Full year group off

[dazzlerdo]

So I work in a secondary school. Today we have had all of year 9 off isolating and will be the same next week. Also only had 40 year 10 students in due to the rest isolating.

Is it looking bad again for schools, what is it like in your area/schools?
I'm from South Yorkshire, also heard of a few other local schools having year groups off!

West mids here & we’ve done well to avoid any cases up to now (only one bubble off in Dec because a TA tested positive), whole of year 2 now out, plus two classes out of 8 in the junior school and linked cases at local preschool so wouldn’t be surprised if they shut too 😬 It def seems to be getting worse among children in terms of the number of cases and in much younger children too 😭

2 teens in school about 20 weeks total since mid March 2020 -- one DC has had one "contact" isolation in all that time. Norfolk.

Isn't it funny how all the politicians who were so interested in child mental health during the nationwide lockdown don't seem to care a fig that lots of kids are essentially in lockdown quite a lot now via isolation. Why aren't they insisting that schools be funded better to enable better mitigations - better ventilation would be a start.

And honestly, I think isolation is worse for mental health - at least with national lockdowns you can leave your house.

Just wish people would stop testing symptomless kids now the vulnerable have been vaccinated (and sorry to sound harsh but if theyre still vulnerable they need to keep away from others not the other way round) - the kids have done more than their bit. Daughters currently isolating because she was in the same room as a lad that tested positive, no symptoms. The parents are vaccinated - why on earth cant she go to school (maybe they could test her if theyre concerned). Yet my dad is riding round on buses, going to cafes etc - because hes vaccinated and deems it worth the risk. Just stop testing kids please!

Just wish people would stop testing symptomless kids now the vulnerable have been vaccinated (and sorry to sound harsh but if theyre still vulnerable they need to keep away from others not the other way round) - the kids have done more than their bit.
Completely agree

@TeddingtonTrashbag @palacegirl77 this is why kids still need to test. Most school staff are not fully vaccinated. Why is this ? Because apparently schools are totally safe and staff did not need to be made a priority for vaccines. If they had been, and were all now fully vaccinated, maybe kids wouldn't need to test. If staff are sick schools will close.

[quote mumsneedwine]**@TeddingtonTrashbag* @palacegirl77* this is why kids still need to test. Most school staff are not fully vaccinated. Why is this ? Because apparently schools are totally safe and staff did not need to be made a priority for vaccines. If they had been, and were all now fully vaccinated, maybe kids wouldn't need to test. If staff are sick schools will close. [/quote]
The "Vulnerable" ones have been - either through age or other health issues. Most teachers I know have had 2 jabs (maybe sheffield is just quicker). Even with one jab a person without health issues would be very unlikely to suffer more than a cold or sore throat. Its complete madness.

@theemperorhasnoclothes

Isn't it funny how all the politicians who were so interested in child mental health during the nationwide lockdown don't seem to care a fig that lots of kids are essentially in lockdown quite a lot now via isolation. Why aren't they insisting that schools be funded better to enable better mitigations - better ventilation would be a start.

And honestly, I think isolation is worse for mental health - at least with national lockdowns you can leave your house.

Sadly it has never been about children. The argument about mental health and deprived children was only a narrative to get all schools back open again to get people back to work!

Oldest dc now in isolation. That's 2 year groups off so far in our primary.

@palacegirl77 unfortunately unless double vaccinated then the protection is limited. We have a 28 year old teacher in hospital today. He teaches PE and is v fit. Hopefully he'll be out quickly but for now he needs Oxygen.
And I know that not all teachers in Sheffield have 2 vaccines as my friend works there and lots in her school have just had their first. Not sure where you got that info 🤷‍♀️

We simply don't have the data yet to know that ceasing to isolate children (and thus allow infection with the delta variant to spread in a completely uncontrolled way) will not result in an unacceptable level of illness and death.

We don't yet know how many children will become very ill, because we don't really know the true size of the small proportion who will for the new delta variant. Even if it is a small percentage, allowing cases to run undetected and undeterred by isolation could mean that the tiny percentage will mean a large number.

We don't yet know how the delta variant will affect CEV children - many of whom are in school and none of whom can be vaccinated.

We don't yet know how effectively the delta variant passes from infected children to partially or wholly vaccinated adults, of all ages, especially under conditions of extended close contact (e.g. a child who lives with an older or CEV adult, or a teacher facing 30 infected children for 6 hours at a time in a poorly ventilated room).

We don't yet know the percentage of people infected with the delta variant - whether vaccinated or not - who will die, because of the time lag. Knowing it is likely to be a smaller percentage than died from the earlier waves is not wholly reassuring if case numbers are allowed to run completely out of control.

(Thinking about the tiny percentage vs small number - the risk of blood clots from the AZ vaccine is a tiny percentage, but the risk has been considered enough to change the vaccine used for a significant number of the population. A tiny percentage of children becoming very seriously ill from Covid, on the other hand, seems to being dismissed as trivial and unimportant)

I think Sheffield vaccination has been slow.

That's worrying mumneedswine. Had the 28 year old teacher had the first jab?

@cantkeepawayforever

(Thinking about the tiny percentage vs small number - the risk of blood clots from the AZ vaccine is a tiny percentage, but the risk has been considered enough to change the vaccine used for a significant number of the population. A tiny percentage of children becoming very seriously ill from Covid, on the other hand, seems to being dismissed as trivial and unimportant)

This is a really, really good point.

Tiny risk from AZ vaccination - change the whole vaccination programme

Tiny risk of PIMs, long covid or serious illness from covid in kids (or longer term harm to the brain) - let's not even bother to try and ventilate classrooms properly or reintroduce masks in secondary.

In New York there is a page where you can find out the ventilation status of your child's classroom. www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/reports/building-ventilation-status

"A room requires at least two functioning methods of ventilation to be cleared for occupancy"

There is nothing like this in UK schools.

Why are New York kids more worthy of protection?

Leicestershire, no cases since Christmas that I'm aware of. All secondary year groups in school.

@WaverleyPirate yes, had 1st jab a few weeks ago. So not kicked in yet.

[quote mumsneedwine]@palacegirl77 unfortunately unless double vaccinated then the protection is limited. We have a 28 year old teacher in hospital today. He teaches PE and is v fit. Hopefully he'll be out quickly but for now he needs Oxygen.
And I know that not all teachers in Sheffield have 2 vaccines as my friend works there and lots in her school have just had their first. Not sure where you got that info 🤷‍♀️[/quote]
I didn't say all teachers in Sheffield had had them. But most people I know are 35 plus and have just had second jabs. As I said in the earlier post, the vulnerable teachers will have had 2 jabs by now. If we are contemplating testing and lockdowns for every person getting I'll we need to look at doing it for flu too. On average 19 people a day are dying "with" covid. The same figure as suicides, and 481 less than of cancer.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I think Sheffield vaccination has been slow.

72 % of adults have had one dose and over 50% have had 2 doses. I don't think that is slow. Hospitals hardly any admissions and 1 death in last week?

I don’t know. I just know friends in Manchester and London were miles ahead of me. And there was always threads on here about how people 20 years younger than me were being done before me.

I also know 2 35 plus who’ve only had the first vaccine.

Three more primary schools with 10 or more positive cases. Closures and part closures tomorrow.

One DHT ill, her DH in hospital. Both two jabs in.

There were a lot of places that were ahead but here in the SE, I got my vaccination as soon as I could through the national booking system (when my age group was allowed to book) and that was about 8 weeks ago now and I'm late 40s.

Most people I know the same age as me are in the same position. I don't know anyone who's 35-40 who's been allowed to book in for their second jab before the second week of July.

No cases at all at my dcs school. Loads at the other two secondary schools nearby, with more pupils isolating than going to school.

No cases since they returned end of March, well I think one case of a child who was not in school during term time. So no-one off thankfully since end of March, much better than the winter term.