Screening students for Covid a herculean task

Parents fear financial burden if infection is suspected

LAHORE:

Screening of students for coronavirus infection as per directions of the National Command and Operations Centre has become a big challenge for educational institutions in Punjab, including universities.About 200,000 students are returning to the 30 government universities in the province. Another 70,000 students will attend classes in 700 colleges, while 38,000 primary and 7,000 elementary schools have eight million pupils. The 600,000 teachers and other staff will also have to be screened at the time of entering the educational institutions. It is estimated that ensuring the screening at such a mass scale would cost a heavy amount.

On the directions of the authorities concerned, government and private educational institutions have resumed classes on their premises from the primary school to university level across Punjab.

After the reopening of the institutions, the screening of all students, teachers and other staff for symptoms of coronavirus will be carried out regularly.

On the other hand, questions have been raised about the reliability of the results of laboratory tests for coronavirus. The margin of error in the results of diagnostic tests is a hindrance in assuring the parents of the safety of their children from the pandemic after returning to educational institutions.

The screening will mostly be based on the symptoms of the disease.

Chakwal students shine in RBISE HSSC exam

Even ensuring the screening for the symptoms of all the students and staff entering the institutions daily across the province is a herculean task.

Although the heads of all educational institutions have agreed to ensure the screening, they have not elaborated the process for the students or staff members suspected of having symptoms of Covid-19, including fever. Laboratory tests for the disease will be required in such cases.

On the other hand, coronavirus vaccine has started arriving in the country but it will not be available for all citizens. The number of vaccine doses being imported can only cover a small proportion of the country's population.

According to Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, the vaccine will be given in phases. In the first phase, the elderly will be vaccinated. In the next phase, women and children will be included, while the younger generation has been placed in the final phase. The cayegories have been made on the basis of the expected level of immunity.

A clear plan has not been announced about the tests for suspected coronavirus cases found in educational institutions, prompting fear among parents regarding financial burden.

When contacted, Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Captain (retd) Usman Younus said that as per the instructions of the government, students, teachers and other staff of all government educational institutions will be screened free of cost.

However, Mrs Imran, the mother of a school student, said that the free screening might not be possible for the estimated eight million students of private institutions and the parents might have to bear the cost. She said the government also had no control over the charges of private labs.

A student, Umair Khan, also said the private schools, colleges and universities already collected additional fees on various pretexts and the Covid-19 screening might add to the list.

Meanwhile, a strategy is being worked out by the government to strengthen the immunity of school going children aged nine to 15 years in the first phase.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2021.