Another case of coronavirus has been confirmed in TBSI, after an outbreak occurred there two weeks ago.
The person who contracted the virus was last in TBSI on November 18th, and worked on the sixth floor.
In an email to staff members, Prof Kingston Mills told staff that all close contacts had been notified, and asked people to remain “vigilant” in relation to social distancing “especially on the balconies during coffee/lunch breaks”.
On November 11th, staff and students were informed of five cases that had broken out in TBSI.
Practical classes in laboratory 3.22 were cancelled for a week, starting back yesterday.
“We ask that all staff and students remain vigilant and contact the College Health Service should they develop any symptoms of Covid-19, as Public Health have advised early testing for any symptomatic individuals”, Head of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology Dr Derek Nolan told students in an email at the time.
The very first coronavirus case in Trinity last March was also discovered in TBSI, prompting a quick move by College to suspend face to face teaching.
Trinity has recently extended its coronavirus testing scheme – spearheaded by TBSI researchers – to “key groups of staff”, including people working in College Health, the Day Nursery and Estates and Facilities on a phased basis.
The scheme works as both a preventative measure on the part of the College to stop coronavirus clusters breaking out, and also a study to find the efficacy of the LAMP method of screening – an alternative test to the current HSE one.
Participants must collect saliva in a special tube on a weekly basis and leave it at a designated spot to be collected and transported to either TBSI or the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute.
The scheme is run on a voluntary basis by the Faculty of Health Sciences, and participants who sign up to the scheme can withdraw consent at any time.
If a participant tests positive, the College Health team informs them and they can then organise a consultation with the College GP. If they do not, then they will not hear back from Trinity about their test.
