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.

[ChristmasinJune]

[quote OpheliasCrayon]@ChristmasinJune
I'd look into that as we've been offered vaccines for next week in our sen school and I have friends who work in different cities right across the country also in SEN schools who have had the vaccine already. I'd get onto your LA because ours put us on the list - it's being given to SEN staff so I wouldn't settle with waiting !!![/quote]
I've seen that a couple of times on this thread, will look into it. Unfortunately we're a base in a mainstream school rather than a special school so may not qualify but it can't hurt to try.
Thanks!

[OpheliasCrayon]

I feel like this very argument is why it's being done the way it is. Sen staff are being counted in some areas with nhs as we work with vulnerable children and provide medical and personal care so to me that makes sense

There ALWAYS going tk be an argument why someone should have it and so I do actually get why it's done by age and risk.

And I'm not even having mine offered because of sen work due to allergies so I'm out of the equation anyhow ... I'm literally taking nothing from anyone else !

[saraclara]

@samanthawashington

A policeman also died of covid

Which was tragic, but he was working from home throughout Covid, so no different to any other person working from home.

I agree that it's not so much early vaccination as much as a safer environment (both pupils and adults masked) that school staff need.

[tilder]

I suspect public health has to be done at population level risk not individual level risk. If it was done by individual risk, the rate of vaccination would be on a go slow while the next most at risk person was identified and then vaccinated.

The vaccine roll out is speeding up. It's brilliant. I'm so grateful to all involved and reassured that anti vaxxers don't seem to be slowing it down.

[IceCreamAndCandyfloss]

I’d agree school staff should be priority given the conditions within their workplaces. No SD, no PPE, crowded rooms, parents sending children in sick etc. Even now many children could be home but aren’t.

I suspect many won’t agree though as they just want children in school and the mantra of children don’t get ill is repeated.

[Angel2702]

I would propose that they become group 5 and are vaccinated at half term.

You would put them ahead of the clinically vulnerable?

People with no greater risk factors of death going ahead of people with health conditions known to put them at greater risk? Increasing death rate and increasing pressure on NHS?

[Bubbletube]

Lots of people from other professions have died - cleaners, bus drivers, supermarket staff. What makes teachers special? Please stop, this is getting so old now.

[Radio4Rocks]

No point in vaccinating teachers unless schools are made much safer for all. Social distancing, all wearing masks, ventilation are just as important.

Vaccinations won't solve anything while schools are so unsafe.

[Flaxmeadow]

LickEmbysmiling
My very fit in laws just over 70 will get a vaccination 💉 before a teacher having to go into a crowd everyday? How is that fair?.
It should also be worked out on viral load.

My in laws do not need to go anywhere, keep fit, very slim and do not have to shop at peak periods get deliverys...

Their '' exposure '' to the virus however can be teeny if at all.

A teachers exposure is massive! And un avoidable. Huge amounts of younger people and parents of teens in icu

Because the vaccinations are rightly based on clinical need

What if your elderly in laws have to go into hospital for some reason, an accidental fall or a cut or something else. The risks of elderly people in hospital, or a care home, catching the virus are high.

[phlebasconsidered]

@Kazzyhoward As a clinically vulnerable age 49 teacher I am in group 6. So not anytime soon. Around May- June was my gp's estimate.

[bluecheesefan]

@Bubbletube

Lots of people from other professions have died - cleaners, bus drivers, supermarket staff. What makes teachers special? Please stop, this is getting so old now.

Exactly, I was just coming on to say this very thing. Two dustmen in my are have died of Covid. As has an assistant in the chemist's. We cannot prioritise everybody at the same time.

We can't prioritise teachers because closed schools are inconveniencing parents.

[Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople]

@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

I’m a teacher and I agree with this.

[Flaxmeadow]

Lots of people from other professions have died - cleaners, bus drivers, supermarket staff

Yes, at least 34 bus drivers, in London alone, died in the first wave

[Hardbackwriter]

[quote phlebasconsidered]@Kazzyhoward As a clinically vulnerable age 49 teacher I am in group 6. So not anytime soon. Around May- June was my gp's estimate.[/quote]
But you'll still get it sooner than you would through occupation unless you think teachers should be done before the clinically vulnerable, which surely you don't?

[SachaStark]

As a secondary school teacher, I’d far rather proper measures were actually put in place to help schools to re-open safely, rather than be bumped up the vaccination priority list. That would be much more useful to us, IMO.

If I was allowed to choose any occupational group to be prioritised, I’d put my vote in for either supermarket staff working the shop floor, or police officers who deal directly with members of the public.

My mum is a funeral director, and has been given an early vaccination date through work, due to the fact that she is technically frontline. Ironically, she is absolutely incensed that teachers aren’t getting early vaccination as well. But then, I suppose she is just worried about her own kids (we are all teachers).

[Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople]

I would like to see teachers, especially older teachers in their 50’s and 60’s prioritised (along with anyone is a public, high contact role e.g TAs, police, bin men/women, shop workers, religious ministers, charity workers who need to work directly with the public)

[bluebluezoo]

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

Because the “mumsnet massive” is more qualified and knowledgeable than all the virology, epidemiology and logistics experts that are advising the govenment?

Do you really think bojo has just decided to let teachers die because he doesn’t care?

Teachers, and pupils, are not at risk from being seriously ill and needing intensive care. It is those groups and those that work with those groups that need vaccinating first to free up the 4000 ITU beds and ventilators.

This poor man hasn’t died because being a teacher meant he was high risk. He is just one of the small % of otherwise fit and healthy adults that are seriously affected by CV..

You’ll find this story in every profession. There are scientists in labs that have died, back office police staff, delivery drivers, and adults that have stayed at home and followed guidance. How do we “prioritise” all of them?

[Greenknees]

DH is a teacher and has been offered surplus vaccine- he was told to be on call for when it is available. I guess where the surplus goes must be up to the individual vaccination hub?

[MagicSummer]

@Lalliella - I am in Group 5 and just counting the days until I get the jab. Hopefully, I might be able to go out again 3 weeks after that. I would not be happy for all teachers to be prioritised above my Group.

[bluebluezoo]

My very fit in laws just over 70 will get a vaccination 💉 before a teacher having to go into a crowd everyday? How is that fair?

Oh ffs.

Because your inlaws are statistically more likely to end up in ITU if they catch covid, or dying because over 70’s don’t do well on ventilators.

Your healthy, adult, fit teacher has a comparatively tiny chance of being seriously unwell.

That is why it’s “fair”

If we free up all the ITU beds we will save 000’s of lives because we have the resources to treat them.

What if your teacher friend gets into a car accident and dies because all the ventilators are occupied by people like your fit over 70 in laws?

[Poppystars]

The problem with teachers not being vaccinated is that if too many of them are positive/ill with COVID, bubbles have to close at school. My local school currently has one year group closed due to this situation - so the key workers children are at home, if those children are jokey workers, it means hospital/police/NHS/supermarket staff are having to stop work yo have their children home .... they are in due to parents being at work.

[Poppystars]

Excuse awful one-handed typing!! Off to play with said toddler ....

[Mumski45]

@N0Sl33p I am NHS staff wfh in a finance role. I am not prioritised and will take my turn in my age group with everyone else. Any nhs non hospital based staff currently getting the vaccine will most likely be left overs. There needs to be better co-ordination of this to ensure leftovers are used on priority groups.

I will not be signing any petition because I don't believe that vaccinating healthy teachers in priority to at risk categories will help open schools sooner.

Vaccinated teachers can still spread the virus as can children who will most likely not get ill but will go home to more at risk family. Which one is most likely to end up in hospital?

I think it is likely that the government will prioritise certain occupations in phase 2 but it won't make any difference to the opening of schools.

[Mumski45]

@Poppystars but we are being told that vaccination doesn't prevent infection only serious illness so would a vaccinated teacher make any difference in the situation you describe. Until there is tried and tested evidence that vaccination reduces infections we can't make these kind of assumptions.