Terry Burke said protecting staff and students from a massive surge in Covid infections was critical.

“Our schools are one of the rare workplaces where a person is likely to be exposed to so many unvaccinated people and for such long periods of time,” he said.

The Independent Education Union is calling for vaccination hubs to be established at Queensland schools.

“This has the potential to create superspreader hubs.

“Protecting the health and safety of everyone in a school community is more critical than ever in the face of this highly transmissible variant – one we still have much to learn about.”

The Prime Minister, following a meeting of national cabinet, revealed that a national framework on how school would return amid the Omicron outbreak would be put in place within the next fortnight.

Mr Morrison said the focus was to ensure “schools and kids go back and stay back, and we don’t have schools opening and closing, and the disruption that will cause”.

But earlier in the day, when asked if at-home learning or other alternatives were on the cards, Ms Palaszczuk would only say “we’re doing some modelling”.

Education Minister Grace Grace. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Mr Burke called on the federal government to put in place arrangements to have mass vaccination of students on school sites from the beginning of the year.

“This is a tried and effective way of delivering a large-scale vaccination program into the school age community,” Mr Burke said.

“All our schools need is the plan, the vaccinations and the practitioners to deliver the vaccination; they will do the rest.”

Asked last week whether mass vaccination hubs would be rolled out to schools, Education Minister Grace Grace said it was “on the agenda”. No firm plan has yet been announced.

Mr Burke said the situation in Queensland was “vastly different to the one we were in at the end of the 2021 school year”.

He called on more certainty and clarification on a number of issues, including how exposures and outbreaks at schools sites would be dealt with, and whether rapid antigen tests would be provided free to teachers.

Education Minister Grace Grace confirmed the rapidly evolving Covid situation was being “carefully monitored”, with the government “considering any impacts it may have on our schools when they return for the 2022 school year”.

“We are using the time schools are closed to update the extensive planning that has already taken place, in the context of Omicron,” she said.

“My director-general and senior Department of Education officials have met and are continuing to meet with senior Department of Health officials to work on various models and scenarios.”

Ms Grace also said the education department was working closely with stakeholders to ensure school communities, parents and carers were kept informed on the evolving ­situation.

It comes as a peak medical body has called for parents to be permitted to homeschool children if they hold concerns, with Australian Medical Association Queensland chief Chris Perry saying doctors were racing to vaccinate as many children as possible before school returns on January 24.

“They face an almost impossible task in the next couple of months with the huge demand for boosters, dealing with Covid positive patients home care and trying to book appointments for schoolkids,” he said.

About 800,000 Queensland children under 12 remain unvaccinated, including 479,000 kids aged between 5 and 11, who become eligible for vaccinations from Monday.

With eight weeks needed between first and second doses, most Queensland primary school kids will not be fully vaccinated by the return-to-school date.

AMAQ President Dr. Chris Perry. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

As of last week there had been 10,404 appointments made for children in this age group to receive the vaccine at a Queensland Health facility between January 10 and when school begins.

SmartClinics West End GP and mum Jacqui Kelly said her message to parents with children in the 5-11-year-old age bracket who would be eligible from next week was simple – “just do it”.

“Parents who don’t immunise their children will always regret it if their child ends up in ICU or worse,” she said. “I tell my patients not to overthink it – trust the science.”

Dr Kelly said she felt it was even more crucial to get kids who were eligible for vaccinations immunised as soon as possible, before the school year begins.

Dr Jacqui Kelly with her son Hayden, 5. Hayden is booked to get his first jab on January 10. Picture: Adam Head

Despite earlier strains of Covid-19 being relatively unharmful to children, early overseas evidence on Omicron suggests younger children are experiencing higher rates of moderate to severe disease, and hospitalisations.

But medical experts have also warned of a potential shortfall of paediatric Covid-19 doses and appointment slots, with reports of some doctors not taking bookings until the “doses are in the fridge”.

The first delivery of paediatric Pfizer stock was expected to arrive into the state from the commonwealth government before January 10.

One Gold Coast practitioner said ideally, all children should be vaccinated before school starts, but General Practice Gold Coast (GPGC) acting board chair Kat McLean said she was aware of clinics being advised of possible vaccine delays.

“We have unfortunately learned the hard way that what’s announced and what happens on the ground don’t always align,” she said.

Professor Perry said keeping kids from heading straight back into the classroom by allowing remote learning would also give doctors more time to administer as many jabs as possible.

“There will be too many kids running around together who are either not vaccinated or have only received their first dose,” he said. “We can’t mandate for the first term, as it won’t work for everyone, but parents who have concerns should be able to have this option.”

Originally published as Covid ‘perfect storm’ as kids head back to school could see return to remote learning