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?

I just think you should look at how many times the words 'we don't know' have been used in this thread and think maybe the fact that we have so many gaps in information about how this virus is spread and other risk factors means maybe we shouldn't leap into making potentially dangerous decisions like reopening schools and putting 4 million children, school staff, families and the wider public at more risk.

Indeed, one thing this episode has taught me is to be a lot more sceptical of results from scientific studies, even those from highly respected institutions. There have been so many studies that have had so many different conclusions it’s difficult to know what to believe. This isn’t a dig at them, but demonstrates the limitations of our knowledge as a society.

I’m not saying we should open all the schools at once but shouldn’t we start putting in a plan? Start testing in schools, analysis the numbers? I said over 60’s as they are the most at risk, 40 and under the risk is very low even with under lying health issues.

@Eyewhisker that’s interesting

Totally agree with the OP. It’s unfair that children - and for only children with no siblings this must be potentially seriously damaging - to be denied, for weeks on end, social interaction with their peers.

They need free play with others. Parents can only spend so much time playing imaginary games before the child notices that the parent isn’t enjoying it quite so much as them.

And as for the likes of Spain, keeping children indoors for a whole month denying them exercise outdoors and natural exposure to vitamin D etc, is tantamount to child abuse. Even criminals in prison having committed heinous crimes are given outside access for fresh air and exercise daily.

The world is not risk free. The children aren’t able to exert pressure on goverments because they cannot vote. Doesn’t mean their voices shouldn’t be heard.

Why more people aren’t rallying against children being locked away in any country and denied their developmental needs being met socially, educationally and physically is beyond me. Angry doesn’t cover it. And this doesn’t mean I don’t support the need to protect the elderly but it’s about balance, risk evaluation and management.

I'm also interested in public transport.

My one DS gets a public bus both ways (with commuters). It's a packed bus with lots of school kids.
Will all commuters need to wear masks? Will drivers and adult commuters be pissed off at sharing crammed buses with children now?

The other gets a taxi some days (which may present other challenges).

I really want my children to be back at school as they have started GCSE coursework and their timetables at home are quite full - solid hours on screens replicating full days. There's the social aspect too of course.

But so many were genuinely sick before. It may be because we are in such a highly impacted area, but I don't see how this can be avoided again unless certain measures are applied - and it is those measures (smaller classes? Staggered times? PPE?) that I need to see, but I'm.just not sure how you implement them in large, inner city secondaries.

That's a bit harsh.

I can cope with working. I can cope with my kids. I am struggling to cope with both together.

In light of the above perhaps posters suggesting parents don’t like looking after their children in the absence of school may appreciate that on the contrary, it’s actually a desire to meet children’s needs that motivates calls for school to reopen.

I forgot to copy who I was replying too!! It was this comment

"It really stuns me the amount of parents who can’t cope with looking after their own children."

@midgebabe yes all that needs looking at. Surely we should start to put a plan together. The at risk group could stay at home while tests are carried out so we could analysis if children are actually spreading it? But to just leave over 4 million children not going to school for months on end is crazy to me.

But I do agree with pps - it is upsetting to see the children in these circumstances.

I know children in Spain have had it harder and compared to other countries and periods in history this is minimal, but it is taking its toll.

However, one of mine also has asthma, so I just hope we can find a way to meet in the middle.

@midgebabe your child is still less likely to die of coronvirus even with asthma, the risk is nearly 0

Keeping our children locked away isn’t going to give us any answers, we have to start children back to school, start testing, then looking at the data. The at risk group can still stay at home.

Totally agree OP.

Children are more resilient that many are giving them credit for. Possibly more able to adapt and get over this than many adults

Oh and people saying children can get still get sick from this, yes they can but they get sick from many things from school, we don’t keep them at home for months on end in case they may get sick.

There's increasing numbers of studies showing children are far from superspreaders of this- they seem to catch it fairly rarely and pass it on far s in less than adults. A couple of studies looking at household spread have found no cases where the index patient is a child.

There's more research to be done but it increasingly seems like the assumptions around children aren't valid for this virus

Maybe we should start a campaign to get our children back to school. I won’t be keeping my daughter locked up through the summer holidays. She can have her friends round in the garden,

The nhs data shows 9 under 20....

Where is the data for covid hospitalisations. ?

I think that DM article is ridiculous. All those people in contact with the boy all just happened to have other cold/flu symptoms. I think it would be interesting to go back to those 170 people and see if they deceloped antibodies.
Also it says 1 other child? Did catch it from the boy but it was decided they didn't because noone else did....
Sprt of explains why this is now a pandemic. Need better tests and longer quarantines. And tests for asymptomatic people.

Anyway i think loads of kids are enjoying themselves (quite a few hate school...)
Private schools have 8w off in the summer and there is t this hand wringing drama.

Even IF children cannot generally pass it on? if say they are going by bus public transport then it can be all over their hands.

I suggest they focus on antibody testing kids in epicentres as no country has done that. That will clarify
Whether they get antibodies
The percentage that were susceptible to catching

You would only need to check a few schools which had cases.

The fact that kid had contact with 170 people should be warning enough!

Almost no country is just letting the kids waltz back in many are reducing classs to 10 /masks/distancing/only certain yrar groups.
And apparently parents/schools are very resistant in France.

Also reactivation of the virus your kid could keep getting mildly ill with this and be contagious. And you dont know about long term side effects (immune system/heart,lung,neurological,ferility).
Your child could be healthy now but get cancer or adthma etc.

Uk are going against every other country (masks/testing) etc.
In other countries the risks of kids being at school would be lower due to these other factors.

We already had a oarent with it within those 4w the schools were open. The gov wouldnt let them close or clean and we werent told for days. (Which would be too late anyway as takes days to test and results).
Basically the gov has made such a mess we shouldnt trust them. (Mass events are ok anyone?? Then look at the area around cheltenham festival...

Schools are definitely starting to think about reopening at some point, be it June or September, but on a partial/part time basis.
If social distancing is going to remain in place, which is looking highly probable, schools can open but in a very different way. It is going to be a logistical nightmare, it is going to take a lot of strategic planning, but they will open in a very different way. It can't be all or nothing.
Timetables will be re written based on staff who aren't shielding, classes split into thirds and students trained in social distancing expectations.
Our Headteacher said we will be working under a 'new normal'.

It was clearly explained at the start of school closures why it was happening.
It was never said it was to protect teachers. So the op's constant request for statistics for how many teachers have died is irrelevant (and a bit weird).
It is obvious with children in school it will spread much faster through the community therefore putting vulnerable people in the community at risk.

*Totally agree with the OP. It’s unfair that children - and for only children with no siblings this must be potentially seriously damaging - to be denied, for weeks on end, social interaction with their peers.

They need free play with others. Parents can only spend so much time playing imaginary games before the child notices that the parent isn’t enjoying it quite so much as them.

And as for the likes of Spain, keeping children indoors for a whole month denying them exercise outdoors and natural exposure to vitamin D etc, is tantamount to child abuse. Even criminals in prison having committed heinous crimes are given outside access for fresh air and exercise daily.

The world is not risk free. The children aren’t able to exert pressure on goverments because they cannot vote. Doesn’t mean their voices shouldn’t be heard.

Why more people aren’t rallying against children being locked away in any country and denied their developmental needs being met socially, educationally and physically is beyond me. Angry doesn’t cover it. And this doesn’t mean I don’t support the need to protect the elderly but it’s about balance, risk evaluation and management.*

This x 1000

I've tried to articulate this on so many threads but have received all sorts of abuse.

And I agree with the person who said if this carries on, whilst I have rigidly stuck to the rules. If the schools don't reopen I will not be keeping my children locked inside until September.

It's bloody cruel, and mine are lucky in that we have a garden, toys, nice food. Think of children stuck in overcrowded blocks of flats living in poverty.

One child was in contact with 172 different people in ski schools (was he wearing a ski mask and scarf?), they tested less than half of those contacts and one of those came back positive. From that you are asserting that all children don’t spread the disease?

And no, we don’t know how many teachers have died from it because they aren’t collating that data.

I think there are some interesting studies coming out about spread but it’s all quite preliminary. We need more data.

You need teachers to teach, they need to know the risks, as they are worried about going back to work, there is different risks for different age groups so it’s not weirded. Can you post a link for under 20 death numbers please? Even 9 is so low compared to other risks children face each day.

I never said they don’t spread it, I said we don’t know, keeping children locked isn’t going to give us any answers either.