Two Australian states are testing schoolchildren twice a week for COVID

Children return to campus for the first day of the full reopening of public schools in New South Wales for all students and staff as part of the easing of restrictions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19 ) at Homebush West Public School in Sydney, Australia on May 25, 2020.REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

SYDNEY, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Australia reported 58 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, as the two most populous states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, said students would be tested twice a week for the Omicron variant when classes resume. the week.

NSW has reported 34 COVID-19 patient deaths, while Victoria state has recorded 14 deaths and Queensland has reported 10 deaths.

Health officials said they believe an outbreak of Omicron peaked in New South Wales and Victoria, which reported 20,324 and 13,091 new cases respectively on Sunday.

Australian schools return after a summer vacation break within a week.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said parents would be asked to use rapid antigen tests twice a week to check their children for COVID-19 and report any positive results to the school and government.

Millions of test kits are being distributed to 3,000 schools this week, and students must be tested before attending the first day of classes, he told reporters in Sydney.

Teachers and high school students will be required to wear masks.

The state of Victoria has also recommended testing students twice a week as part of its back-to-school plan.

School staff in NSW and Victoria must be vaccinated against COVID-19, and teachers in Victoria have a deadline of the end of February to receive a booster, Victoria health officials have said.

Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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