Headteacher sends letter to parents warning of lesser known Covid-19 symptoms in kids

15 October 2020, 11:12 | Updated: 15 October 2020, 11:16

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Etchells Primary School is looking into why the virus spread 'so quickly' among their pupils.

A headteacher in Stockport has warned parents to look out for signs their children could have coronavirus before sending them to school.

Etchells Primary School, in Cheadle has been forced to send many pupils home over the past few weeks following numerous outbreaks.

On Tuesday, the whole school was forced to close after more positive cases.

And now headteacher Cathy Beddows has said she has been working with experts to understand 'why the spread of Covid-19 happened so quickly'.

According to Manchester Evening News, in a letter to parents and carers this week, she said she thinks it is partly because children don’t display the same symptoms that are associated with the virus.

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These main symptoms include a new continuous cough or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste.

But working with Stockport Public Health England and medical and Health and Safety specialists, Cathy said many kids who tested positive complained of other symptoms or no symptoms at all.

She explained: "Today I met with Stockport Public Health England as well as the local authority and medical and Health and Safety specialists. We reviewed the situation at Etchells and looked at why the spread of COVID-19 happened so quickly.

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"One reason, as I outlined in my letter yesterday, is the onset of symptoms which haven’t been publicised as key Covid-19 symptoms. These include a headache, fatigue, aches – especially in the neck and shoulders, sore throats and sickness. Some of our positive cases actually had no symptoms at all.

"Please be watchful for these symptoms in your families."

The school has not confirmed how many cases they have had, but all classes have been forced into isolation.

Cathy added: "After discussion, we decided that the best course of action would be to keep the school closed until the half term holiday and reopen for all children on Monday 2nd November. This way, the school can have a thorough deep clean and we can give both staff and pupils the time to recover."

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According to the NHS website, the main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

Jennifer Connolly, director of Public Health at Stockport Council, has since praised the school for the way the outbreaks have been dealt with.

She said: "We manage any setting-based outbreak through a risk assessment and provision of advice, including isolation of close contacts and infection control measures as necessary.

“We are aware that not all Covid-19 cases have exactly the same traits, however the three well publicised symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – have been shown to be the most commonly identifiable indicators of coronavirus. If you are experiencing any of these listed symptoms please do book in for a test by visiting gov.uk or calling 119.”

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