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?

Yes, the priority is to reduce the crisis in the NHS, once it pulls back from the brink of collapse, we can come out of lockdown.

It’s mainly older and vulnerable people in hospital, so that cohort need to be vaccinated first to achieve the above.

“Many highly respected MPs“

Such as Swainey, Rees-Mogg, Bridgen, IDS, Francois, Mark Harper (who?), Baker etc?

Highly respected?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

www.expressandstar.com/news/health/coronavirus-covid19/2021/01/25/black-country-mps-back-lockdown-until-march-if-cases-dont-fall/

The only way schools will open is when transmissions decrease. I’m living in a borough that has the 5th greatest transmissions in the UK, bordering a borough who has the 3rd. I can’t see lockdown ending here soon, even my Tory MP agrees. Don’t get me wrong. I would feel so much safer being vaccinated in the class but I’m not sure it would reduce transmission.

Self explanatory.

They are vaccinating the people most likely to die first

@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 you are missing several things.

1. 88% of deaths are in priority groups 1 to 4. Thats why they are being targetted first.
2. There is a limit of vaccine available atm so it has to be prioritised. There isnt enough for teachers to be included in the first batch of priorities.
3. Vaccinating teachers doesn't stop the problem of children passing the virus to each other and then into the rest of the community. This is particularly important as many parents will still be vulnerable to the virus but wont be vaccinated.
4. Community transmission through schools is contributing to the R and the number of people in hospital. The number of people in hospital is why we are ultimately in lockdown in the first place.

@DenisetheMenace

“Many highly respected MPs“

Such as Swainey, Rees-Mogg, Bridgen, IDS, Francois, Mark Harper (who?), Baker etc?

Highly respected?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Where the fuck to start with the state of that list?!

@Frazzled6, well, it's not really self-explanatory though, is it?
Those stats ignore the fact that schools have been either partially closed (throughout lockdown 1) or completely closed (holiday periods). So, it's not really comparing like for like. If schools had been fully open, as is being called for by U4T, there would probably have been many more teachers' deaths showing on those figures.

@callmeangela.
But the schools are now closed so the rates will not change so no need for teachers to push up the list in front of the people who have more clinical needs.

Vaccination of teachers does not stop the spread if its children that are spreading the disease.

I thought that after over 60's were vaccinated they were going to start looking at Police, Teachers, Prison Officers, Shop Workers and Transport Workers as in contact with many people everyday. Any CEV teachers, CV or teachers over 60 would already have be vaccinated by then.

Vaccinating teachers will not allow schools to reopen, they are not closed because teachers are at risk. Rather to reduce community spread.

Schools open, children mix, take home covid to families, cases rise, hospitalisation and deaths rise.

The NHS is not collapsing under the strain of teachers catching covid but those in the at risk groups due to age and Co morbidities.

regardless of where Teachers are (or ought to be) on the vaccination list, there seems to be a common notion that schools aren't going back until summer.
The first announcement alongside lockdown was that children would be learning from home until at least half term. I think that was a best case scenario and would obviously depend on numbers and where things are at with hospital numbers and vaccinations, but I think its widely accepted that Easter would be more realistic.
The term that starts in January is generally called spring term, and the one starting after Easter is called the Summer term, so going back in summer term is not neccesarily the same as going back in summer.

@feelingquitehopeful

I wonder why all these posts won't schools to stay closed, pref indefinitely. Reminds me of last summer, when we had one death a day and people were still screeching it is not safe.

We need to open schools urgently.

30,000 British people dead in January not enough for ya?

Just open the schools.

Again.

I think it's some grown ups who aren't learning.

[quote Frazzled6]@callmeangela.
But the schools are now closed so the rates will not change so no need for teachers to push up the list in front of the people who have more clinical needs.

Vaccination of teachers does not stop the spread if its children that are spreading the disease.[/quote]
Why are you telling me that about vaccination vs spread? I've been saying that all along.

I guess the issue is that kids would still bring it hime even if teachers were vaccinated 🤷🏾‍♀️

Because vaccine supply is limited.
Which clinically vulnerable people would you not vaccinate so teachers can have theirs? People would die as a result.
But I agree I don't think the teachers will agree to go back until they have been vaccinated.

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

Seriously? My school age dd's grandmother is 77 and grandfather is 83. The other ones would have been in their 80s but are both deceased. Most of my friends who have school age kids have parents in the same sort of age bracket.

50s is very young to be a grandparent. Lots of parents of school aged kids are still in their fifties!

Because the kids still spread it around and take it home. So until they vaccinate the vulnerable the kids will still spread it meaning vulnerable still at risk. As they aren’t vaccinating kids

Because, as others have said, it’s about which group will have the biggest impact on hospitalisation rates. You vaccinate them.
Also, kids will still bring it home to their families and community spread won’t be affected.
Yes, I think teachers should be prioritised alongside other public facing jobs once the current 8 groups are all done, but it won’t help children get back to school because schools aren’t closed to protect teachers.

Over 50 here with a primary aged child.

The other thing to consider with higher community spread is that it risks creating more mutations. Irrespective of whether teachers should be vaccinated now or not we can not currently reopen schools and take the risk of driving transmission rates right up. It would be potentially dangerous for everyone.

@Frazzled6

Self explanatory.

No it's not. Nobody (that I know) is saying that teachers and other school staff are at higher risk of death. But we are at greater risk of exposure. Death is not the only outcome of COVID infection, several colleagues who have had it are still not 100% weeks later and one has severe and permanent lung damage.

@caringcarer

I thought that after over 60's were vaccinated they were going to start looking at Police, Teachers, Prison Officers, Shop Workers and Transport Workers as in contact with many people everyday. Any CEV teachers, CV or teachers over 60 would already have be vaccinated by then.

Yes they are saying the next priority list will probably be keyworkers first. We will have to wait and see though.

Group 9 on the first list is 50s and over. So those teachers will also be done.

"Nobody (that I know) is saying that teachers and other school staff are at higher risk of death. But we are at greater risk of exposure. Death is not the only outcome of COVID infection, several colleagues who have had it are still not 100% weeks later and one has severe and permanent lung damage"

That is awful, I am sorry. But are you really at greater risk of exposure? Than the police, who have to literally manhandle adults day in day out? Than social workers? Than factory workers sat on machines all day in windowless rooms? Than bus drivers or supermarket workers, perched behind a piece of perspex like covid is a solid that can't travel around in air currents while hundreds of adults interact with them each day? Are you? Do we have stats on that?