To think teachers should be moved up vaccination list..

[Ltdannygreen]

I’m not a teacher just to clarify, but I can’t be the only one who think teachers should be a priority on the vaccination list, not just so kids can get back to school but many are currently working to teach the children of key workers who are on the frontline everyday who still pose a risk. I’m aware that elderly are important, but so are our teachers.

I have a life limiting heart condition, not considered CEV (although according to cardiology they were surprised that those with my condition weren’t.) and according to the guidelines I should be no.6 on the vaccination list.

But according to my GP I am not even categorised, and neither are many others with the same condition. I am likely to end up in hospital if I catch COVID. If I don’t die I am likely to end up with lung damage which will mean I am ineligible for the heart transplant I am going to need, and which is my last hope of a long-term future.

i am a far greater risk to the NHS than any teacher who doesn’t have an underling health condition and won’t be categorised according to their own, individual risk.

And there are greater risks of infection - supermarket workers who work on checkouts with thousands and thousands of people every day.

Bus drivers who make it possible for thousands and thousands of people to go to work

Taxi drivers who again, make it possible for people to go to work, hospital appointments if need be (I catch cabs not buses to avoid public transport.)

The criteria isn’t about how many people someone could infect, it’s about how much of a risk you are of developing serious complications and/or dying.

And frankly people need to stop harping on about this one, it’s getting boring.

They don't even know that the vaccine stops the virus from transmitting to others yet so what's the point of this argument? At the moment the main hope for the vaccine is that it stops people getting severely ill and dying. We don't yet know if it stops people from being able to pass it on so it would make no difference to this

They don't know if it doesn't either. They have no data either way do they?

The over 80's may be more likely to die with covid. The over 80's are more likely to die full stop. UK has an average lifespan of 79 for men and 83 for women, so yes, of course over 80's are more likely to die.

I would rather all public facing key worker groups were next in line.
Absolutely think medical staff, ambulance staff and carers should have been in the first group. It's not the bed/chair bound 90 yr old in a care home that is more likely to catch it, it's their medical staff and carers. And visitors who are working and with the public.

Over 70's rarely have jobs, children at home etc. They can shield in place far more easily.

Our school, not even all key worker families have a place as teachers are refusing to come in. So key workers can't work.

My understanding is that the ones who are vaccinated first are the ones most likely to be hospitalised and die from it and therefore vaccinating them will ease the pressure on hospitals. I'm a teacher and have no desire to be vaccinated before the elderly. Also wouldn't you then have to think about supermarket staff and those that work on public transport? I don't see why they shouldn't get it at the same time as teachers. There's lots of people unknowns about the vaccination so we would also have to still act as if we could pass it on - my friends grandma has just tested positive and has had the vaccination.

This is happening in Scotland, Scot gov announced at the tine this lockdown was announced that teachers/school would be prioritised. They are just working out the time scale now.

I'm a bit uncomfortable with this, as a teacher myself. After the top 4 priority groups are more medically vulnerable groups, plus the next in line are 65+. Should they be put further down the list?!

I would like to see after the top 4 priority groups are done, a priority of the next groups 5,6,7 etc based on need. So as a 40 year old clinically vulnerable teacher, I'd like to be prioritised over someone else with the same medical condition who doesn't work or who has a non person facing role (not many less than a teacher!). But also, if someone in this big group is more medically vulnerable than me, they should be first iyswim. I believe they did this when vaccinating NHS staff. It would only work if GP/NHS had employment data (mine do and I've always been asked what I do as it impacts on my condition)

I don't think ANY teacher would want priority over CEV or elderly people in terms of vaccinations. However, when it gets down to the general categories, they would benefit from some sort of priority within them. But then, so would lots of other employment categories!

I'm a bit uncomfortable with this, as a teacher myself. After the top 4 priority groups are more medically vulnerable groups, plus the next in line are 65+

No I don't think anyone is suggestions this, but after the vulnerable/front line NHS staff they should be prioritised (and are being in Scotland)

Yes let’s just move them up! Anything to stop the unions holding parents and children’s education across the whole country to ransom.

They don't know if it doesn't either. They have no data either way do they?

No they don't know. So what sense does it make to spend lots of time vaccinating people based on something they don't know.

The only sensible thing to do right now is to vaccinate and prioritise on the assumption that it doesn't stop transmission until they know otherwise and according to only what they do know.

What has this to do with the unions? The government ignored the unions when they said it wasn't safe in schools and insisted it was and that the unions were scaremongering. That was until 24 hours later when they suddenly decided that schools were unsafe!

So you spend months vaccinating everyone who has increased exposure no matter what their actual risk of severe ill health or death is, so teachers, support staff, police officers, shop workers so on... Whether they are 20 or 60 years old and then find out it actually doesn't prevent transmission and you're still in the same situation as now with overrun hospitals and vulnerable dying. What a waste of time.

The way they are doing it now is scientifically based on what the evidence tells them so far and which they have said repeatedly is the fastest way to get back to normality.

If it changes tomorrow to 'hurrah we've found out that you can transmit Covid after you've had the vaccine' I'd be all for bumping up people who are more likely to actually spread it. But they don't know that yet.

That you can't transmit**

Personally I'm concerned that vaccinating teachers will just enable the government to reopen schools unsafely ensuring more parents catch it.

A lot of people need to understand the potential impact of covid on those in their forties, there's a big range of outcomes in between 'dead' and 'asymptomatic/just a cold'.

Schools need to be safe - meaning not a massive hub for community transmission.

I don’t think vaccinating teachers is necessarily the entire issue with schools - and I’m a primary teacher myself.

The issue is that schools are a massive source of community transmission. Three parents of children in our (small, rural) school have been seriously ill in hospital since December. One is on a ventilator.

Even now we are at 40% of usual capacity with less than 40% staff in, so ‘bubbles’ are getting larger. Other staff working late into the night sorting out online learning, so can’t draft more in physically.

I’m not sure what can be done, tbh.

Absolutely, been saying this for weeks, kids need school.

@Roselilly36

Absolutely, been saying this for weeks, kids need school.

And what makes you think vaccinating teachers is the answer to reopening school?

The way to reopen schools is to ease the pressure on hospitals i.e. by vaccinating those more likely to need a hospital.

Again, until we actually know that the vaccine reduces or stops transmission of the virus, vaccinating healthy school staff will make no difference to our current situation.

I think they should vaccinate all keyworkers at night.. me and my partner are both keyworkers. We both had to self isolate last week as according to the NHS app we has been in contact with someone who tested positive, but because of a glitch with the app we started isolating 6 days too late. We would happily go and get our vaccines at a stupid hour rather than have to wait till 2022 (according to the online calculator) and continuing to put ourselves and others at risk

rather than have to wait till 2022 (according to the online calculator) and continuing to put ourselves and others at risk

All adults are supposed to have been offered by Autumn this year?

A few weeks ago, I was in 2022 according to the calculator. I'm now August 2021, as a young, healthy adult with no underlying conditions in my 20s so that will likely have changed for you providing we meet the targets we've set.

@Roselilly36

Absolutely, been saying this for weeks, kids need school.

Kids need school, parents need covid?

Maybe you think the virus doesn't come home with kids?

But there may be something in offering during unsociable hours to other keyworkers. It would also give us a larger pool of research into the transmission post vaccine.

Although if there is only a certain amount available for distribution it still means it would take longer for those most in need to receive it.

The top 4 groups in the priority table for the vaccine account for 88% of deaths (according to the coronavirus press conference) I’m sure the priority list is based on clinical evidence. Once they get to the everyone else under 60 with no underlying problems, they should maybe focus on teachers and other public facing workplaces then?

@midnightstar66 I'm not sure why you think Scotland is prioritising teachers over vulnerable people. This is an extract from a newspaper on 8th Jan.

"But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has again insisted it would be “unethical” to prioritise teachers – or any other profession – before the most vulnerable are vaccinated.
Earlier this week she said she wants school staff to be “vaccinated as quickly as possible”, but not at the expense of those deemed clinically most at risk from the virus."

Can I please point out that a school cannot run on teachers alone ( although admittedly they are very important). Other school staff are often forgotten about on these threads. Not the point of the thread I know, but just wanted to get it off my chest.

I think that anything that increases the chance of a school continuing to function is a good idea. NHS staff are vaccinated for this reason.

The most important thing is to vaccinate the clinically vulnerable, then once 1-9 are done, teachers, transport workers, food production and supermarket staff should be priority 10 followed by all those in other key workers positions plus all manufacturing at 11, then by age order 45-50 and so on, all higher Ed students should be offered it in August even if they are younger

I disagree. I am a teacher. Vulnerable teachers yes, the rest of us no.