Letter from NHS Highland Health Protection Team
Dear Parents at Hermitage Academy,
The NHS Highland Health Protection Team (HPT) has been advised that there have been 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in pupils at Hermitage Academy school. One pupil is in S2 and the other in S4. The 2 affected pupils were last in school on Friday 28th August.
We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with the Head Teacher and Education Service colleagues in Argyll and Bute Council. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child.
What should you do now
Contact tracing is ongoing and all close contacts of both confirmed cases are being identified. These pupils who have had close contact will be contacted directly and advised to isolate at home for 14 days.
The school remains open and all other pupils should continue to attend if they remain well.
If your child remains well then there is no need for them to be tested for COVID-19.
What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19
Hopefully this will not happen but if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, then they should not go to school and should have a swab test done. The testing should be accessed through the government testing route. This test can be accessed online and further information on testing can be found on NHS Inform
There is a test site at Glasgow airport which is open 7 days a week. The mobile testing unit will be in Helensburgh on Monday and Tuesday this week. A test needs to be booked in advance on the NHS Inform website. It may also be possible for you to access a postal testing kit which can be sent to your own home.
If you child is confirmed positive, they should then remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared.
Once a positive case is confirmed in a house, then all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days.
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
Household members should not go to work, school, public areas or use public transport.
Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:
•new continuous cough and/or
•high temperature
•a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)
Please be reassured that for most people, especially for children and young people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.
If your child or anyone in the household does develop symptoms, you can seek further advice from NHS Inform.
How to stop COVID-19 spreading
There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19
Do
-
wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
-
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
-
wash your hands as soon as you get home
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cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
-
put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Further Information
Further information is available at:
https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19
https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/
Yours sincerely
Dr Ken Oates
Consultant in Public Health Medicine
Enquiries to: Health Protection Team, Hpt.highland@nhs.net, 01463 704886