Extremely Clinically Vulnerable - thinking about January - WWYD?

[CancerCovidQuestion]

I am extremely clinically vulnerable because I'm having chemotherapy treatment for cancer. I have primary school age children.

The advice for ECV people is that we should stay home (except for exercise) but those we live with should go to school/work where applicable, obviously taking all the recommended precautions, and ECV people should remain socially distant from them at home where possible. Obviously there's a limit to how socially distant it's possible to be as the parent of young children.

So we're following the advice as best we can. But if at Christmas there's lots of household mixing, it occurs to me that the risk of the kids bringing covid home from school could suddenly increase in January.

There's a risk to me in terms of becoming seriously ill with covid, but also if I get it that will delay my cancer treatment which could have significant consequences for me.

So in January what would you do?

A. Nothing, take chances.

B. Keep kids at home (not straightforward, DH works full time and I am unwell)

C. Isolate from others within the house (ie keep myself in one room - not easy and also there's a DC birthday in second week of January)

Or do you think there won't be much of an impact in January? I haven't seen any clear research into whether primary aged kids can spread Covid, even if they don't tend to get ill with it themselves. If anyone is aware of any I'd be very grateful for a link!

How well do you know your DC's classmates? My DC's classmates are all local from local families and use relatives for informal childcare so realistically there will be limited impact on risks compared with normal. If your class is full of people with far flung families who usually don't see relatives but will at Christmas it would be different.

There's 30 kids, i don't know the majority of the families well enough to know their Christmas plans. But I know many have family elsewhere in the country.

Sorry, 30 kids in each class, 60 kids in each year group bubble. 2 kids so 120 families in same bubbles as mine.

We are in a similar situation in that DH is ECV and we have a reception aged child. I’m so annoyed with the people can see friends and family at Christmas and fuck those who become ill and die attitude.

It doesn’t matter how far away people are travelling at Christmas as covid is every where.

I feel for you OP. I would make extend the. I would holiday by and keep an eye on the rates of infection in your area.

My DH and I are not nearly as vulnerable as you and we already are homeschooling. Dd also has cough variant asthma so we expected attending school would mean near constant interruptions in her education. Homeachoolinb is something we are lucky enough to have the resources to do so it was the obvious choice for our family.

I started a thread as this as worried as a teacher.

If possible I would keep kids come for 2-3
Weeks after the holidays.

Such a shit situation, I’m sorry.

I hope you’re chemo is successful

@Thatwentbadly sorry you're in a similar situation
I guess I feel it's inevitable rates will increase as a result of an Xmas relaxation, and then I'm not sure what to do for the best. But you're right, we'll keep a close eye on what's happening and if rates don't increase that'll be great and we'll definitely carry on as we are!

@GlowingOrb I don't really see home schooling as an option as DH is working and I am ill.

@OverTheRainbow88 Thank you x Yes, that might well be best option, and hope rates drop again. It'd mean a lot of screen time but in the scheme of things I don't think that matters!

I’m on the ECV list as I’m on immunesuppressors. I would say that I’m lower risk than you, but like you I really do worry about the after effects of everyone’s Christmas plans. I will only be seeing my parents over Christmas and will be playing it safe compared to most I’m sure.
I’m currently waiting for COVID results for my youngest and feel so scared that it may already be in our house.
If I were you I would probably assess the situation come January, given your situation the school might give you a couple of weeks grace to homeschool while any Xmas after effects have time to surface in the class. If your school won’t allow that maybe your family can have ‘been exposed and be in isolation’ for 14 days to allow you to clear that post Xmas infection window?

Yes I would find a way to keep them home for two weeks.

If your dh’s work are shits presumably he could be “isolating for two weeks due to exposure”

I’m sorry you’re having to consider these shit options. I would be inclined to keep them off a few weeks.

Fortunately DH able to work from home so that's good.
I don't know what school will "allow" but regardless we could keep them off for 2 weeks as suggested. There wouldn't be any element of homeschooling though! And so it would be especially problematic if rates stay locally high for long. Still, one step at a time!

And thank you all for the sympathy. There'd never have been a good time to get diagnosed with cancer but this does seem extraordinarily shit!

I’d keep them off for three weeks at least. Cover the extra for New Year.

Even if families stay local it’s the indoor mixing with no distancing or masks that’s known to increase cases. Not to mention how many will attend whatever Christmas events are on, more shopping, more eating out etc.

My husband is ECV. The mooted date for ECV to get vaccinated is the end of January. With that in mind and given the Christmas mixing, I'm thinking our school aged child should stay off until he is vaccinated. I'm also hoping he will have a firm date for the jabs by then, which will mean we can prove to school exactly how time limited any absence will be and to what purpose. If we get fined, so be it, but I'd assume any prosecution would take longer than a matter of weeks and we would have a very reasonable excuse.

I would socially isolate from my children before I stopped sending them to school. So masking & not being around them more than bare minimum. I'm not suggesting that's right answer for OP, just what I would choose instead of keeping them off school.

@lljkk yes, I'm in two minds. My illness is tough on the kids too and school gives them much needed respite. It's just that my isolating from them in the house might be necessary for the rest of winter if Xmas has a bit impact on rates and that won't be good for them either. It's no-win really isn't it! I think we'll have to see how things are and how we all feel nearer the time.

No brainer, keep them at home. Buy some work books and watch some educational stuff together, don't pressure to stick to school times but try, go at your own pace and theirs xx

It's bloody shit isn't it. I'm ECV too and my dc have been at home isolating more than they've been at school. It seems obvious that rates will rocket again in January because people will have a free for all over Christmas.

Interestingly most people are saying keep the kids home but at the moment I'm thinking it might be better to isolate.

Being stuck at home with a seriously ill mother for potentially weeks would take its toll. And my treatment is disruptive, I'm at the hospital a couple if days a week on average and have been admitted for several nights so far, so I think that is having a bearing on my thinking.

There's plenty of time to weigh it up still at least - thank you all for your thoughts, it's really helpful to get other perspectives!

The guidance to ecv to not work or go to school ends on 2ne December

@CancerCovidQuestion wishing you the best with the rest of your treatment and hoping your family all stay safe x

@Ginogineli I don't know what the advice will be for me after 2nd December but even when I am well enough to work I am lucky that I can work from home. But whatever the advice is i don't think it will resolve the issue of how to best stay safe with the kids at school when infection rates are high.

@Zem74 thank you x

Unfortunately suppressed immunity is an issue for many illnesses. If it were for a long time then I'd probably try to isolate as the covid risk is a bit lower with little kids, but in winter there are still flu, norovirus and other risks that are higher risk with kids. It's also very hard not to hug little ones and the end of January isn't far away, though you do need to add on the length of time for the vaccine to work and that will depend on what vaccine you're given.

Have you asked your consultant's opinion? Their answer might vary based on your actual health, what dates you'll be neutropenic etc. Treatments for covid have improved a lot, which might reduce your risk even if you caught it, or might not, that could also be something worth asking about as part of your decision.

Yes I have spoken to my consultant. Getting covid would be a big problem at any time because it will cause delays to my cancer treatment. If I get it while my immune system is particularly low that's obviously not good but there isn't a time when I can be more relaxed about it.

Not sure about a vaccine. Not necessarily safe for some people, possibly including me while having treatment. So might need to wait until kids can be vaccinated. I don't think it's likely to take the problem away this winter though it'll be brilliant if it can!