Risk to under 20’s

[Alex50]

So five people have died from Covid who are under 20 so far in the UK, 3 of those had under lying health issues, so only 2 with unknown health issue have died. There are over 4 million school age children in the UK. Do you think children are at risk if they return to school? Children are the least at risk category, surely a strategy should be put in place so they can return to school?

IF the advice remains to stay off work with a cough or temperature (rather than being tested) I'm not sure how schools will function
Now that testing is available - and I’m assuming after the initial rush, things will actually be more readily available, that will no longer be an issue.

I don’t mean to sound callous just trying to get my facts right, 3208 children under 5 died in 2018 I’m afraid, it is very sad. It just shows how low the risk for children dying of the coronvirus is.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic. Of course lots of people will get ill and be ill for weeks. Most will recover and be fine. The aim is not to stop most people from getting this.

You should read Nellodees thread

@Keepdistance sorry I can’t see the age, can I have the link?

I think closing schools has a wider social impact on people who dont even have school aged children. Lots of older peoplr didnt take social distancing seriously until schools closed. I also knew so many businessess whose employees could work from home but werent allowed to until schools closed. I think schools would open earlier if the government believed people would stay working at home (reduce pressure on transport and further mixing) and people would still not gather for bridge and lawn bowls.

Well yes that's what I was saying, IF we aren't being tested.
If we are, I'm guessing if I cough all Sunday night I will miss at least a day while I head off to be tested. So still disruptive but more manageable (and of course sometimes the test will be positive).

I really wasn’t meaning to get at you in any way mistresssiggi, so sorry if it can across

Came across that way

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/04/COVID-19-total-announced-deaths-25-April-2020.xlsx

Thank you

Not at all, Random , but thank you. I just thought it looked like we/I was being incredibly touchy to say it was callous to even discuss schools opening!

I’m not saying all those over 50 have to self isolate. I’m saying those that want to. I’m over 50 and won’t be. As far as I know I don’t have underlying health issues so I will take the risk. The risk is my mum. She does and is 73. She can stay doing what she is doing if she wants to. I still think the risk is low. Most workers should be back at work in the next month or so for me. We have to get things moving again.

the bottom line is that we can't eradicate this illness. And we can't stay in lockdown and deny children an education forever.

Lockdown was the easy part, I don’t know how the government are going to manage getting everyone back to work and school.

Wouldn't it be nice to get so no one needs to self isolate for a year or more? And how easy to do with a bit of patience now

Absolutely midge

@midgebabe that’s not going to happen without a vaccine, unless we ban people from travelling in and out of the UK.

@Ylvamoon I don't have an answer which is why I said in my post I don't know how it will be done.

I want to go back. But I want it to be safe for all at school and all those linked to it. I don't know the answer. Testing? temperatures being taken? I just know the last two weeks of school we had pupils and staff who were unwell (including a family of three boys who kept being sent in and eventually one did actually have CV - parent front line and tested positive)

Well yes the issue being if kids generally asymptomatic even more than adults and if they do get symptoms it's only half the time fever. They could have d&v symptoms.

So yes they need to look at what symptoms kids have /%asymptomatic etc.
Likelihood the only thing that would reduce transmission in kids is masks.
I agree parents will just send them in. My friend did last week of term. Her and dh had coughs and one dc week before was ill.
I guess parents cant hide a cough but can a slight fever.

Weve been off school about 6w as stopped early and dd2 has had a cough the whole time.

It’s the lack of care that deeply concerns me. I’m fairly sure sure we had in January and were put under massive pressure to return to school after one week, despite super high temperature. I put in a written complaint which was basically ignored.

We don't need to ban people from entering

But once we get to the trace and contact stage we may think about quarantine of new arrivals if they are at a higher risk of carrying the virus than the rest of the UK population

Australia sending children back to school citing new study showing there is virtually no transmission between children or from children to adults. Social distancing needed between teachers but NOT between pupils and pupils/ teachers

1000 under 20 as cases, where we dont test unless they are in hospital.
And that is with closure of schools.
Would be interesting to see how much that slowed down 5days to 14days after the schools shut

@ Starrynightsabove I caught it off my son 100%

@Starrynightsabove do you have a link? I hope this is the case. To open schools gradually would be a great start.