It was this day last year that the rumblings went around the country that a Dublin secondary school was shutting it’s doors after a positive Covid-19 test from one of its’ students.
Scoil Chaitríona in Dublin 9 notified staff and students after contact tracing had linked all of them to the case involved – which had been Ireland’s first known incidence of the virus, confirmed by the HSE only the night before.
The male student had returned from an area in northern Italy which at the time was the hub of the virus in Europe.
He was tested in a hospital for the virus with the positive result confirmed late Saturday evening.
The bombshell announcement about Scoil Chaitríona hit the headlines the next day.
He had ‘hundreds’ of close contacts as Ireland faced it’s first battle to contain the virus.
That would have included family members, close friends, in and out of school, and health care providers he met since his return from Northern Italy.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said at the time: “Contact tracing has assessed that close contacts of this patient includes pupils and teachers of a secondary school.
"Public health doctors are in direct contact with pupils, their parents and the staff involved.’
“They will actively follow-up with all students and teachers on a daily basis over the coming 14 days.
''The risk to the general public is still low. This risk may change. People may continue to go to work, school, as usual.”
Since that point, 219,591 more cases have been confirmed in the country.
4,319 people have lost their lives to the virus.
However, there is hope, with latest vaccine figures showing that 426,070 doses have been given by so far- just under 10% of the population, and that’s before the expected authorisation of the Johnson and Johnson one-dose jab.
