Two people with COVID-19 have died in South Australia as the state government launches an initiative to increase the vaccination rate among children.
SA Health has reported 3,392 new COVID-19 cases today, the lowest figure since last Monday, following a spike in numbers over the past week.
The two deaths were a man and a woman, both in their 70s.
Yesterday, 3,796 new cases were reported, following 3,816 on Saturday.
There are now 248 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including seven people in intensive care.
Vaccination hubs at primary schools
Forty schools across Adelaide and regional South Australia will be used as vaccination hubs in an effort to boost the low inoculation rate among children aged between five and 11-years-old.
The program will roll out to 10 schools at a time, over a four-week period beginning on Friday, May 27.
The hubs will be repeated in another nine weeks for second doses.
Friday clinics will be limited to students and family members, while the wider community will be able to get vaccinated on the Saturdays.
Thirty of the schools are in Adelaide, 10 are in regional areas and six are non-government schools.
So far only 59 per cent of SA children aged five to 11 have had at least their first vaccine dose, compared with 96 per cent of the state's population aged 12 and over.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said the schools were chosen because they were "in a local government area where there is a lower vaccination rate than what we would like".
"That is the information that we have used as a basis for choosing all the 40 sites, including 10 regional and six non-government," Mr Boyer said.
However, some of the schools chosen — such as Glenelg, Brighton, Magill, Berri, Risdon Park and Greenwith primary schools — are in council areas with a 16-plus vaccination rate above 95 per cent.
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier welcomed the initiative, which she said would be particularly important to protect children who got COVID-19 and also had other health issues, such as asthma, heart conditions or epilepsy.
A Community Vaccination Day with free public transport to hubs will be held on May 28.
Clinics will be set up at council offices in Salisbury, Campbelltown, Playford, Tea Tree Gully, Port Adelaide Enfield, West Torrens, Port Pirie, the Adelaide Plains and the Barossa Valley.
Clinics will also be held at the Australian Red Cross in the Adelaide CBD, Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Berri and Port Pirie.
Concern about syndrome in children
Professor Spurrier said nine children in South Australia had developed paediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome (PIMS-TS) since the start of the pandemic, out of 96 across Australia.
PIMS-TS can occur in children two to six weeks after contracting COVID-19.
The rare but potentially life-threatening condition has symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain and a rash, and can mimic acute appendicitis symptoms.
"That also is prevented through vaccination," Professor Spurrier said.
Naomi Dallenogare's children Mila and Harvey were among the first children under 12 to receive their vaccination in January.
She said the hub was a good idea, although there had been little disruption at Marryatville Primary School, where her children went.
"Anything we can do to be more accessible and give people the opportunity to get vaccinated is incredibly important," she said.
The Education Minister said 5,620 South Australian school students had contracted COVID-19 in term 1, along with 847 staff.
Until Friday in term 2, a total of 3,173 had tested positive for the virus, he said, along with 589 staff.
Mr Boyer said a decision on whether to remove the requirement for masks at high schools would be made by the start of week five, which is May 30.
"My hope is figures stay steady and we can be in a position to remove masks at the end of the four-week period, but we'll make a decision closer to that date," he said.
