Primary school kids now more infected than uni students

[noelgiraffe]

Worth pointing out that the infection rate in primary kids has shot up to 1 in 50 (2% or 2000 per 100,000) as the narrative up till now has been that primary kids have been relatively unaffected.

Secondary kids are 2500 per 100,000 and uni students 1300 per 100,000.

Make your plans for Christmas carefully.

Everyone is an "issue" 🙄

For a long time, mia, young children have been exempt from that.

If they close primary schools then I Hope retail tightens up

Last time kids were brought in our store for an outing and to let off steam. It was awful

Not surprised; loads more indoor play, singing and teachers having to close the Windows due to the cold.

@Onceuponatimethen

Those stats make sense. I’ve seen two families of primary kids recently where kids completely asymptomatic but then an adult in household tests positive, so can believe it’s much more widespread in primaries than some would think

Completely. More common to have a cold too. And stomach upsets.

Yes. I think it's flicking around primary schools even more than secondary.
I still see people not testing primary kids who "just have a cold".

Yes

We've had a fair few parents refuse to test their kids too.

It’s really about time that the government changed the symptoms for requiring a test to actual symptoms that children present with.

I was wondering why the infection rate has risen recently, but the bad weather and more time indoors/wet breaks etc makes sense.

I just don't think that any of us could have predicted that primary kids could transmit any illnesses. They never do...they're so clean and they always blow their noses nicely!!!

@MrsMiaWallis

Everyone is an "issue" 🙄

Au contraire....*@MrsMiaWallis* everytime someone points out a real issue.... It's for some reason an "issue" with you

It’s whipped through my primary school this last fortnight- what a lovely Christmas present for all of us staff who are laid up. But don’t worry- schools are “covid safe”. I’m sure it is the new version- I cannot believe how rapidly people were infected.

Personally I think there should be a focus on testing when there’s an outbreak at a school to see how many children are asymptomatic, we don’t know enough about it with children as carriers. I’m sure my three year old has it but hasn’t had any of the three main symptoms.
We won’t be seeing anyone this Christmas, I can’t risk infecting anyone. We may risk a short walk outside with grandparents when I know we are all safe.

My year 3/4 class has been weirdly healthy. Last year it was like a TB ward with hacking, this year (after the first 2 weeks in September), we've had one child with a sickness bug - not covid - and that's it. Barely a sniff heard.

Should say though, we had a third of the school isolating 3 weeks ago.

We have done no singing inside at all and still have all the windows and doors open. We haven't done wet play unless the rain has been of Noah-esque proportions.

Personally I think there should be a focus on testing when there’s an outbreak at a school to see how many children are asymptomatic, we don’t know enough about it with children as carriers

Yes this. 6 cases in total in my primary class over a week. Wonder how many more children are were also positive but not showing any symptoms.

@caringcarer

Sweeping statements like parents want primary school kids home are not true for all parents do why make them? You do not speak to or all parents.

I’ve seen some wanting them home to protect them and their family.

I’ve seen far more who don’t want to educate again or want the childcare.

Given how many seem to know that a temp or cough isn’t covid so send them in, won’t isolate when told too and are socialising against the rules the figures don’t surprise me.

If they close primary schools then I Hope retail tightens up. Last time kids were brought in our store for an outing and to let off steam. It was awful.

What do you mean by ‘tightening up’ - banning children from shops? I get that this is annoying, but what else do you expect parents to do with their small children when literally nowhere else is open? I don’t intentionally take DD to shops to ‘let off steam’ but I certainly take her to shops for my own sanity and because she’s 3 and needs to be socialised - I refuse to keep her shut in at home during a period that’s crucial for her cognitive development. Many of the the young families I know are at breaking point now, having been largely confined to the house and local park for months on end (many threads here on MN also testify to this).

@starrynight19

Personally I think there should be a focus on testing when there’s an outbreak at a school to see how many children are asymptomatic, we don’t know enough about it with children as carriers

Yes this. 6 cases in total in my primary class over a week. Wonder how many more children are were also positive but not showing any symptoms.

Yes, definitely.

I just don’t get the plan to replace isolation for close contacts with crap testing though and I don’t get why the ‘scientists’, the Union, the press and the parents aren’t all over it.

Well it isn’t like primary school staff haven’t been saying this.

Personally I think there should be a focus on testing when there’s an outbreak at a school to see how many children are asymptomatic, we don’t know enough about it with children as carriers

I've spent all morning looking for a study that the government announced in sept, to start in sept, that was going to be testing children regularly in primary and secondary schools this whole term. Obviously results are due soon. Cant find it though.

I have seen an awful lot of primary kids mooching around shops in the week 🙈

@Itisasecret

Well it isn’t like primary school staff haven’t been saying this.

People like data though.

It's like people won't accept that teachers are at any greater risk of covid because you can't show the data. Except you can't show the data because it's either suppressed or fudged.

We need a graph for teachers like the ones above.

We did have a lot of biblical rain a few weeks ago.

We also have full rain suits (Sen) but you do tend to stay in more.

But apparently a lot of staff definitely had it last March (some proven with antibodies) as I'm sure many kids did. I have mused on mild herd immunity in our school. We have very good hygiene and cleaning anyway due to Sen (we can get big outbreaks of anything easily) but obviously back then didn't air as much and were all mingling freely. We've had a few cases. Other local Sen schools however have had to fully shut at least once or even twice.