Outbreaks in schools

[Trustisamust]

Since schools have returned there have already been major outbreaks in both my child's secondary and the primary I work at.
The majority of school staff remain unvaccinated.
For how many other schools is this already the case?
I just don't know what to think any more.

[quote Trustisamust]@Waxonwaxoff0 Absolutely. Hence, for example, why my OH who works in social care has been vaccinated. Despite the fact he can work from home 99% of the time. On the odd occasion he has to do a visit he is afforded full PPE (again, quite rightly).[/quote]
I work in a factory and we have had more cases than my DS's school. You cannot socially distance with the work that we do. Only PPE we have are masks that we provide ourselves.

Prison staff, police, retail staff. Also all working in high risk environments, no vaccines for them and little in the way of protection. If you start vaccinating teachers you have to vaccinate these people as well and then older more at risk people have to wait.

At my school if there is a positive we won’t be sending year groups home in the day. They will be alerted after school. This is on the understanding those pupils who have tested positive have already been in school so are already infecting others.

A positive result can come back for something like up to 90 days after having Covid so unless a person has had a previous negative test it is not necessarily a new or infectious case.

@Trustisamust

Also, I am aware that some parents haven't consented to their child being tested? My son still says they are allowed to attend school but I don't know if that's true?

It's true.

Schools can't force pupils to get tested or to wear masks.

One primary year group bubble has burst and a few isolating in my other child's secondary.

Primary school case it's only been the second since last year

None in nursery

none in either of my children's primary or secondary school - despite the primary school having an idiot anti-cancer, covid denier who refuses to wear a mask on the staff.

The secondary school have done 5 LV tests so far since they have been off, next week we are meant to do them, also no positive cases, large secondary with catchment all over S London, 800 odd kids.

@Waxonwaxoff0 But you wear masks.

[quote Trustisamust]@Waxonwaxoff0 But you wear masks.[/quote]
Right, but you're saying schools shouldn't have opened until all staff are vaccinated. So you are saying if school staff wore masks that's an acceptable substitute for the vaccine?

[quote Trustisamust]@Itsalonghaul But from what I understand, if an LFD test comes back positive then that individual already has Covid? So the spread may well have already started?[/quote]
Well... yes. A test can’t tell you if you’re about to catch something, can it? Just like a pregnancy test can’t tell you if you’re about to get pregnant . Completely confused by your analogies.

Because you are essentially saying masks are good enough for me and other workers in high risk environments.

[quote Trustisamust]@AliceAliceWhoTheFook What that poster was suggesting was by the time the LFD comes back positive the individual already has Covid. A bit like by the time you've taken a pregnancy test you are (usually) pregnant.[/quote]
Still confused . Yes, of course a test only comes back positive if you already have Covid. Honestly someone would make a fortune inventing a test that told you you had a virus before you actually had it.

@TheOneWithTheBigNose Exactly. They are no substitute for a vaccine (despite what the government think).

[quote Trustisamust]@AliceAliceWhoTheFook What that poster was suggesting was by the time the LFD comes back positive the individual already has Covid. A bit like by the time you've taken a pregnancy test you are (usually) pregnant.[/quote]
I understand the analogy. But it's a rubbish analogy. All tests are testing to see if you have it.

So of course you'll likely be pregnant when you take it. And of course some people will test positive when the take the LFT. That's the point.

Anyway, I also wanted teachers vaccinated for purely selfish reasons - my kids need to be at school. But actually it's true, teachers are no more at risk that people on shops or other customer-facing roles. The NHS staff are dealing with vulnerable patients hence why they needed vaccinating early on.

Teachers are wearing masks and visors at our primary.

[quote Trustisamust]@Waxonwaxoff0 But you wear masks.[/quote]
All school staff in both my children’s school and the school I work in have worn masks since September. Teachers also wear visors if they wish and have Perspex screens around their desks. We had very few cases prior to lockdown.

[quote Trustisamust]@TheOneWithTheBigNose Exactly. They are no substitute for a vaccine (despite what the government think).[/quote]
No one has said they are. They are designed to capture those who have asymptomatic Covid and to therefore reduce spread. Not prevent all cases of Covid.

None in our Primary. None since September, in fact - we do live in an area with very low cases though.

Zero, thankfully.

[quote Trustisamust]@Waxonwaxoff0 But you wear masks.[/quote]
Why can't you?

@Waxonwaxoff0 Not at all. What I'm saying is that wearing a mask obviously offers protection which (correct me if I'm wrong) isn't the case for all staff within the school environment?

@TheOneWithTheBigNose "Yes, of course a test only comes back positive if you already have Covid. Honestly someone would make a fortune inventing a test that told you you had a virus before you actually had it."

Exactly!

@Blueappletree Up until recently the DfE guidance was that they hinder learning and so staff shouldn't wear? Certainly in primaries.

Only primary but the 3 I am connected to are all fine so far! One small high school also connected to, again all fine.

Should schools be reporting all positive cases to parents/carers though? If not, how do we know if there are cases or not?

@Trustisamust

Should schools be reporting all positive cases to parents/carers though? If not, how do we know if there are cases or not?

Our school informs parents of all cases. Not exactly who it is, just the class. I am Chair of Governors at the school. We’ve had one since September, a teacher. He likely caught it from his sister who tested positive the day before him, and he’d been to her house for dinner couple of days before (this was in October).