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Original poster

New study shows the huge role children play in spreading Covid

246 replies

Worriedmum999 · 20/08/2020 08:55

Biggest study so far on the role of children in spreading Covid has come out today. Surely this has massive implications on children going back to school as normal. It’s very concerning. news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/08/looking-at-children-as-the-silent-spreaders-of-sars-cov-2/

OP posts:
Bupkis · 20/08/2020 17:24

@DianaT1969
Children and young people have been home a long time. They need the chance of a normal life. Will there be spreading, clusters and hot spots? Undoubtedly
Ok...not that comforting...especially not that comforting when we have no choice but to send in a child that could be extremely vulnerable to Covid, unless we want to pay fines or deregister from school.

We have a choice whether we go to pubs, cafes, shops, crowded spaces...and we choose to avoid those things with ds, but we have no choice about school, despite there being no social distancing, no masks, no measures really, beyond encouraging the children to wash their hands more.

Cam77 · 20/08/2020 17:25

Our government, along with many others, with a vpfew notable exceptions (China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, S.Korea) has been rather shit at handling it.

So we are with no choice but to “go back to normal” after nearly six months of hiding with the virus still at large. It sucks but there’s no other option.

On a positive note, there are indications that the virus, or at least certain common strains are, perhaps , not as potent as it was at the beginning. That would follow the trend of many other viruses. The bad news is that there are almost certainly still some bad new strains out there.

Charliescar · 20/08/2020 17:29

@DianaT1969 you do have a choice you can home school them ?

I do understand it’s not ideal , but the vast majority of children will be fine at school .

KOKOagainandagain · 20/08/2020 17:31

I'm never quite sure whether those taking the 'white' approach of the black/white argument of the UK government (which is fairly unique) accept that full reopening of schools in the context of relatively high community level of mostly symptomatic known infection will inevitably lead to an increase in community infection and that this will 'negatively' impact the vulnerable, but just don't care (in an I'm alright Jack way) because they can't imagine their own DC dying and there is, as yet, sparse evidence of long term effect.

The mantra that DC need to be in school and every day counts is very powerful but is also bollocks. I know it's bollocks because I have DC with AN/SEN.

I had to go to Tribunal court to even get this fundamental right acknowledged. I also had to start Judicial Review legal proceedings to enforce this fundamental right. This line is trotted out when it suits.

DC need education and socialisation. Sometimes this has to be delivered outside of a standard state education model of face to face teaching in a class of 30.

Emmememe · 20/08/2020 17:38

[quote Charliescar]@DianaT1969 you do have a choice you can home school them ?

I do understand it’s not ideal , but the vast majority of children will be fine at school .[/quote]
Having to take child out of their school forever and deregister is not a choice. That’s it. You don’t get back into that school.

Especially coming from people who say children have a right to an education.

Bupkis · 20/08/2020 17:40

[quote Charliescar]@DianaT1969 you do have a choice you can home school them ?

I do understand it’s not ideal , but the vast majority of children will be fine at school .[/quote]
I think you're talking to me @Charliescar, rather than DianaT1969, who I was quoting.
As I said earlier, it's taken years to get anywhere near the right support for ds, and a decent EHCP in place, it is his last year at primary.
We do not want to have to deregister him. We also don't want to be fined. I believe, as he has been shielding for 5 months, due to his medical vulnerabilities and complex needs, that we should have the choice to keep him home for longer...however, we do not have that choice.

And for those about to say ...this means we want all schools to stay shut, or all childten should suffer because I don't want to send my child in...

THIS DOES NOT MEAN I WANT ALL SCHOOLS TO SHUT - IT SHOULD NOT BE AN ALL IN/ALL OUT...EITHER/OR SITUATION - PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE OPTIONS.

Bupkis · 20/08/2020 17:45

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain

Oh yes, to your post...I have friends who have fought illegal exclusions, forced part time schooling, no EHCPS etc etc...we ourselves have been trying desperately over the years to get our vulnerable child supported correctly. After 6 years we finally have an EHCP that we feel matches his needs...just in time for them to be suspended due to COVID.
No one gives a shiny shite about these children the rest of the time, until now when it suits their arguments.

KnobChops · 21/08/2020 07:06

There are less than 5 hospital admissions with covid per day across the whole of London at the moment.

At what point do people think it reasonable for children to return to school?

BadAbbot · 21/08/2020 09:02

@KnobChops

There are less than 5 hospital admissions with covid per day across the whole of London at the moment.

At what point do people think it reasonable for children to return to school?

If you actually bother to read this and other threads you’ll see NO ONE IS SAYING THEY WANT SCHOOLS CLOSED. We all want them back. The debate Is about how they open.

It astounds me how many people lack the critical thinking to understand this. It stifles debate and and weakens your argument if you’re just shouting at a straw man.

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 09:45

NO ONE IS SAYING THEY WANT SCHOOLS CLOSED

I think a number of people on MN don't want all the children to go back for the full day every day.

Bupkis · 21/08/2020 09:54

As everyone now knows, saying something like...

"I'm really worried about the safety aspects of returning to school with the current guidelines "

"I would like all schools closed for good....and for them to be hermetically sealed, filled with concrete and turned into memorials for good measure"

BadAbbot · 21/08/2020 10:16

@notevenat20

NO ONE IS SAYING THEY WANT SCHOOLS CLOSED

I think a number of people on MN don't want all the children to go back for the full day every day.

That’s not closed.
Morfin · 21/08/2020 10:26

Not only is that not closed, it's the desire of parents to stop a repeat of the March closures that is causing parents to ask for a safe return. I want schools to stay open, sending them all back with a wonderful letter about SD but no actual SD is a recipe for school closures.

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 10:52

Morfin

Someone counted the replies here and most people wanted A (that is go back as normal). My own view is that primary school kids should go back completely normally (with a bit of extra washing of hands).

For secondary maybe they should wear masks in some situations. That doesn't sound ideal though.

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 10:53

Morfin

But why not close other things instead? Schools are not the main way that covid is spread we are told.

Appuskidu · 21/08/2020 10:54

I think there are a lot of people who think the government aren’t doing this safely.

That doesn’t mean they want schools closed forever though.

New study shows the huge role children play in spreading Covid
Morfin · 21/08/2020 11:07

@notevenat20

Morfin

Someone counted the replies here and most people wanted A (that is go back as normal). My own view is that primary school kids should go back completely normally (with a bit of extra washing of hands).

For secondary maybe they should wear masks in some situations. That doesn't sound ideal though.

Surely 100% of people want things to go back to normal, wanting and having are very different. Are you not worried about your child staying in school?
CallmeAngelina · 21/08/2020 11:31

I'm a (primary) teacher. Do I want schools to "go back to normal?"
Of COURSE I do.
Is it going to happen any time soon? Of course it's not.
And as someone said above, "wanting" and "having" are two different things.
I have serious reservations about how it's all going to work for (English) schools in a fortnight's time, and the knock-on effect to the wider community. That doesn't mean I think we should remain closed until a vaccine is found.
I was once accused of being hysterical on one of these threads for saying I had reservations. The poster concerned never explained why such a mild expression of concern equated, in her mind, to hysteria.

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 11:45

Is it going to happen any time soon? Of course it's not.

As long as it is as close to normal as in other countries with a similar infection rate I, for one, will be happy. About 1 in 2000 people are currently infected with covid-19 and the number of people dying of all causes is about 2% lower than on an average year.

In other words there is no national health emergency currently. The problem is the risk that these numbers go up a lot. To prevent this from happening, closing or severely restricting schools (i.e. not having all day every weekday school for all children) should be the last measure we take,

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 11:49

Are you not worried about your child staying in school?

I worry about a lot of stuff but you have to balance your worries. I am more worried about them not going to school than going to school. Going to school is not a serious health risk to them. It's possible that schools opening will increase the general infection rate and if so, we (as I mentioned before) should close and restrict other things to get this down. Closing/restricting schools to get the general infection rate down should the last option after we have tried everything else.

Bupkis · 21/08/2020 11:59

I ammoreworried about them not going to school than going to school.

And I am more worried about him going to school than staying home, but of course I will be fined if I do keep him home.

BikeTyson · 21/08/2020 12:06

This is a relatively small number of "children" where they define a child to be up to 22 years old

I can’t believe no one else on the thread has picked up on this, it was the first thing that jumped out of the article. There’s no breakdown of that age range which makes it pretty useless from the point of view of considering impact on schools.

notevenat20 · 21/08/2020 12:09

And I am more worried about him going to school than staying home, but of course I will be fined if I do keep him home.

Are you worried for your child or yourself?

Bupkis · 21/08/2020 12:13

For my child.
He has been shielding until now
He is medically vulnerable and has complex needs

Summersnearlyover · 21/08/2020 12:13

@Bupkis honesty you’re wasting your breath, people are hard of thinking when they are not in your situation. SEN schools should have different guidelines for a safe return than mainstream.
Our children cannot wear masks, cannot socially distance, have to have help with personal hygiene and lots of other issues including coughing and sneezing over each other and staff. Then there’s the issue of testing, I’d like to see someone try to get a swab of my child’s nose and throat, it wouldn’t happen and if it did it would traumatise him, we would be isolating for 2 weeks instead. If COVID went through my sons school there would definitely be deaths, fact. The problem is the government have lumped SEN schools in with mainstream, lots of children with learning disabilities often have health problems too. We need different guidance. If I had the option to send my son in on a part time basis with half the amount of children in class I probably would. Instead I am keeping him home.