Violet Affleck is clearly warning parents about the affect of Covid on children, so when will our children get finally get air filters in their schools/nurseries?

[Annemcc32]

I genuinely can't believe that the government/department for education are able to continue to ignore the now overwhelming, crystal clear evidence that Covid harms children's health. Violet Affleck gave a powerful, well documented, speech at the UN this week laying it all out and the media response? Accuse her of 'health anxiety'!
Other countries are taking action on indoor air quality to protect children in learning environments (e.g. France, Belgium, Germany, Thailand, Australia).
Bridget Philipson herself was shouting about ventilation and air filters before the election.
But still, nothing!
The department for education also had THEIR buildings upgraded so they have great indoor air quality, as did the Houses of Parliament, as do many private schools, as do DAVOS when the world leaders meet.
ALL of our children deserve clean air and to be safe in the classrooms/nurseries.
Why are we so bad at protecting our kids? Repeated Covid infections are ruining their health. ONS said in 2024 that we had over 111,000 children with long covid in Scotland and England alone.
It is SO simple to achieve this. The fact that we are doing nothing is shameful. Open the windows, get air filters, use a CO2 monitor to monitor the air. THAT IS IT. Why is that hard?

“Frightened by covid”. Who suggested that as a mitigation?

You don’t have to choose. Why do you keep ignoring every point made? This thread is about Violet Affleck and air filters in schools. Nobody is disputing that there are other aspects to a healthy life.

Dr max Pemberton is a renowned qualified MD, now a psychologist. He didn't make a personal attack on VA, he made a qualified medical opinion on her behaviour.

Well I just googled for you. 88 children have died from Covid in the U.K. Over 300 people have put in claims for death by Covid jab to the injury scheme.

It’s a stupid comparison anyway; because there’s way more adults than children. So it’s not really a useful stat for most things. But sentiment wise you are probably not worried about dieing from a Covid jab. So you probably shouldn’t be worrying about kids dieing from Covid.

Not that it makes these deaths any less serious. Obviously awful. But let’s keep perspective.

Hello @ArseInTheCoOpWindow . I still think of you every time I pass a CoOp!🤗

I queried you because you brought up a few “facts” in a flippant manner.

My main concern is long covid and the effects of repeat infections and society’s acceptance of the status quo, and the lack of easy mitigations.

Financial arguments of we can’t afford protections are baseless - sickness costs. People unable to work costs.

Covid is a virus that is worth mitigating against. There are other airborne viruses making mitigations a win-win. Future proofs us against the next airborne virus too. Easy sensible precautions.

I didn’t bring up death. I’m
not going to dismiss that risk or play down any number of deaths though.

I think long covid is of a higher concern for everyone.

The science is all there, but I’m tired of arguing with people that don’t want to see it or seemingly even read it, and instead seek comfort from being in a majority and whatabouttery.

Sorry that’s not all directed at you @QuestioningQuorn

I don’t know much about long Covid. I have already said that. And I am not against Hepa filters in schools. It’s non invasive so why not. But this violet affleck person is completely unhinged to be trying to spread mass panic again about this. It’s 2025. Everyone who’s alive has had covid multiple times already. Everyone yet to be born will have covid multiple times in their lifetime. There’s nothing we can do. That’s it. People need to keep perspective.

But this poor young woman is wearing a crash helmet every where. She is wearing safety glasses. It completely undermined her message as all everybody can she is her health anxiety.

Yep, and ranting about the dangerous people who have left their home TWICE in one day... and 'how dare people not mask up when they're in public!! I'm at risk..... of course I shouldn't be expected to wear one... everyone else should to protect ME!!!'

Her Covid harms are obviously to her mental health.

I think we should absolutely have air filters (Hepa or Corsi-Rosenthal are probably the best) in schools, as well as in other public indoor spaces. They would pay for themselves in decreased sick days and decreased use of the NHS.
Research has shown that each Covid infection increases the risk of long term complications, including cognitive and neurological issues, stroke, blood clots, organ damage, and a variety of other problems, as well as increasing vulnerability to other infections due to immune dysregulation. Even mild Covid infections in otherwise healthy people have been found in many cases to cause changes to the brain and some degree of cognitive deficit. Although children show lower levels of complications than adults, the risk is still significant, and there are a large number of children who have had their lives devastated by Long Covid. There is a charity called Long Covid kids which is supporting many of these children and their families, and they have been disgracefully ignored by the government who have downplayed the risk to children from the start. A systematic review of Long Covid in children has found a prevalence rate of 16.2%. There is also a study suggesting that Long Covid is now one of the most common chronic diseases in young children.
It has also been shown that air filters reduce the spread of Covid and other pathogens in schools and reduce absences, they aren't a magic bullet but they do help significantly.
It would also be helpful if instead of schools pushing attendance above all else, sick children were encouraged to stay at home.
Why shouldn't we start cleaning the air we breathe, just like we clean the water we drink? Do any of the people protesting against removing pathogens from the air also think we should stop removing pathogens from water? If not, why the difference? I'm going to have to mute this thread it's too depressing. So many shockingly ignorant replies.
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/152/2/e2022060351/192816/A-Systematic-Review-of-Persistent-Clinical?autologincheck=redirected
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/new-study-suggests-long-covid-is-now-most-common-childhood-chronic-health-problem/ar-AA1H2LSK
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/long-covid-is-harming-too-many-kids/
https://neu.org.uk/latest/library/good-ventilation-schools-and-colleges-and-how-achieve-it
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11045022/

It is really interesting to see the comments here. Attacking Violet Affleck by calling her mentally ill, anxious and a nepo baby.
What are we actually doing here?
LISTEN TO WHAT SHE ACTUALLY SAID.
She works at Yale, with scientists who research what Covid does the body.
She was also NOT THE ONLY PERSON THERE.
It was at the UN and there were experts from around the world, all agreeing with her. She is exceptionally brave to speak up, particularly given the abuse that she knew would be thrown at her.
If someone is saying something you don't want to hear, that doesn't mean they are wrong/mentally ill, it just means you don't like what they are saying.
What is at stake here?
Our children's health.
Why not actually listen to her speech and do some research for yourself? The governments are not telling the public the truth about Covid is and what it is doing to our health, and more specifically the health of our children. The main reason for this is that they gambled with their health by reassuring us that it would all be fine. Turns out, it isn't. World leaders sanctioned the mass infection of our kids and so telling everyone now that it was the wrong thing to do is probably not going to be a quick or easy U turn is it?!
This is the speech: https://x.com/PutrinoLab/status/1970604226351865945

I’ll happily campaign for better diets, access to outside space and better mental health support for children & parents. In fact, I already work towards better children’s MH. I won’t sign up to scaremongering though or support HEPA filters for drafty, run down public buildings. Children need to be exposed to viruses to develop their immune systems, and as other posters have already explained, even it was possible to make schools into a sterile environment, they would still contract those illnesses from people in other environments.

And having spent the pandemic on the front line, I know exactly how devastating covid was, but it has evolved, as most viruses do with time, to kill fewer people.

I’m sorry for people with LC, and I understand what this means to you, but VA’s call - at a population level - is wrong. I do hope though that she gets the help she so clearly needs.

Hi OP, I haven’t read much of the thread as it’s quite long, but have read your posts. Other than political will (which there was prior to becoming elected), I can’t see any good reason for not doing this. Attendance is meant to be a priority and there are various studies that show how HEPA filters improve attendance, by reducing illness.

Covid has ruined my life and whilst I’ve tried to adapt to having to stop work, hobbies, not even being able to shower daily, having to be completely dependent upon my husband, the hardest part for me is the impact of my illness on my children. I can sometimes join them - in the same way an elderly relative might be made comfortable on a bench, whilst I watch them play for a bit. Doing that is a win for me now. I got sick in 2022 from a minor covid infection. It’s been downhill since then.

I’d heard about HEPA filters earlier in the pandemic from a work colleague who was vulnerable. I spoke to the school about them, offered to donate one which they were grateful for - anything to help reduce spread and keep schools open is useful. Unbeknown to me then, the teacher didn’t use it. There are asthmatic children in the class and the school is by a busy road - why didn’t they use it?

I know more about covid than I ever wanted to. I tried to look for research on how people improved, but most seems time or luck. The research is horrifying. Living with severe long covid is awful. I’m not stupid enough to think I’m the only parent at the school affected, or that there are no kids there affected and this will be replicated around the country.

The evidence supporting IAQ existed well before covid. It will be our children paying healthwise and financially for what can only be described as wilful blindness in failing to address such poor IAQ. HEPAs are a relatively quick and cheap way to improve this. This was also spoken about at the covid inquiry.

Actually it doesn’t. I’ve not questioned whether it is she’s said in any way shape or form. My question is based on the supposition that she’s right, which OP appears to believe. On that basis, how does OP intend to address the issues she wants resolved? It’s really not difficult to interpret, well maybe for some it seems.

I don’t think it’s depressing that people are being flippant about this. Only years ago people’s lives were ruined by not only this virus but by the governments response.

It’s good to think about these things but really this is after the horse has bolted. Let’s not forget how this started.

Did the UN and Violet talk about banning gain of function research?!?

That I would sign up for.

You can have a mild case and get long Covid. This isn’t about anybody wanting to go back to lockdown. Just understanding the impact Covid will and is having on many.

I was very vocal - anti lockdown on these boards. I argued Covid was just like a cold. Long Covid wasn’t a thing.

I now have had long Covid for a year. I can do 50% of what I used to be able to and I’m lucky as I’m much better off than most with this. Those that are in wheelchairs.

Just offering a different perspective..

I just looked up long term effects of flu and the list was identical. How is this different from any post viral illness?

Well there are clear, important differences:
Most ppl catch the Flu once every ten years. Covid is infecting us all maybe twice a year now for many ppl. So, clearly the risk of long term harm has sky rocketed due to sheer prevalence.
Also, flu is seasonal, Covid is all year found with many waves of infection every year.
And the Flu does not have comparable severity.
The WHO says long Covid hits one in ten after each and every infection. Not the same as flu.
Finally, covid has been found to cause lasting, serious damage to organs, cardiovascular system, the blood and the brain.

I have no idea. I do believe it’s safe to say that most people would say they aren’t the same as they were pre covid. But we are all half a decade older now and I am not sure if anyone ever alive said they were the same as five years prior. So I don’t know how people work this stuff out. Because yes I do feel shitter than I did five years ago 😂 but can I blame Covid? No idea.

"Keeping school children away from pathogens is neither possible or desirable".

Why do you want to expose your kids to pathogens? Why do you want them sick?

Surely any parent would want to minimise the number of times their children are sick, it's not fun for the child or the parents. If you think getting sick is good for the immune system, that's not how it works - many illnesses actively harm the immune system and so-called "natural immunity through infection" is limited (not durable, not variant-proof, even chickenpox you can get more than once) not to mention that every illness carries risk. The only safe exposure to pathogens is through vaccines where they exist - and the UK's children are sadly being deprived of the protection offered by COVID vaccines against severe disease and long term harm like long COVID.

So sorry, I hope that you feel improvements soon. It’s good of you to keep speaking up after what you’ve been / are going through. I hope treatments are close and that something is done to slow increase in the number of people suffering from long covid.

Thank you. I just think people aren’t aware of the problem this will become. And like I say I was fully in the ‘Covid is just a cold camp’

Hopefully we will see some more research in to this and better treatments. Because like another poster said, Covid is constantly circulating, people are not getting any immunity and each infection brings an estimated 10% risk of LC, even for mild infections in healthy people.

I hate to burst your bubble, but "everyone" who's alive had not had covid multiple times already - I've yet to have it even once and know of several who have only had it one time.