U turn re public health and schools covid reporting

[mrshoho]

Two weeks in and the governments master plan has failed.
schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-seizes-control-of-handling-school-covid-cases-after-phe-local-teams-overwhelmed/

Public health England could not cope with the scale of cases reported in schools.

It's concerning that DOE will now be the ones making decisions when outbreaks occur. We were assured that public health teams would quickly step in and detailed guidance would be followed. is the guidance re bubbles etc just going to be ripped up?

Shouldnt it now go somewhere independent?
They have both massively messed up.
As have SAGE!
I volunteer myself i believe i woukd be better.

By trying to cram em in. My kid had 5 days of reception!!!
It's ridiculous anyway.
Rules - just send home the whole bubble.
Add the bubble to list of gov closed ones. Done
If another bubble at same school shut bubble and school.
Done.
Without tests. Shut bubble for 2 kids with symtoms

@Keepdistance

Shouldnt it now go somewhere independent? They have both massively messed up. As have SAGE! I volunteer myself i believe i woukd be better.

By trying to cram em in. My kid had 5 days of reception!!!
It's ridiculous anyway.
Rules - just send home the whole bubble.
Add the bubble to list of gov closed ones. Done
If another bubble at same school shut bubble and school.
Done.
Without tests. Shut bubble for 2 kids with symtoms

If you shut bubbles if kids have symptoms they’ll be no schools left open. Practically every class must have two kids with a cold who have a mild temperature or minor cough who the school are insisting get tested.

What they need is to review the evidence from the bubbles which have shut over the past few weeks to see how many other kids have caught it. Then we’d get an idea of how much kids spread it. They could get this done by half term I reckon.

No because the agreed process was that kids could be tested - they cant
Why should parebts/teachers carry on without even that measure? It will eventually spread to the siblings class.
It will be too late by half term. At this rate half schools will have bubbles shut by then.
The gov have the data!
They swabbed last term.
You are not going to get accurate data now

• cant get tests

Arent allowed to test for contact Thry dont even include the most likely symptoms in children in the list

They should be doing group testing. Whole school swabbed but mixed into one test . If the test is negative then move onto next bubble/school . If positive then individual testing needed to find which person/ child/ children has the virus .

This reduces the need for thousands of tests in labs and routine testing can be done weekly . Also testing should be done by business /school/ workplace to avoid the need for booking systems to be overloaded by lots of individuals many of whom don’t actually need a test .

@Keepdistance

No because the agreed process was that kids could be tested - they cant Why should parebts/teachers carry on without even that measure? It will eventually spread to the siblings class. It will be too late by half term. At this rate half schools will have bubbles shut by then. The gov have the data! They swabbed last term. You are not going to get accurate data now

• cant get tests

Arent allowed to test for contact Thry dont even include the most likely symptoms in children in the list

Yes this is it! The evidence as to how this virus spreads is already well known.

This is my 4th day trying to get a test, was offered two places last night, Claygate and Kensington (both very far from where I live) and neither had real slots when I clicked through just said 'no tests available'.

At some point my kid will test negative regardless as her symptoms now gone but we're all stuck at home until she gets a test or 2 weeks whichever comes first (betting on the 2 weeks at this rate). Because I was honest. Not sure I would be again.

I do not believe the case numbers anymore - they are at least 4 days out of date.

@IloveJKRowling

This is my 4th day trying to get a test, was offered two places last night, Claygate and Kensington (both very far from where I live) and neither had real slots when I clicked through just said 'no tests available'.

At some point my kid will test negative regardless as her symptoms now gone but we're all stuck at home until she gets a test or 2 weeks whichever comes first (betting on the 2 weeks at this rate). Because I was honest. Not sure I would be again.

I do not believe the case numbers anymore - they are at least 4 days out of date.

The whole thing is just a joke now. I completely agree re the case numbers. Testing in and around London has almost ground to a halt over the last week.

@mrshoho

It's concerning that DOE will now be the ones making decisions when outbreaks occur. We were assured that public health teams would quickly step in and detailed guidance would be followed. is the guidance re bubbles etc just going to be ripped up?

Aren’t the DFE responsible for education not health? Are they going to employ health experts to make the decisions?

Yes Gavin Williamson is doing such a fine job with Education so he's goung to take over the role of protecting both our children's health and the health and safety of our school staff. We can see where this is heading!

Aren’t the DFE responsible for education not health? Are they going to employ health experts to make the decisions?

Is this going to be the next contract outsourced to yet another private company?

Is it a case that Public Health were not prepared to change the criteria that triggers the closure of bubbles in school settings?

@mrshoho

*Aren’t the DFE responsible for education not health? Are they going to employ health experts to make the decisions?*

Is this going to be the next contract outsourced to yet another private company?

Is it a case that Public Health were not prepared to change the criteria that triggers the closure of bubbles in school settings?

If criteria changes to not sending home bubbles then I don’t even want to think about the outcomes, especially since vulnerable children or those with vulnerable family members have been made to go back or be fined unless they de register.

I agree @IceCreamAndCandyfloss and don't have a lot of faith in the government now sidelining the advice of public health when it comes to schools.