Why aren't they vaccinating teachers now?

[Dingdong99]

I just can't get my head around this

Surely if they vaccinate all the school staff, schools can reopen, kids can get on with their education

A lot of kids are really struggling now (and their parents). I just don't understand why they aren't prioritising schools reopening by vaccinating teachers

Am I missing something?

Because hospitals are not full of teachers they are full of older people or those that are vulnerable, so they need vaccinating first.

I agree with you OP. I'm sick to the back teeth of kids being thrown under the bus. DD is 7, cries every day and is heartbreakingly lonely.
Older people need to continue shielding. Kids need to go back to school.

I should add that this would have to go hand in hand with mass testing

I appreciate that vulnerable people also need to be done as a priority but I feel teachers should at least be on the list

I think you might have missed all the other threads on the vaccine priority lschedule, if you have a scroll down the topic you should find plenty of explanation and discussion

How does vaccinating teachers help the children will be still mixing and taking the virus home.
The teachers of course should be vaccinated if they fall into the priority group.

1. so which vulnerable group would you pause getting their vaccinations while teachers go ahead? The over 80s who've not yet been? The care homes not yet completed? The over 70s who are just starting to get their letters? The CEV population?

2. once teachers are vaccinated that doesn't stop kids getting it from each other or from the teachers. They continue to bring it home and give it to mum, dad, uncle Steve, grandma Pearl whose injection was delayed because you pushed her group back.

It doesn't solve the problem.

Surely if they vaccinate all the school staff, schools can reopen
No because it wouldn't make a dent in community spread, all the kids mingling and then potentially taking covid back to family members.

I think you’ll find that grandmas theses days ste more likely to be called Helen or Lisa and be in their 50s and 60s but that would serve your scaremongering hyprbolr less effectively.

It won’t bring the numbers down as the school kids will still could pass it to their family members- who then go to work and pass it to their work colleagues, who are in a bubble with elderly people etc who then pass it to their carers etc etc etc

It’s a fucking shit virus

I see your points, I guess I'm just so depressed to hear that it's official that schools are closed until at least the summer term at the earliest

Because we can’t vaccinate everyone at the same time.

I agree teachers should be in some sort of priority category, but we haven’t even got to the CEV patients in this area yet.

Yes most grandparents will be in their 50s, early 60s, most people my age have school age grandchildren if they have them, 80+ year olds generally have great grandchildren, I'm 62

@Dingdong99

I see your points, I guess I'm just so depressed to hear that it's official that schools are closed until at least the summer term at the earliest

It is depressing, its definitely not official though re schools opening. Schools will be the first thing to open once community spread is at a more manageable level. I think that teachers will be prioritised once the vulnerable groups are vaccinated.

@Dingdong99 but it's not official, no one has said that. Growing pressure on gov't to lay out a route for schools reopening, expect clarity this week, but no one has confirmed anything?

The other issue is they don't know if it prevents transmission yet so all the vaccinated teachers could potentially be infected v mildly and so be passing it along.
There is no easy solution really until most people are vaccinated and in my opinion that needs to be kids as well because vulnerable children with medical conditions will always be at risk if they mix with an unpopulated cohort. I have an extremely vulnerable child myself and for us as a family it is hard to see how we can ever return to any kind of normality.

@ShirleyCurly

1) so which vulnerable group would you pause getting their vaccinations while teachers go ahead? The over 80s who've not yet been? The care homes not yet completed? The over 70s who are just starting to get their letters? The CEV population?

2. once teachers are vaccinated that doesn't stop kids getting it from each other or from the teachers. They continue to bring it home and give it to mum, dad, uncle Steve, grandma Pearl whose injection was delayed because you pushed her group back.

It doesn't solve the problem.

^^this

As a teaching assistant I would love for school staff to be vaccinated but I recognise it's not feasible at present.

It's bloody hard work for teachers and I see children struggling with online learning. however I know that they will catch up eventually. I have taught children that have come from war zones without schooling for several years that have done amazingly well once in regular education.

@Dingdong99

I just can't get my head around this

Surely if they vaccinate all the school staff, schools can reopen, kids can get on with their education

A lot of kids are really struggling now (and their parents). I just don't understand why they aren't prioritising schools reopening by vaccinating teachers

Am I missing something?

Yes, it appears you are missing the point entirely. Whether you genuinely don't understand is hard to tell.

In case it is a genuine question, here is the simple explanation:

Schools are busy places where germs and viruses spread from one pupil to another and another and another.

The children in the schools live in what are called 'families'.

When the children go home, their family members get ill.

Vaccinating teachers won't make any difference to this problem.

Just because the newspapers are suggesting it, doesn't mean it's official.

That length of site closure for many is not official - though the level of leaking suggests it might become so.

But until we get the level of new cases down, we stay in lockdown.

Because we have to get the pressure of the NHS (look at the news reports, you surely can't have missed how it's stretched to busting point) and 30k new positives a day isn't doing that.

The fastest way to get transmission under control is lockdown (we're down from the even worse 60k, but of course those people are still in hospital) supported by vaccinating those who are the most likely to get the severe disease and maybe die.

Teachers who are CEV, CV or older will of course be called with those categories (CEV have begun). But calling thousands of healthy young people ahead is the vulnerable just puts back the time when lockdown restrictions can begin to change. Including putting back when schools can reopen

So the question is, do you want to delay the return to pupils onsite?

The schools will not be closed to the summer!

If you want to do something about opening schools then join the campaign!

usforthem.co.uk/

They are not vaccinating teachers because there is no additional benefit unless they can also vaccinate children

Since they can't vaccinated teachers won't help schools reopen or reduce the load on the nhs .

It would therefore make lockdown And school closures last longer. I don't see why op would want that

They are not vaccinating teachers because there is no additional benefit unless they can also vaccinate children

...and their families

Schools drive community transmission.

@EmmanuelleMakro

I think you’ll find that grandmas theses days ste more likely to be called Helen or Lisa and be in their 50s and 60s but that would serve your scaremongering hyprbolr less effectively.

What? My kids' grannies are in their late 70s (paternal) and 80s (maternal). Grannies don't stop being grannies once they turn 70. And 3 of my 4 kids are still at school, one still at primary.

So yes I want Granny Jill who is 80 protected before my daughter's teacher who is 24.

[quote feelingquitehopeful]If you want to do something about opening schools then join the campaign!

usforthem.co.uk/[/quote]
No don't, this organisation is foolish and has contributed to school closures by opposing all efforts to make schools safer

This organisation is anti-scientific and not in the best interests of children.

They are total wallies.