Schools closing for flu

[Busydoingsomething]

A school near me has partially closed due to staff shortages. Another has cancelled all performances. Some of the children will have been vaccinated but I suspect, lots of the staff won’t have been. I was listening to 2 people today, on the train, discussing whether school staff should be vaccinated, to prevent the staff being off and impacting on education. Wondering if this would be a good move.

We used to get a flu jab along with the children in my school if we wanted it. Then it stopped for a few years, then this year we could apply for a voucher to use for a jab in a Boots store we could book and attend ourselves.

Everytime I tried to book though there were no appointments available and I tried about 8 different stores. So I don't know if the scheme was any use or if I was just unlucky.

Somebody upthread posted it. As you would expect it’s not peer reviewed and has several flaws.

I might have worded it wrong, what I meant is that I feel worse with the Flu, but then that’s just my perception.It’s actually quite scary reading about all the effects of COVID. I get infected every winter with it due to working in a school and every time it takes me longer to get over. I’m actually waiting for a cardiology appointment at the moment due to irregular heart rate and it makes me wonder if it’s all connected to these repeat Covid infections.

Thanks Cardi. Not surprised at all.

I was wondering what all the fuss was about but I think my son got it last night. It is wild! Covered in sweat, straight up to 40.2 temp. It’s a strong one!

I'm not sure what the case is elsewhere but in Scotland all children get the flu vaccine at school every winter. A lot of teachers take up the vaccine themselves. I actually don't know of any children or teachers that are off school with flu, but norovirus and other common childhood illnesses are rife in my daughter's school right now. I wonder if hygiene standards have slipped a lot and if reinforcing that everywhere again would help more.

Kind of related but we missed the school jab for my 14yr old son. Can I get it/buy it anywhere else? Can I bugger-y.

I'm vaccinated and feel like I've protected myself but not him and feel awful about it.

So you just take her word for it rather than look at the study which was undertaken by a hospital with over 50,000 participants who were all medical staff. Ok.

In my country 3 out of 4 doctors and staff didn’t take the flu or Covid shot at this year. That stat was published by the health body but no it’s not peer reviewed.

If you’re in the SW I have found a pharmacy with slots.

> why there’s not more of a plan to offer vaccines to people who work in schools
Money

I'm really sorry to hear that. The repeat infections could definitely be linked to your cardiac problems. All I can suggest is to take your own protective measures against further infections with an N95 mask, opening windows and trying to convince the school to run air purifiers.

You could also try nasal rinse every evening, Blis k12 probiotics, gargle with CPC mouthwash, but ultimately nothing works better than an N95 at preventing exposure.

COVID is creeping up again in the UK despite the last wave being peaking only in October.

Thank you for your advice. Unfortunately, I think I’m going to have to find a job in a ‘lower risk’ environment. It’s a shame because I really enjoy my job, but what can I do? The windows are always shut, the heat is on, the co2 monitor is always showing red, it’s a breeding ground for germs and illness and I can’t take much more of it.

What I’m surprised at is the apparently low uptake yet they’ve run out of stock?

I’m surprised more families don’t take it up now that it is a nasal spray. I was very happy to fill my form in and get DD vaxxed. I would have felt nervous if it was an injection and I wasn’t there but would have done it anyway.

The study is a pre-print has not yet been peer-reviewed. Its findings and conclusions may be incorrect. The article itself has this disclaimer.

Eta: which country are you in?

Took the jab a few weeks ago yet here i am feeling horrible

@DucksInARowingBoat ask your Gp and local pharmacy. They will be able to tell you where to take him to get it.

As he is eligible they will definitely want him to have it.

For those asking why it isn’t routinely offered to school staff - money

big employers in london offer it to all staff to reduce sick leave. So why don’t schools…… money money money!

surely someone must have done a review to understand costs of providing the jab vs cost of covering for sickness?

I always buy calpol at the start of September and we will always need to open it at least once before Christmas. My child gets a flu nasal vaccine in school every October, I just have to tick a box to give consent and school organises it. But bugs and viruses still go round.

My friend works on a paediatric ward and says they have several kids admitted with influenza A

Have talks from people my age who actually contracted all those 'childhood' diseases. Thankfully the polio vaccine came along for me although a boy in my class wore a calliper because of it.
And my father was away for a year with TB

Vaccine refusers (unless medical reasons) make me angry, They don't know how lucky they are

Very few pharmacies by us do under 16s and those that do, are out of stock and apparently arent expecting any more.

The GP said they were only doing vulnerable people now. I will phone them again though.

Teach us for missing the school programme.

I had the vaccine and still ended up in hospital for 10 days with flu! It’s not a guarantee

Did you read why it does t say what you suggest it does? Or notice that it says right at the beginning that’s it’s not peer reviewed? It’s also American, and there are some differences in health care which might make it less relevant here.
Edit: in which country did 3 out of 4 doctors and staff not get a flu jab? Seems odd. Certainly not usual. Or by ‘staff’ do you mean ‘people who work for heath agencies’ - ie including cleaners, admin assistants etc? These people are unwise not to get it but it creates a different impression than doctors not getting it.

From gov.uk

"Early data from the UKHSA shows this year’s vaccine is continuing to provide good protection against flu variants circulating this year.

The flu season has started early this year. Now is the time to get vaccinated if you are eligible."

From what I've read it is similar to the statistics for most years where flu jabs are about 60% effective.

So for a particular individual, they may still get flu even if vaccinated, but it is likely to be less severe than if they didn't have the vaccine

On a population basis though, the prevention of serious/hospitalised flu is huge as 60% of a very big number is still a very big number!