The teacher who died just after Christmas.

[Breastfeedingworries]

Good morning all,

Not sure if if this was posted about at the time as I didn’t see the thread.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/covid-19-family-of-teacher-who-died-with-coronavirus-say-school-staff-must-be-priority-for-vaccination-12195441

Why aren’t we vaccinating teachers? Is there a petition online?

Can we as a MN massive do something’s about this.

Who would you propose is de-prioritised to facilitate vaccinating teachers as a group rather than as individuals in accordance with their specific risk?

It's been explained quite a lot why the country is not vaccinating teachers.

It's because it won't lead to schools reopening during Alert 5 and lockdown. What we as a country need is to get off Alert 5 and that is done by taking pressure off the NHS by vaccinating those most at risk of serious illness or death. Only then do the numbers in hospitals come down and we can move to a lower level of Alert and get some economic activity going again.

Unless you want to prolong lockdown, and he close to intolerable stress on NHS at present, there isn't really an alternative.

Teachers are under consideration for highest occupational priority (alongside police and some others), and I think that is a thoroughly good idea.

But not earlier when it prolongs lockdown

@PinkTonic

Who would you propose is de-prioritised to facilitate vaccinating teachers as a group rather than as individuals in accordance with their specific risk?

This^

Who would you propose is de-prioritised to facilitate vaccinating teachers as a group rather than as individuals in accordance with their specific risk?

Rather than de-prioritising groups, could they not be on call for left over vaccines at the local vaccination hubs? I know police stations are doing this too to get their force vaccinated.

This ones been done to death OP. You can always start on the thread about the headteachers idea to vaccinate all teachers during half term. That's currant at the moment.

I guess because people think that those of us who are, broadly, at risk of getting it severely will be picked up in the other priority groups and that people like me (26, no health issues) don’t need to be prioritised.

I can see both points - the reason I would want the vaccine is primarily because I would like to be able to see my parents with us all having had the vaccine. I’m not overly worried about getting it myself.

It’s really, I would say, about which group being vaccinated will have the biggest impact on the NHS and the rate of hospitalisation. That’s how we have to look at it.

How many people of other professions died with Coronavirus just after Christmas? Are you suggesting a petition for them too?
(I'm a teacher)

People in every job that are public facing are dying. The vaccinations wont lead to the schools opening soon, no matter how much the (understandably) tired parents want them to. I say this as a teacher. Police, emergency workers (gas, water and electric), shop workers should be prioritised. They have no way of working from home.

Proper safety measures in place would have been a good start, sadly it's all too little too late. Schools being called safe was always a ridiculous suggestion with an asymptomatic disease. Children may not have been severely affected, but adults in school and families certainly have been.
Allow proper ppe and fund schools properly for distancing, ventilation and cleaning and vaccinate staff in the group 2 phase and education might stand a chance.

So many teachers and school staff have died. Many many more are currently ill, or have been left disabled. There is another massive cohort, like me, who have delayed retirement to see the students through the pandemic. There is going go to be a complete melt down in schools once they reopen. I teach in London. We were already carrying vacancies at a sky rocketing rate. We were so short staffed in 2019 before the pandemic that we had to put all the year 11s into the main hall for science lessons and share the 2 teachers available between 5 classes. This was not a one off. This was permanent. We did it several times a week for months. Then there is Gavin Williamson’s refusal to allow certain boroughs to close their schools 2 days early before Christmas, for which many people would like to see him up on a man slaughter charge. Add to that all the extra work and expense and abuse teachers have been subject to, plus the fact that this cohort of trainees have hardly stepped into the classroom yet, and you have a perfect storm. If the government does nothing to protect teachers, they will find themselves without any

My DH works in a prison. He currently has Coronavirus caught from his work. Many of his colleagues also have it. One staff member died from it last week.

I have a lot of sympathy for the position teachers are in but I think they are also losing perspective about this and the large number of other professions who are equally or even more at risk who are not eligible for vaccines yet.

I would hope to see teachers vaccinated once the priority groups in phase 1 are done. Many will fall into these top groups anyway so it’ll be the under 50 teachers. Also policemen and supermarket workers and bus drivers

What a nice bloke that man seemed to be. Utter shame. His poor kids.

I think people who have recently had covid (since November), we're not hospitalised and now have antibodies should not be vaccinated right now. Especially those not directly exposed or ECV. I think these vaccines should be going to those who need to work in risky jobs or likely to die. Such as top priority groups and teachers/emergency services etc

Research shows antibodies last at least 5 months, more likely 6-7 months. Personally I think it's a waste of vaccine and can't be justified. The fact people who donate plasma are being vaccinated right now it completely wrong. They should be vaccinated but later down the line.

Once the current vaccinations are completed (includes all teachers with underlying health conditions and those over 50) then yes public facing workers, not just teachers, should be prioritised, but for now prioritising those likely to get sick makes sense

Couldn't agree more with the post who states left over vaccines should go to teachers and other frontline workers. I'd be prioritising these groups by age and underlying illness, exposure and those donating plasma.

I've said it so many times. People who can donate plasma should not be being vaccinated at the current time.

I think having clear plans to use leftover vaccines for police, schools, supermarket staff, other public facing roles would help. On any one day a person might not turn up for their vaccine for various reasons, if work places are organised then it is an effective way to contact people to use up the vaccine and requires just one or two phonecallls a day from the vaccine centre. Hello is that St Mary's School? This is London Road Drs Surgery, it looks as if we will have ten spare vaccines, staff need to be here by 4.30. Schools can themselves say right let's send Mr Jones because he is over 50 and Miss Smith because she had a lung transplant etc. The vaccine centre takes their details and NHS number and updates their record so they can be called for the second dose.

People working in public facing key roles could also request a flag on their file so they are called first in their age group so 51 year old firefighter is called before 55 year old wfh finance director.

There are ways to achieve it without deprioritising other groups. I am wfh, quite happy for others to go ahead of me.

For obvious reasons I am very supportive of and concerned about teachers, but I do find it quite hard to fathom why anyone would think my 33 year old DH with no underlying conditions should get the vaccine before someone with a much higher risk of death if they contract COVID just because he's a teacher, and I'd think it was really selfish of him to think he should (he doesn't).

@VikingVolva

It's been explained quite a lot why the country is not vaccinating teachers.

It's because it won't lead to schools reopening during Alert 5 and lockdown. What we as a country need is to get off Alert 5 and that is done by taking pressure off the NHS by vaccinating those most at risk of serious illness or death. Only then do the numbers in hospitals come down and we can move to a lower level of Alert and get some economic activity going again.

Unless you want to prolong lockdown, and he close to intolerable stress on NHS at present, there isn't really an alternative.

Teachers are under consideration for highest occupational priority (alongside police and some others), and I think that is a thoroughly good idea.

But not earlier when it prolongs lockdown

This

@Hardbackwriter

For obvious reasons I am very supportive of and concerned about teachers, but I do find it quite hard to fathom why anyone would think my 33 year old DH with no underlying conditions should get the vaccine before someone with a much higher risk of death if they contract COVID just because he's a teacher, and I'd think it was really selfish of him to think he should (he doesn't).

Some very stupid people seem to think the answer to getting schoolsxfully opened is to vaccinate all school staff as a priority. They are not concerned with teacher's own personal risk at all. They also cannot see that there are other reasons why schools cannot open fully at this stage.

Heartbreaking to read about this dedicated teacher.

Vaccinating teachers doesn’t solve the issue of transmission in schools which is the reason they’ve had to close. It doesn’t stop kids taking the virus home to parents and grandparents. A good friend of mine teaches at this school, she and many of her colleagues had COVID last term, they closed early for Christmas and restricted access to certain year groups at one point. Vaccination of staff would have had limited impact on this.

As lots of pp have said, I don't think teachers should be vaccinated ahead of those most clinically vulnerable. But I do think it would be a good idea for centres vaccinating people to offer left over vaccinations (from no-shows etc) to staff working in local schools. I know some have been offering these to police (who I absolutely agree need to have it) but not aware of anything similar with schools.

Interestingly, my parents (both over 75 ,ECV and have had the first dose) are of the opinion that teachers and police should have be vaccinated ahead of them- since they can stay at home in relative safety but the police/teachers don't have that choice.

Even carers of a disabled person are not top priority.

A policeman also died of covid

I’d de prioritise any NHS staff working from home and not doing face to face.