Press Conference today Friday 15th Jan

[SophieB100]

The main man will be on stage around 5 pm.
Backing vocals provided by Whitty and Valance!

Enjoy

@GabsAlot

so all of us under 50 just have t o risk it once everyone else has ben vaccinnated?

It’s a dilemma but let’s face it even if you avoid everyone you’d probably want your dc at school? Or maybe not

Tricky one

@GabsAlot

so all of us under 50 just have t o risk it once everyone else has ben vaccinnated?

Well, yes. Like we do with every other virus and illness.

Covid has such a small chance of killing under 50s with no underlying health problems.
You want to self isolate, go ahead. Knock yourself out.
The rest of us under 50s shouldn't have to live like this for the foreseeable future for mother majority of us will get flu like symptoms.

Well, yes. Like we do with every other virus and illness. Covid has such a small chance of killing under 50s with no underlying health problems. You want to self isolate, go ahead. Knock yourself out. The rest of us under 50s shouldn't have to live like this for the foreseeable future for mother majority of us will get flu like symptoms

That is daft, normal flu does not hospitalise/kill anywhere near as many under-50s as are currently in hospital right now, including critical care.

Flamboyant but how long would you wait and with what restrictions?

I'm only a year or two under 60, and a teacher.
I can envisage a time when I'm expected back in the classroom without having been vaccinated, and it is a scary thought.

But, hopefully if enough other people (older people) have been vaccinated by then, hopefully the R rate will have reduced and it will be safer.
Also, I am almost as certain as I can be that I had Covid in March, just before lockdown, when the R rate was much higher than it is now. So many students and staff off, and I was sending students with coughs and high temps to lessons nearly every lesson.
That's how I cope with going back "properly" if they re-open schools before I'm vaccinated!
The testing of school staff doesn't really reassure me at all. Only a vaccine does.

@Doublefaced

Schools opening next week.

Don’t be silly. They would never bother to give that much notice.

The solution is clearly not to stay hidden at home, but to acknowledge that it is not just the over-50s who need vaccinating...

No I think they’ll do under 50 but we probably have a term or so of not being vaccinated

Oh, and my DD is an ICU nurse - and they have far more younger people in CC than they did in the first peak.
I worry about her in the Unit, she worries about me with the keyworker students. She's had the first vaccine though, which made my Christmas!

Didn't they say every adult would be offered the vaccine by autumn or did I imagine it.

Edit: Sending students to medical room - not lessons!

@SophieB100

I'm only a year or two under 60, and a teacher. I can envisage a time when I'm expected back in the classroom without having been vaccinated, and it is a scary thought. But, hopefully if enough other people (older people) have been vaccinated by then, hopefully the R rate will have reduced and it will be safer. Also, I am almost as certain as I can be that I had Covid in March, just before lockdown, when the R rate was much higher than it is now. So many students and staff off, and I was sending students with coughs and high temps to lessons nearly every lesson. That's how I cope with going back "properly" if they re-open schools before I'm vaccinated! The testing of school staff doesn't really reassure me at all. Only a vaccine does.

There was talk last week of them 'looking at' vaccinating front line professional groups like teachers after groups 1-4 have been done. I would support that and I think a lot of people would, certainly given that it would help support schools reopening.

@Kumquatsquash

Tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty You're listening to advice from professor Chris Whitty This is jam hot.

You win the thread.

There is research about where the virus is picked up (proper research, not anecdotal) and supermarkets/shops and workplaces are major locations for virus transmissions

It will be an interesting read. I have always wondered if t&t are told supermarkets as people won’t admit to breaking the rules as the root cause. If supermarkets where people pass through and don’t stay for hours are a big risk that workplaces and schools must be so much higher surely?

@SophieB100 I'm in the same boat. Asthmatic too but that doesn't give me any special treatment. To be fair, my 92yo dad hasn't even had notice of his jab yet so I'm not holding my breath. Which is good because being asthmatic, I'm not very good at breathing :)

i saw the ten o clock news 2 nights ago showing a icu with all 50s and under in it

i know we have to get nurses doc etc done first but its like the rest of us dont matter in the plans

matt hancock says alot-they also said we would be back to normal by christmas

Didn't they say every adult would be offered the vaccine by autumn or did I imagine it

I wouldn't worry about it, ancientgran; when if they muck it up government will blame pharma supplies and pharma will blame rollout arrangements

Oh, hang on - they already are

Meanwhile we all have another triumph of administration to admire: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55672194
And yes I know it's not the subject of the thread, but you have to laugh ... if you didn't you'd scream

It will be an interesting read. I have always wondered if t&t are told supermarkets as people won’t admit to breaking the rules as the root cause. If supermarkets where people pass through and don’t stay for hours are a big risk that workplaces and schools must be so much higher surely?
I wondered (hoped) this. As supermarkets are one of the few places you can legitimately go to, if asked by t and t where they have been in the last 48 hours/few days its feasible someone would have gone to the supermarket (as well as their friends/mums house)

thanks for the dark humour please keep it coming for the next press conference.

@wasgoingmadinthecountry, It is very unsettling isn't it, I do empathise with you and everyone else in the same boat.
@Butterymuffin, thank you - I think that re-opening schools is a must, but can only be done when things improve, if vaccinating school staff accelerates that, then I'm all for it.

And yes, @Kumquatsquash definitely wins the thread!

If you didn't have a laugh @UndyingDeathdefying you'd cry!

@GabsAlot

so all of us under 50 just have t o risk it once everyone else has ben vaccinnated?

Yup - and with the uncertainty of not knowing if you might end up with long covid I can imagine quite a few folk will be uncomfortable with that!

Pretty sure teachers will be next after over 50s, this has definitely been alluded to. The issue then will be do they go for the transmission routes (retail and hospitality staff)?? Or the next age range down - personally I'm desperate for them to do the over 45s next but I can see the logic in another approach too, if rates are down then everyone is at lower risk and post vaccination we will get back to normal quicker.

@tootyfruitypickle

JCVI had this to say in December about occupational priority in phase 2:

Vaccination of those at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to their occupation could also be a priority in the next phase. This could include:

first responders
the military
those involved in the justice system
teachers
transport workers
public servants essential to the pandemic response.

Priority occupations for vaccination are considered an issue of policy, rather than for JCVI to advise on. JCVI asks that DHSC consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other government departments.