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Public Health has acknowledged that coronavirus is circulating in residential and nursing homes, but no further action is being recommended at this time due to low hospital admissions generally.
Respiratory surveillance in the community has identified some cases but not enough to warrant a change in approach.
Public Health Director, Dr Nicola Brink said “we will continue to review information regarding current and novel variants as it becomes available and modify our current recommendations if required”.
While LFT testing kits are no longer free, the public “are still buying them”, she added.
A new variant of Omicron, named Pirola, recently became the dominant strain of the virus in Britain. Common symptoms include sneezing, a sore throat, and headache.
Dr Brink noted: “On an anecdotal level, I appreciate that islanders may feel that there is an increase in cases due to cases within their family and social circles."
The autumn booster vaccination programme for older islanders, those with acute health problems or immunosuppression, and frontline health staff is now underway, and some PCR and LFT testing is available in clinical settings, she said.
Pictured: The Bailiwick stopped publishing weekly testing results earlier this year, with the online page displaying data from March.
Express understands several businesses and the public sector have recently been affected by staff illnesses.
Les Varendes Sixth Form Centre recently advised parents that some lessons had to be cancelled due to “significant levels of unanticipated staff absence, mainly due to illness”.
It said absences exceeded levels seen during the pandemic.
“Regrettably we were unable to provide every class whose teacher was absent with a cover teacher. Instead, on a few rare occasions, we had to combine classes from different year groups and supervise them.”
Dr Brink said “online reporting of a positive LFT is also still available and I would encourage people with a positive LFT to use this”.
Staff sickness causes problems
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