Have there been large outbreaks in schools?

[Mallowmarshmallow]

Assuming the virus was in the country from at least January and schools were open until the end of March, and key worker children have been back at school throughout lockdown (whom we might assume are at higher risk of being exposed to the virus as their parents are working in key worker roles...), has their been evidence of widespread outbreaks in schools? If so, I haven't seen about this in the news?

If not, could that contribute to an assumption that schools are not a hazardous place for either children or the teachers working within them in terms of exposure to the virus.....?

It's hardly a suprise that there have been more "outbreaks" in schools over the last couple of weeks - there are more children in schools. But the numbers are still tiny.

I have been back this week with my year 12s. I am thoroughly fed up of the scaremongering. It's boring now.

End of Jan/beginning of feb there was loads of sickness in DDs school, at one point only 7 of the 26 were in class as everyone was off with coughs. I don't think many would have gone to the GP for a cough. We did t with our DD, we gave calpol, let her spend all day lounging about and did all the other things you do with a child with a virus. Where we are you can be waiting 2-3 weeks for a GP appointment so you either don't go and hope you get better or you go to A&E when it's really bad.

You could read up on the effects of school closures in previous pandemics. It seems often people think they know best rather than looking to history for answers

23 outbreaks in schools recorded in the last week or so.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/895356/Weekly_COVID19_Surveillance_Report_w26.pdf

Does that not say 44 outbreaks ?

yep 44, more than the 28 in hospitals.

Not surprising really with the wider opening.

I think its badly worded. Is it 23 and the others are other respiratory viruses? But still only 1 less than hospitals.

If some parent gets ill and their kid is at school do they test the child too ?

Sometimes I think it's because a test outcome is pending.

No idea. Al I know is I send kids to school, I follow rules, I keep them away from Grandma. I have zero control of any other factors, so zero fucks.

I work in primary school. I know of several teachers and TAs that have been I’ll with covid since lockdown and one teacher that died at a nearby school.

Ill not I’ll.

We also had lots of children off with temperatures and coughs in February and March.

But just to be clear, an outbreak is 2 or more people, 21 of those 44 outbreaks could actually not be Covid, plus unless I’m missing it, that report gives no idea if it was picked up in schools or if it was then spread in schools.

In addition, although I realise not all of them will be open, there are nearly 17,000 primary schools just in England. To have possibly 2 people per school with cv in somewhere between 23 and 44 schools across the country does not seem to me to be a cause for alarm.

23 covid outbreaks. The other's are general respiratory outbreaks which have been reported. With the 23 outbreaks we don't know how many people in total that involves.

I have to disagree, to have this many outbreaks with a small opening with some SD happening is alarming, can you imagine the increase if you have 30 children with no SD. PHE will have to consider whether these outbreaks are in bubbles where SD is happening or not to be able to form guidance especially for September.

Important to remember that this is with not many children in school, comparatively, and with LOTS of measure in place that are protective. Also, vulnerable staff are for the most part not in school yet. So the seriousness of any infections now, are not as severe as they might be by say, November.

PHE guidance states, as the winter season is left behind and infections like flu become “less prevalent, we would expect most outbreaks in community settings to be related to COVID-19”.

So, what does that suggest about September and the coming flu season I wonder? I know that September is still 8 weeks away, but looking forward from now, it doesn't look great for full time school without disruption this winter.

I know two families who's children are at different secondary schools in Cheshire. Both schools are in affluent areas. One private and the other state. Both families had coronavirus shortly after schools closed, and it was brought into their house by the teenager who'd caught the virus at school.

I can believe that, HoityToity, but as ever, people on these threads just pick the science that supports their view.

If people want schools open, they will continue to repeat the tired and hackneyed assertion that "kids don't get it badly," or "kids aren't super-spreaders" and similar.
They don't give a flying fuck about the staff and wider community, as long as they get what they want, which is their kids out of their hair and back at school.

It's weird that if it doesn't transmit between children that:

A flare-up of coronavirus at a nursery in Milton Keynes has led to 20 new confirmed cases.

Dozens of staff, children and family members linked to Acorn nursery in Westcroft have tested for the deadly bug over the past week and a half, according to MK Citizen.

"We’ve seen an outbreak in Milton Keynes in a setting where all sensible precautions were being followed."

Seems unpossible?

My teacher friend had over 50% of the staff and children absent from school in January with the flu. It was just getting to the point where the school was going to be closed for a deep clean.

To be honest I don't think anyone seriously believed that it couldn't be spread in schools, except the professional nudgers with a clear agenda.

There is a measurable increase which is why opening is progressing slowly and cautiously. It might not be what many posters like to hear, but it's all happening as SAGE predicted.

20 positive tests linked to one nursery.

Link as per above. Sorry oh
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-outbreak-nursery-20-children-22253165?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Quite a few schools closed or had restricted staff/pupils in December 2019

It was in the press

www.itv.com/news/central/2019-12-03/primary-school-closed-after-one-third-of-pupils-contract-flu-like-virus/

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-hampshire-47138238

About 5 schools where I live have shut because of cases of carona . Not sure how many cases there were .

We seem to be moving towards a theory of superspreaders and superspreader events as the cause of most outbreaks.
Schools and school age children aren't flagging up as superspreader events or superspreaders
I don't know why they don't allow teachers and support staff to wear masks if they wish, though. That part makes no real sense. With a mask, you don't have to self isolate for two weeks if in contact with a known case. Reduce absences.