Suspect that 8th March school return will also see the end of "bubbles" and their subsequent bursts?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

By 8th March most (if not all) elderly and vulnerable will have had at least one jab and so will have significantly less risk of suffering if they catch covid.

Therefore I suspect that this school return date will also include a removal of "bubbles". If most of the at-risk population are soon to be in a situation where their risk of hospitalization is practically zero, does it actually matter if people are carrying/incubating/displaying symptoms of covid?

As long as the government is happy to pay any unvaccinated vulnerable teachers or unvaccinated teachers with vulnerable household members to stay at home......?

And by teachers I mean all/any school staff

Therefore I suspect that this school return date will also include a removal of "bubbles". If most of the at-risk population are soon to be in a situation where their risk of hospitalization is practically zero,

Where are you getting zero risk from?
DH's Nan is currently has COVID and is very ill in hospital on oxygen. She had her first dose of vaccine just over three weeks before her positive test.

My DC's school is possible returning for infants after half term (in Wales) and has posted the following-
If children return following the review on the 22nd we still need to adhere to the following;
Do not carshare,
Do not congregate on the school yard for longer than necessary
Do not let your children meet up with other households outside of school.

Other people’s health is just such a damn inconvenience isn’t it OP .

Bubbles aren’t going anywhere until well into next year and likely beyond. At minimum, before the whole adult population has had two jabs. Potentially even until children have also had them.

[quote MarthaWashingtonsFeralTomcat]Do you have a link for the 90% of hospitalizations being under 70 please @Poppyliveshere ?

All I can see is this which suggests about 77k out of the 362k overall hospital admissions in England have been over 85 - so about 20% of those who've been in hospital have been 85+. A further 152,000 (so 45% ish?) have been 65-84. I find it shocking if it's changed that much recently.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare?areaType=nation&areaName=England[/quote]
Sorry, I meant 90% of cases are in under 70’s and my source was Christina Pagel who is a professor of operational research at UCL. Said this 2 days ago.

Well as a wrong side of 50 asthmatic but not bad enough and overweight but not morbidly obese I would be concerned about lack of bubbles etc. Before they broke up cases were high in the Secondary school especially but I guess it is pointless speculating what will happen.

@tawnytowel

Other people’s health is just such a damn inconvenience isn’t it OP .

Bubbles aren’t going anywhere until well into next year and likely beyond. At minimum, before the whole adult population has had two jabs. Potentially even until children have also had them.

Yes people need to mentally prepare for school bubbles (along with T&T and isolating) continuing well into 2022/23 and perhaps beyond.

Ah, thanks Poppy. That's really interesting. 15.2% of the population were over 70 in 2019 so the over 70s are clearly getting it less often than younger people but as we know, suffering more. I suppose those 70+ are not so likely to have kids at home or be working outside the home.

@Chollok

Multiple scientists have explained why vaccines are not the silver bullet people think they are and yet still multiple posters don't seem to understand.

People only understand what they want to understand.

Covid has seen a lot of people struggle emotionally with uncertainty, change, stress and fear. So it is easier to pretend it is simple than to engage with reality.

In short - there are a lot of people with their fingers in their ears!

I think bubbles will stay till summer term. I also think there will be less testing of children given how much school they have missed. I can't see parents willingly testing at every temperature or cough.

Until all the school staff have been offered the vaccine schools will continue to send children home for testing or isolation at the sign of a cough or temperature. That is very unlikely to change.

I think there will still be bubbles and I also think staff will still be asked to cross bubbles

In secondaries the entire timetable and rooming has been written to accommodate bubbles.....it's no small feat to go back to usual! From September maybe

If you are suggesting that positive cases of covid will remain in school and so will their close contacts, then no, I don’t think this will be happening any time soon!

@satishoused

In secondaries the entire timetable and rooming has been written to accommodate bubbles.....it's no small feat to go back to usual! From September maybe

Good point

I don't think they want to risk mutations so I think the bubbles will stay but instead of contacts isolating, they will have the choice of lateral flow testing twice a week or isolate at home... Like they originally planned for Jan. I'd still rather my kids not be expected to just catch covid and see how they get on... I'd rather some caution until we see the effects of vaccines and things opening back up, but positive cases to still be expected to isolate