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Original poster

Kids more likely to get new strain...

253 replies

Ohbabybab · 21/12/2020 18:45

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKBN28V2EV

Do you think this will mean school closures?

OP posts:
BillyAndTheSillies · 21/12/2020 22:15

Doesn't surprise me. DS1 is in reception in a hard hit London borough. They hadn't had a single case since October. This week? All years except year 6 have had bubbles burst and will be isolating up until the 29th.

Loshad · 21/12/2020 22:16

@20mum whilst I love the idea of my lymphocytes flexing their non existent muscles as athletes, more than 20% of the teachers at my school have had covid this term ( out of approx 100 teachers)
The main problem is the media has consistently pushed the idea of sd safe schools and it is a complete myth, at my school, and those of all my teacher friends, SD is non existent, corridors are crammed, kids are 28-32 in a tiny classroom for an hour, then out to swap and mix (of course the year groups are isolated for break and lunch). I am not convinced the new variant is more effective at infecting kids, just they are the only group still mixing in large numbers, as we are basically the only country insisting on secondary aged kids being at school in person full time( for the record i much prefer kids in school, and dislike remote teaching).
I have no desire to be vaccinated before elders and NHS staff either.

BungleandGeorge · 21/12/2020 22:16

I suspect the keyworkers group
Is low because so many had covid in the preceding 6 months and are immune. It’s not really comparative risk that you are looking at as it’s not a like for like comparison. I’m not sure why you would choose that comparison anyway, better to compare both to those working from home as I’m sure both have occupational risk. And not rely on the ONS sample, they could quite easily collect actual data with an extra few boxes when applying for a covid test

designmama · 21/12/2020 22:21

My son (nearly 3 years old) had Covid back in November, he caught it from a member of staff at his preschool. We fully expected to catch it from him but none of us tested positive even though he gets in bed with me every night. Even my 5 year old didn’t catch it so I do think there is some truth in younger kids not passing it on. I personally feel that schools should be open unless absolutely unavoidable and if they close it should be secondary schools as there seems to be a higher risk from what I have seen.

IloveJKRowling · 21/12/2020 22:24

I think we need to learn a lesson here that we can't let a section of society act as a Petri dish potentially hosting another mutation which could lead to more severe disease. We need to suppress the virus more

Yes, this. If they don't actually act to reduce the potential for transmission in schools, there's nothing to stop another new variant taking advantage and rapidly taking over. How many times does this need to happen until they'll understand you can't just forget about SD and masks for one section of the population?

IloveJKRowling · 21/12/2020 22:25

My son (nearly 3 years old) had Covid back in November, he caught it from a member of staff at his preschool. We fully expected to catch it from him but none of us tested positive even though he gets in bed with me every night. Even my 5 year old didn’t catch it so I do think there is some truth in younger kids not passing it on.

Well maybe that was true for the old variant. Not for the new one that's taking over from the sound of it.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 21/12/2020 22:28

I don’t hold high hopes for learning from this. The best we can hope for might be that other people taking action and restricting travel from the U.K. might force some action from the government.

bumbleymummy · 21/12/2020 22:28

@Grobagsforever

The news story says children are more likely to get infected, not more likely to get ill.

Big difference

could be. Even bigger difference.
year5teacher · 21/12/2020 22:31

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Teachers should be ahead of those on the list who can work from home.
As a 26 year old teacher with no health issues I would rather not get vaccinated before an ECV person who can work from home
BertNErnie · 21/12/2020 22:37

My idea of considering vaccinating school staff isn't about who is healthy or not, it was more about it being a way to stop disruption of people having so self isolate although I wonder if once we've all had it we would have some immunity which means we won't have to isolate for any further cases? I still am holding onto the hole that my immune system will protect me somewhat so.

I don't think teachers should be vaccinated above those who are vulnerable at all. I don't think that's necessary but how do we keep schools open otherwise? Some schools have had the same bubbles burst 2/3 times in the last term. That's 4/6 weeks of learning we can't get back.

BertNErnie · 21/12/2020 22:37

Holding onto the hope*

Staffy1 · 21/12/2020 22:44

Great that some young, healthy teachers don't want vaccinating, but there are plenty of not so young or healthy teachers and not that healthy students for that matter that I think should be higher on the list for vaccinations as schools are the least protected, most likely places for infections to occur.

ChasingRainbows19 · 21/12/2020 22:48

The trust I work for haven’t rolled out there programme for vaccination yet but I assume vulnerable high risk staff will be top of the list , those in heavy covid areas too.

I hope the very elderly are getting theirs and that’s why ours haven’t started yet.

CoffeeandCroissant · 21/12/2020 22:51

^There have been some rumours that the B 1.1.7 lineage was more prone to infect children. The only information on age distribution in the report is that ~90% of cases were

caringcarer · 21/12/2020 22:55

My son's secondary school insists children wear masks in all lessons except outdoor PE and outdoor break time. This has been the case since beginning of September. My son and his friends have no problems at all with this. Only 2 bubbles have had to stay home since September. Other schools could be doing exactly this and if they don't protect their staff it is poor leadership.

Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum · 21/12/2020 22:57

@BillyAndTheSillies

Doesn't surprise me. DS1 is in reception in a hard hit London borough. They hadn't had a single case since October. This week? All years except year 6 have had bubbles burst and will be isolating up until the 29th.
Is that because kids were getting symptoms or because London had a massive roll out of mobile testing units?

The general public were getting asked to go for tests even if no symptoms or close contacts. My secondary were encouraging whole families to go. This is despite the fact the school closed a couple of weeks before.

I know a lot of kids were found to have the virus. Which previously we wouldn't have known about.

BertNErnie · 21/12/2020 22:57

@Staffy1

Great that some young, healthy teachers don't want vaccinating, but there are plenty of not so young or healthy teachers and not that healthy students for that matter that I think should be higher on the list for vaccinations as schools are the least protected, most likely places for infections to occur.
Staffy wouldn't those vulnerable teachers or pupils be offered vaccinations as part of the rollout before the wider population?
BertNErnie · 21/12/2020 22:58

Sorry, I've just seen you think they need to be higher up on the list. I can see your point of view there and would agree there needs to be some sort of wider conversation around this.

Sixpencefaux · 21/12/2020 23:03

@Wishihadanalgorithm I am a secondary teacher too and we are classing Year 10 as an exam year group - so all of Year 10 and 11 are in then the key worker children, and vulnerable (vulnerable also includes anyone who didn’t engage with online learning) means we have 900 in on the 4th.

Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum · 21/12/2020 23:04

@caringcarer

My son's secondary school insists children wear masks in all lessons except outdoor PE and outdoor break time. This has been the case since beginning of September. My son and his friends have no problems at all with this. Only 2 bubbles have had to stay home since September. Other schools could be doing exactly this and if they don't protect their staff it is poor leadership.
Yep secondary definitely should
cardibach · 21/12/2020 23:07

@SkySports

Just had an email from the schools that my children attend. Both are not returning on 5th JAN!

A tiny hidden bit at the bottom saying if you want KW provision you must reply by 12 noon TODAY! Very sneaky of the school to do this when most of us are working still and juggling childcare and getting ready for Christmas as well. Apparently, despite having over 100 teachers if we don't let them know by noon today they won't be able to stay the small number of children that need KW or vulnerable children provision.... no wonder people get annoyed with schools.

I’ve just read all through the thread because I was sure someone would pick this bit if rubbish and vitriol up. The school emailed you and asked you to let them know who needed KW provision. You say ‘tiny hidden bit at the bottom’ but I can’t visualise that in an email. You mean it was in the last paragraph, don’t you? You are aware school admin staff generally have term time only contracts so they need to know numbers before they go off? And as for having 100 teachers meaning they can easily accommodate KW children - have you not been listening at all? Teachers will be providing online education, in many cases teaching live lessons, in that first week. KW provision will be LSAs and other support staff, many of whom will be needed to do, you know, their jobs. So it does take organising and it won’t be possible to accommodate children with no notice. Honestly, I despair. I’m so glad I’m officially retired and only doing a maternity cover until Feb. And I bloody love teaching, and I’m good at it and I could have been doing it for another 10 years if I hadn’t retired early because of shit and attitudes like this from most of the fucking population, it feels like.
caringcarer · 21/12/2020 23:12

From what people are saying about new strain of virus in London and SE even wearing full PPE does not protect a person. I would not mind online learning if government stipulated schools must teach 5 hours each day and not the 1 1/2 hours each morning my year 10 child gets. I spend 3 hours each afternoon going through Chemistry, Biology and Maths with him so he does not fall behind specification. I know his friends do very little except for the hours they are taught online. I can only do this as I am a foster carer (ex teacher) have bought all the text books needed and I am home all day. I have also emailed work to one of his school friends who asked if I could help him too as he is worried about missing douch school work.

VixenBlitzen · 21/12/2020 23:13

Or keep it open, gain some immunity and continue the future population's education

ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas · 21/12/2020 23:13

Bertnernie Staffy wouldn't those vulnerable teachers or pupils be offered vaccinations as part of the rollout before the wider population?
There's a big gap between young and healthy and clinically extremely vulnerable, inhabited by many over 50, over weight folk like me Smile who are not on any priority list for the vaccine.

sherrystrull · 21/12/2020 23:42

@ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas

Bertnernie Staffy wouldn't those vulnerable teachers or pupils be offered vaccinations as part of the rollout before the wider population? There's a big gap between young and healthy and clinically extremely vulnerable, inhabited by many over 50, over weight folk like me Smile who are not on any priority list for the vaccine.
I totally agree with this.