Vaccine Priority: Teachers or Police

[Peachered]

Only posting in AIBU for the voting (and I have simplified a massively complex issue) but hypothetically if an employment group was to have priority who do you think should be prioritised:

YABU - teachers should have vaccine priority
YANBU - police should have vaccine priority

(voting options don't reflect my preference necessarily).

And, should either of these groups have priority over those on the flu vaccine list (so pre-existing conditions but not CEV)...

People in labs need to work in close proximity, with isolation periods potentially delaying test results. Your grandfather will get his vaccine in the next 5 weeks (probably much sooner given his age), you're picking an utterly pointless battle with that one.

I am a TA who is in the CV group. I think that police and fire brigade should be a priority, very closely followed by education staff. In some ways, the groups face similar risks - police deal with some unpleasant people who would think nothing of deliberately spitting, coughing etc . Teachers, TAs on the other hand are expected to be in close contact with up to 37 kids (in our school anyway) all day in rooms that are small and not well ventilated. And before anyone says that primary children don't spread it, that hasn't been our experience. It would be nice to think that all these important groups would get some sort of priority, I highly doubt it will happen.

I think it depends as some police officers don't go near other whereas others do! Same with teachers - nursery, early years and SEN staff are in close contact. I teach in secondary. I think the close contact police and close contact school staff should be in one group, followed by the people who don't have to be as close.

I don’t know the answer but who are all the teachers who get to stay home? I’m in every day with a (slightly smaller admittedly) group of children?!

@Biscuitsneeded

But I'm a teacher and I'm not fit or young!!

Then you will be vaccinated with your cohort in accordance with your risk.

@itsgettingweird

Interesting conversation with child's neuro earlier. Knows I work special Ed.

Fuming teachers aren't a priority and especially so special school staff (remember a lot of their patients fall in this category so they understand nature of students)

Quite an eye opener from someone who works in a hospital!

Thank you to your child's Neuro. A Gp friend said the same.

Apparently carers of children and people with asd have been pushed up the vaccine list. Not sure why that doesn't include teaching staff.

I think teachers as they're often older and police don't have to get close to do their job a lot of the time.

@956806416ak

I think teachers as they're often older and police don't have to get close to do their job a lot of the time.

They literally have to put their hands on strangers to arrest them.

teachers

They literally have to put their hands on strangers to arrest them.

That's true. That's not how they spend most of their time though.

I think both teachers and the police should get it but not before the over 75s and the vulnerable. Those people are over represented in hospital admissions and deaths and if we get those vaccinated we drop the pressure on the NHS.

But I do wish people on MN would stop saying that the police can use PPE. I'm not a police officer but work with them and there's no way you can chase down a criminal while wearing a mask and visor! Anyone on here who's not arrested someone and had that experience (I have btw) needs to stop commenting on stuff they know nothing about.

And cops do moan by the way . But they are the most can do organisation I've ever met and that means they just get on with stuff.

Anyone on here who's not ... had that experience (I have btw) needs to stop commenting on stuff they know nothing about.
If only

I heard from a friend today who works in a nhs lab, so no patient contact, that they are being vaccinated in next few weeks. Police and teachers should definitely be before non front line nhs staff. I was actually quite annoyed that my friend is getting it before my 85 year old granddad.

Your friend is rather crucial to our survival.

I heard from a friend today who works in a nhs lab

They are quite possibly handling covid samples - I am not allowed to work in an NHS lab manager role due to being CEV in case there are samples there so it does make sense that they are being vaccinated early on.

@MerinoFroggie

+100 to callistography.

I'm glad to see older people getting vaccinated but I must admit it will be a very hard pill to swallow if I contract the virus through my job. I worked all throughout the lockdowns last year, I never got a week off, I follow the guidelines strictly and my only exposure risk is through my job as a nanny. It's stomach churning, the idea of contracting the virus through work.

Thank you. The lack of understanding of how at risk some professions are is astounding. Most people I speak to are amazed/astounded/disgusted that teachers/nannies/nursery workers have been explicitly told by the government NOT TO WEAR PPE.

Even CEV and CV teachers can't

They need protection.

Others critical services also need vaccination protection but at least they get PPE

Teachers and shop workers then police

@956806416ak

They literally have to put their hands on strangers to arrest them.

That's true. That's not how they spend most of their time though.

It is how the majority of response officers spend their time. Plus going into several strangers homes per day.

JorisBonson

I don't agree that any police officers would tell you the majority of their time is spent handcuffing people, sorry.

I'm a police officer and I can tell you that, in the area of London I worked in, we would handcuff several people per shift.

That is not, with respect, the majority of your time. That is like saying teachers spend the majority of their time tying shoelaces.

Also, you shouldn't be going into people's houses at the moment unless you absolutely have to. Police in our area are talking to residents at the back door if they must.

Frontline police officers are in constant contact with people. That is their job - to respond to calls made by members of the public. Depending where you work that could be tens of calls per shift.

Not to mention the domestics, sudden deaths, welfare checks, arrest enquiries and search warrants that all require entry to a property. Then there's taking shoplifters from supermarkets, searching street robbers, sectioning people, the list of contact goes on and on.

I already said in my previous post that I think teachers are just as deserving, but I don't think it's fair to say that police officers don't have to get close to people to do their job. That IS their job.

They make phone calls, speak to people at a distance, patrol, work from home frequently and do many other tasks that are not comparable to being in a moderate classroom with 30 little super spreaders. To pretend you are spending the majority of your time physically handcuffing people so need the jab first is disingenuous.

@956806416ak

I can categorically confirm that frontline response officers do not spend their days on the phone or patrolling. They respond to calls from members of the public and go to their assistance, which is usually at their home or place of business.

Having been a response officer for 9 years I can say this with some authority.

The officers who spend their day making calls are in CID or specialist units, and the officers on patrol are generally safer neighbourhood teams.

Again, if you'd read my previous post I had stated that frontline officers should be a priority for vaccinations. At no point did I say this should be over any other profession.

If you'd like to know more about the day to day life of a response officer your local police force should offer a ride along scheme, when things are more back to normal.

Sorry all, didn't mean to derail thread.