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 personally think that once they have done the 14million who are in the top priority groups, planned by mid-Feb, which is over 70 and everyone CEV plus NHS staff I think,... They will then announce it will be more keyworker jobs first. Like teachers and police officers (who noone is suggesting!). Makes no sense to me that my conpletely healthy 60something mum and MIL who are both retired are due to come in front of keyworker jobs.

@GoldGreen

Exactly .

The position has not changed . The schools are statistically safe for pupils but they will still mix and spread the virus and take it home to parents and family that could be CEV.

I just heard today of a bus company that had one driver positive . When they tested the others there were MANY a who were carrying and asymptomatic.

Now all isolating.

Yes agree and this is as an NHS worker.

Colleagues in the NHS have received the first dose of the vaccination as they are clinically vulnerable even though they are 100% able to work from home. I would rather her children's teachers were vaccinated so she can actually do her job

It would be immoral if one profession, just because they are an educated group, supported by vocal middle class parents get put to the front of the queue ahead of the groups eminent scientists, on reviewing the data, have concluded need to be vaccinated first, or ahead of other professions who are exposed to equal or greater risk.

You realise there are more non degree educated staff in many schools than there are degree educated. We have anything from 1 - 4 TA's in any one class not to mention janitors admin staff, kitchen staff, lunchtime helpers etc. We are the ones getting really close to the kids, wiping noses, tending injuries, hugging them when they are sad, cleaning their faces, holding their hands, sitting with them in the covid room when they have symptoms til their parent can be bothered to turn up. My 1:1 spits. He sits on my knee a lot. Sometimes deliberately others just by accident due to his speech. I can't wear a mask. I don't think it's anything to do with being educated, and I think there are few occupations outwith frontline nhs and care staff more at risk

@midnightstar66

It would be immoral if one profession, just because they are an educated group, supported by vocal middle class parents get put to the front of the queue ahead of the groups eminent scientists, on reviewing the data, have concluded need to be vaccinated first, or ahead of other professions who are exposed to equal or greater risk.

You realise there are more non degree educated staff in many schools than there are degree educated. We have anything from 1 - 4 TA's in any one class not to mention janitors admin staff, kitchen staff, lunchtime helpers etc. We are the ones getting really close to the kids, wiping noses, tending injuries, hugging them when they are sad, cleaning their faces, holding their hands, sitting with them in the covid room when they have symptoms til their parent can be bothered to turn up. My 1:1 spits. He sits on my knee a lot. Sometimes deliberately others just by accident due to his speech. I can't wear a mask. I don't think it's anything to do with being educated, and I think there are few occupations outwith frontline nhs and care staff more at risk

Quite. I don't know any other profession bar nurses who have that level of intimate contact.

Yes I think they should. Just seems logical, sensible and fair to me.

Haven't RTT but yes I do think teachers should be high priority

@itbemay1 agreed but the teacher bashers won't like your statement

Sure. I'd do them immediately after h&sc workers. Makes a lot of sense.

@midnightstar66 this thread wasn't about all those who work in education it specifically said teachers should be higher up the list. So your post exactly highlights my point, why should teachers be above all the individuals you list in having the vaccination?

@Wheresmykimchi: prison officers, police officers and security guards all have physical contact with individuals who can be absolutely disgusting to them at times (spitting etc).

@Fuebombaa I am not a teacher but I am frontline nhs and I take my hat off to the work the teachers have been doing and the amount of contact they are required to have more so now with an increase in key worker places with no PPE!

@midnightstar66 this thread wasn't about all those who work in education it specifically said teachers should be higher up the list. So your post exactly highlights my point, why should teachers be above all the individuals you list in having the vaccination?

I think when people say teachers they mean all child centred school staff. I doubt they'd vaccinate my teacher then leave me another several months.

I was talking to my son's teacher today on a welfare call ,he goes to a special school for children with complex learning disabilities,they don't know yet if even they will be bumped up the priority list bearing in mind these teachers and support staff are regularly dealing with personal care ,and experience biting and scratching etc from students.

I'm glad to see some SEN teachers are already being vaccinated.

[quote GoldGreen]@Wheresmykimchi: prison officers, police officers and security guards all have physical contact with individuals who can be absolutely disgusting to them at times (spitting etc).[/quote]
Not quite the same as staff who do 1-1 intimate care with a number of pupils on a daily basis.

@midnightstarr66 do they though? I think threads have been very clearly that it's "teachers" who should be vaccinated and as you say no one is mentioning all the people you list not TAs, or school cleaners or lunchtime supervisors. Why should it be school centered why not nursery staff or childminders?

This is the difficulty when people start demanding one group goes to the top of the list, others also have arguments why they should be there as well.

The JCVI have produced clear guidance on why groups were chosen. Age was the most significant factor in terms of hospitalisation and mortality and that's why they are being vaccinated first. This should not be interfered.

I am s secondary teacher and I disagree. The wholw ‘rationale’ for all these strictures, and the vaccines, is not yo eradicate the virus, or even prevent infections in healthy people, but to reduce the pressure on the health to a manageable level of hospitalisations.
So vaccinating teachers, unless they are in those categories makes no sense, other than f they are all off sick st the same time it might cause school closures.
If teachers get ill (and actually we were far more exposed in February than now, many of us had symptoms then that were probably covid) they are less likely to be hospitalised than the elderly, so the current plan makes more sense.

@Wheresmykimchi you've clearly never step foot in the criminal justice system.

I agree. Any key worker who has lots of public contact should be a priority.

[quote GoldGreen]@Wheresmykimchi you've clearly never step foot in the criminal justice system.[/quote]
No...so I don't claim to know anything about criminal justice unions.

Well that's positive @OverTheRainbowLiesOz are they being vaccinated because of the environment they work in ? Or is it for other reasons such as they are clinically vulnerable do you know ? Because they should at least have the same priority as care home staff considering the environment in which they work.

Makes no sense to me that my conpletely healthy 60something mum and MIL who are both retired are due to come in front of keyworker jobs

The sense is that your 60 something mum is statistically more likely to get severely ill than a 30 year old teacher if they get Covid.

As people have pointed out several times, it's not about eradicating the virus, or how much someone is exposed, it's about the risk to said person should they be exposed and the likelihood of them needing hospital treatment. At least for now anyway. Obviously that may change the more we learn about the effects of the vaccine on things like transmission.

@Murphs1

I agree. Any key worker who has lots of public contact should be a priority.

Why?

Genuine question.

For now, we have to work on the assumption that the vaccine does not stop you from catching Covid and passing it on because we don't know that it does we are still researching that and it has been made very clear that the vaccine priority has been drawn up not based on transmission but on the likelihood of someone becoming severely ill and needing to go to hospital for treatment.

So why would teachers (or other key workers) need to be bumped up the list if they are not vulnerable in other ways if there's nothing (yet) to evidence that the vaccine definitely stops transmission.

So you vaccinate a bunch of healthy young teachers.... And they still get Covid and pass it on... So what's the point?

Until the most vulnerable in society (and by vulnerable I mean those more likely to catch Covid severely and require a hospital) are vaccinated, including the relevant age groups, no one should be bumped up anything.

Well that's positive @OverTheRainbowLiesOz are they being vaccinated because of the environment they work in ? Or is it for other reasons such as they are clinically vulnerable do you know ? Because they should at least have the same priority as care home staff considering the environment in which they work.

On the radio it said that they are getting some SEN teachers in at the end of the day (in the same way they have been vaccinating police) to use up left over vaccine which would be wasted otherwise. Basically prioritising some people who have very close contact.