Primary schools back sooner than expected?

[deeplybaffled]

It’s hard to know what to believe, but PHE now seem to be suggesting that primary schools can safely return after half term - which seems to contradict all other recent reports and government comments
focussing around Easter!

They don't know that yet - they are being cautious

Can ton imagine as well the resentment that would soon build if vaccinated people had more freedom, and issues of fake cards etc

I can't see them having a 2 tier approach so best to say we all have to follow rules.

@Belladonna12 not a medic no, just repeating what my dc's paediatrician told me when I asked about this.

It's not true that is extremely rare for paediatricians to prescribe a medicine that is not licensed yet the children although it's not as common now as it used to be. They're not going to prescribe the Covid vaccine for many children because very few are clinically extremely vulnerable (most have been taken off the shielding list now). It will be given to few children though. At the moment probably only older children with severe neuro-disabilities in residential care. That could change though.

@Pissedoff1234

Won't the unions get the teachers to submit their forms again to say they won't work as it's unsafe. This is one of the reasons they closed in January. Are all those teachers just going to decide it's ok now.

If cases have less than halved and they are on the vaccine list - it's not as clear cut as Christmas time

They don’t know for sure about transmission with the vaccine. Therefore it may well help slow transmission we don’t know it yet though so claims can’t be made.

The info from the PHE will be based on research done.

@ThePricklySheep

What do you mean, by “Its not more transmittable at all.”? *@GabriellaMontez*

I mean exactly what you think I mean.

If you have any evidence otherwise. Point me to it. I couldn't find it.

Only the ONS data that shows that the percentage positive with the new variant is decreasing in England.

My 10 year old ds has shielded for most of the year - under the advice of his Dr. We were told he wouldn't get the vaccine at the moment.
None of the parents I know with medically vulnerable children have been told they are eligible for the vaccine.
At present it is available to young people over 16 in residential care, on a case by case basis.
There is very little news about it apart from the Pfizer trials for 12-16 Year olds, being fully enrolled and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting trials for 12-16 Year olds as soon as possible.

@Pissedoff1234

Won't the unions get the teachers to submit their forms again to say they won't work as it's unsafe. This is one of the reasons they closed in January. Are all those teachers just going to decide it's ok now.

Time will tell! However news item yesterday said that teachers are NOT at increased risk compared to most other people.

Also it said that Taxi drivers and factory workers amongst others ARE at higher risk. Yet we don’t see any of them refusing to work.

What would make you feel it was ok? Were numbers last term ok, enough to attend?

@MarshaBradyo
Beginning of last term, yes. During and after November lockdown - although CV/CEV children were expected in school - it felt very unsafe.
I do think smaller class sizes are needed and that finding ways to enable this should have been prioritised, instead it has just been ignored. And yes, ventilation (again, more than just 'open windows' which isn't always feasible), and masks for those who can. I'm not an expert, but I certainly wish that those who are were being consulted on this. Instead I fear schools will be back 'as normal' in few weeks, and CV/CEV children will yet again be forgotten.
Thank you for asking though.

@Doris86 I believe that data is problematic as it was calculated from March to December not September to December.

HazeyJaneII Tue 26-Jan-21 15:56:14

Exactly we do not want to keep making the same mistakes and we need more investment in cahms etc.

[quote PurpleFlower1983]@Doris86 I believe that data is problematic as it was calculated from March to December not September to December.[/quote]
Problematic in what way?
Because it doesn’t support the MN party line that teachers are three times more likely to die than everyone else and that thousands of teachers have died?
Or problematic for other reasons?

And overall we need a huge investment in mental health support (for adults and youth) involving govt, charities, schools, nhs, CAMHS, families and employers.

Yes absolutely - going back to school, whilst very important, isn't a panacea for MH problems and shouldn't be treated as such. Huge investment is needed.

Lots of children in my school have caught Covid. They are very mildly affected or asymptomatic (tested by parents as bubbles burst). But nearly every parent has then contracted it. Some very poorly. So I hope schools don't open yet.

@GabriellaMontez

Very recently these two:
virological.org/t/lineage-specific-growth-of-sars-cov-2-b-1-1-7-during-the-english-national-lockdown/575
cmmid.github.io/topics/covid19/uk-novel-variant.html

But there’s a lot from a few weeks ago.

Can you link to the ONS evidence? A quick google is not finding it.

I lot of taxi drivers for example didn't work during the first lockdown - there isn't really an ideal way to work it out is there?

Everyone was a lot more likely to catch it during the latter months when it was rife

It’s anecdotal isn’t it. We had a handful of cases, asymptomatic only picked up after a parent tested positive. No other child or teacher picked up the virus.

Parents round here were ill (mainly mild/ fluey) first time round. No ill children.

It staggers me that this thread has been started on yet another day with 1600+ deaths of people with COVID.

I don’t think anyone is saying open the schools tomorrow.

There needs to be a plan though and we will be in a much different place in a month.

Yes deaths are hard to hear, and it’s extremely sad

Cases are 20,089 (40% less than last Tuesday by reported date)

PHE will go by cases

@CluelessDIY

It staggers me that this thread has been started on yet another day with 1600+ deaths of people with COVID.

Which was announced 5 minutes ago.

Please stop making people feel like shit for trying to look to the months ahead.

@CluelessDIY

It staggers me that this thread has been started on yet another day with 1600+ deaths of people with COVID.

You’re easily staggered.

I'm really tired of the guilt tripping tbh - trying to have a sensible discussion about schools does. It indicate people do not have care for people that have died.

@drspouse

The new variant doesn't impact the youngest the hardest?

The new variant is more transmissible among the young than the old one. It is not more transmissible among the young than among adults.

Yes, that's what I was saying- another poster said the new variant hit the youngest the hardest.

@Delatron

I don’t think anyone is saying open the schools tomorrow.

There needs to be a plan though and we will be in a much different place in a month.

I agree there needs to be a plan- but I don't think that plan should be a full opening of schools straight away!

Anecdata I know, but we had a student test positive in school today- in a secondary school with ~5% of children in. Obviously we don't know where he caught it, but we also had a staff member test positive last week, so it is possible it is circulating in school even now. These cases were both asymptomatic and detected by LFT, so there could be other cases in staff/students that haven't been detected by the LFT as we know they aren't 100% accurate.

I think we should look at trying to start rotas relatively soon after half term- possibly straight after.

This will probably mean in some primary schools, some of the children who are currently in full time will have to go on to the rota system as well.

@MarshaBradyo

Yes deaths are hard to hear, and it’s extremely sad

Cases are 20,089 (40% less than last Tuesday by reported date)

PHE will go by cases

I think they go by both but deaths will hopefully drop greatly anyway in the next month or so due to the vaccine plus lower cases this week.