Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

How worried are you about your DC's catching covid at school?

101 replies

Beebityboo · 05/03/2021 17:16

My DC's go back on Monday and because I am an absolute masochist, I have been on twitter far too much today and got myself really worked up about sending them back. I have been scared about them going back since last March when I pulled them out two weeks early and I sent them back in September with great reluctance. My youngest had a cancer scare over a year ago and it triggered quite severe health anxiety. I am also disabled and shielding (though now vaccinated which is a huge relief).

It seems with this new variant and no vaccine for younger children on the horizon I have to accept there is a good chance they will in fact catch this, that if I want them to have a decent quality of life and go back to school I need to accept that risk. The issue is due to my anxiety I have a really hard time understanding risk/statistics etc and having been born with an incredibly rare disability I have never really been reassured by them. Before schools closed last Christmas there were lots of scare stories about lots of children being in hospital and it seems that this new variant really does infect younger children much more readily.

How worried are you about your children possibly catching covid at school? Do you worry about them getting very unwell or suffering long covid?

I suppose I need someone to help me to get my head straightened out and things in perspective.

OP posts:
YayCoffeeCoffeeCoffee · 05/03/2021 17:19

I'm worried about my DS5 catching it but to be honest I am more worried about his mental health and social skills. Since the 17th December he has only been in contact with me his dad and his nan and saw others from a distance. He needs his friends. He needs some normal and more so he needs to be a child of his age.

bathsh3ba · 05/03/2021 17:22

I'm not at all worried about my children catching it as it is very unlikely they would be badly affected by it. In my opinion the impact on them of being out of school is likely worse than the impact of catching it would be. Also, we live in a low incidence area and the school managed everything very well before Christmas, with only 5 or 6 cases in the whole school (all students, no staff).

I am more concerned about them passing it to me, or to their grandparents, as I am clinically vulnerable and my parents are over 65. However, my parents have both now had their first dose of the vaccine and are more than 3 weeks post-vaccine and I'm due my first in two weeks, so hopefully by after Easter I'll be much more relaxed.

Either way I'm sending them in as statistically it is more than likely we will all be fine.

Mintjulia · 05/03/2021 17:24

Not at all. We've just got back from having a lateral flow test. All pupils were offered a test today, DS's whole class has been done and is clear. We've just had the text. They'll do a second test on Monday.

Then again on Thursday. And then every Monday and Thursday until further notice. It was nice to be told everyone is ok Smile

itsgettingwierd · 05/03/2021 17:25

I'm worried but that's because my ds is group 6 and still not vaccinated and won't let me book online.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 05/03/2021 17:25

Zero. I've not been worried at any point.

I work outside the home and if we look at the amount of Covid cases at my workplace vs my DS's school, he's more likely to catch it from me as there's been more cases at my work!

Unanananana · 05/03/2021 17:34

Not worried at all about them catching it. Like pp, I am more worried about the state of my DSs mental health. He has become anxious and angry over lockdown. He needs his friends and to kearn in a normal school environment.

Will he get any help from school from this newly proposed fund for helping the mental health of children and young people? Probably not.

Pleasebe2022 · 05/03/2021 17:36

I'm worried. My son started at nursery last week and daughter goes to year 3 on monday. I cant sleep I'm that anxious now son is back at nursery. However we were struggling so much as I work full time from home and my son wasnt coping well. I'm hoping my anxiety will lessen. I an CEV too and shielding. I've had 1st vacs but theres no study results yet on whether it will work with my condition.

wendz86 · 05/03/2021 17:36

I’m not worried about them getting it . I’ve only been worried in the past about them passing to my parents as we are a support bubble but they had their vaccines 3 weeks ago so feel fine about it all .

PaulaMountavon · 05/03/2021 17:36

I am quite worried as I have seen how ill friends have been with covid recently, but I also want to see my kids back at school.

sashagabadon · 05/03/2021 17:37

Not in the least bit worried

LadyCatStark · 05/03/2021 17:38

I’m more worried about whether his school shoes fit and whether I’ll be able to get some more in time if they don’t 😂 must remember tho try them on today!

eeyore228 · 05/03/2021 17:39

I’d be more worried about scaring the kids and maintaining their social skills and mental health. We can’t hide forever and keep them locked away.

palacegirl77 · 05/03/2021 17:39

This time last year I was very worried (took them out a week before they closed). Now, genuinely not worried at all. We have the stats now, I know theyll be fine. Even "long covid" doesnt worry me, I had Glandular Fever as a 15 year old and it was bad for months after but I got over it eventually. Unfortunately we cant protect them from everything going unless we are happy for them not to have a 'normal' childhood.

Wakemeuuuup · 05/03/2021 17:42

I am quite worried but it won't stop me sending them back

megletsecond · 05/03/2021 17:42

Quite worried.

They'll be fine. I'd probably be poorly and hell would break loose. I have to regularly stop DD being violent, hurting herself, her brother or me, so I desperately try and keep healthy.

Oblomov21 · 05/03/2021 17:44

Nope. Not at all. And if they do catch it, must likely it won't be that bad.
Please see your GP about your chronic anxiety.

iVampire · 05/03/2021 17:44

Very, but I’m trying not to think about it

I have leukaemia, and although there’s no definite reason (in terms of how the jabs work) that they would not work for people like me. no-one knows for sure that they do. And there is no testing to see if it has

So DD (6th former) bringing it home from school is my biggest risk, and it could go very badly for me if she does

Uniquely, of all the groups JCVI recommended as first wave priority in November, immediate household of CEV were removed from cat 6 (because there was back then insufficient evidence that vaccines would have enough of an effect on transmission). Even now there is, the government is refusing to restore that priority

So we have to wait until she’s 18, by which time she’ll be off on A level study leave and the mingling at school will have reduced sharply

It’s a bit of a shit situation

icantthinkofanamehelp · 05/03/2021 17:44

No not worried
More worried about the effects being out of school for so long have caused for a lot of kids

phlebasconsidered · 05/03/2021 17:45

I am not actually worried about my kids getting it. 3 kids in my bubble had it this time, 1 between lockdowns, 2 lockdown 3 in my bubble and 4 before the first one. All were well and dandy and prancing about in school. It was their older siblings, parents and relatives, TA's and teachers that got ill. Not me, yet, but one teacher is still ill and my TA looks to have long covid.

I feel very vulnerable indeed in a large class and sending my two teens into bubbles of hundreds in secondary. And then they bus home with all the others from other bubbles. We live in a hotspot.

Angel2702 · 05/03/2021 17:46

I’m more worried about the repeated isolate ruins than them catching it. I don’t think they’d have anything more serious than other illnesses, it’s the constant disruption that’s the problem.

Original poster
Beebityboo · 05/03/2021 17:47

@Oblomov21

Nope. Not at all. And if they do catch it, must likely it won't be that bad. Please see your GP about your chronic anxiety.
I do and am and try incredibly hard every day to not let my DC's be affected. I would not keep them home merely to assuage my fears but I just want to be sure I really am making the right decision for them. I just feel as though it's a decision I've never really had to make before, risk of physical health vs mental when it comes to school. I don't know how parents coped when they had to send their children to school during polio outbreaks and the like.
OP posts:
Whatwouldscullydo · 05/03/2021 17:47

I'm basically working on the conclusion that we are all going to get it. And I'd rather they got it at school , seeing their friends and getting out the bloody house than from me accidentally catching it amd bringing it home off the door handle at the one stop when I wasn't even buying wine or sweets.

Original poster
Beebityboo · 05/03/2021 17:48

So sorry that sounds so worrying @iVampire, please know that I do understand there are people in even worse situations than me Flowers

OP posts:
hiredandsqueak · 05/03/2021 17:53

Not at all dd has been in full time throughout lockdown as have the rest of the school, weekly testing and not one positive case. Area was level four before lockdown. School secretary caught it back in April last year but nobody in the school contracted it from her and she recovered quickly and was back in school.

ihavenoidea20 · 05/03/2021 17:54

Like another poster, I'm not so much worried about my dd catching it, more how it would affect me, i'm 28 but different health issues. I can just see it all kicking off, my nephew has been attending school throughout and Wednesday was told he has to self isolate as 2 students have tested positive for covid, 1 was showing symptoms but parents still sent them in (this is another thing i worry about), the other no symptoms. I guess we just have to see how it goes but I am going to be worrying.