Primary schools from September...

[SandyStarfish]

Good that contacts will no longer have to isolate... however, Covid will run wild through the classes won't it? And the viral load will be high for children and staff in those classrooms because of all the particles in the air. And in winter it's too hard to ventilate much. It's going to be horrible working conditions again.

The best way to protect kids from catching covid is to expose them to a shitload of covid all in one go is an interesting take.

I’m not sure a ‘shitload all in one go’ is accurate description really though. Around 40% of secondary children had antibodies at the start of July so it will be higher than that by September.

Do you think that those 40% are evenly distributed throughout the secondary population, bumbley? Given that MN reports lots of schools with 'no cases' or 'one case but no one else caught it'?

No, but your last post suggests that all the covid cases will be ‘evenly distributed’ in a ‘shitload all in one go’ so…

Besides, presumably the best way to protect CEV kids in secondary from catching covid would be to vaccinate them all.

Secondary CEV children are being offered the vaccine.

@bumbleymummy

No, but your last post suggests that all the covid cases will be ‘evenly distributed’ in a ‘shitload all in one go’ so…

I didn't say that they'd be evenly distributed - the 'shitload all in one go' comes from the suggestion that any attempt to mitigate covid spread (i.e. a shitload all in one go would be the preferred outcome) would make it more likely that a CEV child would catch it.

@bumbleymummy

Secondary CEV children are being offered the vaccine.

I said vaccinate them all.

By which if not clear, I mean all secondary kids. Which I'm pretty sure War doesn't want.

You think you should vaccinate all secondary age children (who are at very low risk) to protect people who can have the vaccine themselves anyway and are going to come into contact with plenty of other non-immune people outside their school? (Eg younger children, non-immune vaccinated people etc)?

DH is a secondary headteacher and he’s planning to operate a ‘conveyor belt’ system come September.

Teachers who test positive will start their 10 day isolation, a supply teacher will come in to teach their classes. The teacher will then start back and the supply teacher will move to cover another isolating teacher.

DH is preparing a long list of local retired teachers for this purpose!

War said that the best way to protect CEV kids was to expose them to a shitload of covid all in one go.

That's not the best way to protect them though is it? If we are talking specifically about protecting CEV children in secondary schools.

@noblegiraffe

War said that the best way to protect CEV kids was to expose them to a shitload of covid all in one go.

That's not the best way to protect them though is it? If we are talking specifically about protecting CEV children in secondary schools.

@noblegiraffe

Are you deliberately misreading what I wrote?

I'm advocating that arrangements are made for CEV children and their siblings whilst Covid passes unmitigated through schools, precisely so their exposure to it is minimised! Yes, they'll spend time out of the classroom, but they would anyway if we continued like we have done!

Unless you want schools to become "Covid fortresses' with PPE for pupils and enforced daily testing regimes for many years to come, Covid will pass through the school. All you'd be doing with cloth masks, isolation of contacts where known and continuation of bubbles is to continue massive disruption for everyone whilst simply delayed Covid's spread somewhat... and that hardly means CEV children are safer. It simply spreads the risk to them over a longer time!

I think some people want 'measures' in place more because it gives them a feeling of control over the virus rather than any actual control.

@noblegiraffe

By which if not clear, I mean all secondary kids. Which I'm pretty sure War doesn't want.

Wrong... i think vaccinating over 12s is a good idea.

@GreenLakes

DH is a secondary headteacher and he’s planning to operate a ‘conveyor belt’ system come September.

Teachers who test positive will start their 10 day isolation, a supply teacher will come in to teach their classes. The teacher will then start back and the supply teacher will move to cover another isolating teacher.

DH is preparing a long list of local retired teachers for this purpose!

If the Government are to continue with this, they need to change the time... A compromise would be 5 days and symptomless, or a negative test, whichever is sooner.

@noblegiraffe

Apologies, I re-read one of my posts and I missed out a very important "not". CEV should not be in school whilst Covid goes through unmitigated.

@GreenLakes

DH is a secondary headteacher and he’s planning to operate a ‘conveyor belt’ system come September.

Teachers who test positive will start their 10 day isolation, a supply teacher will come in to teach their classes. The teacher will then start back and the supply teacher will move to cover another isolating teacher.

DH is preparing a long list of local retired teachers for this purpose!

No doubt retired (60+) teachers will be queuing up to work in a school with loads of COVID cases among the staff.

It is screwed up as adults we try and avoid getting covid ie we did use masks social distance work from home then lucky enough have a vaccine.

But with kids let's just have no safety measures, don't offer them the vaccine as they won't get that ill anyway and they help uk achieve herd immunity.
We are experimenting with ours kids.

We still don't know all we need to know about the virus and new strains seem be affecting youngsters.

When it was Brazil and India everyone here said its because they poor and have poor health systems.
But there's loads of kids hospitalised in the USA with covid also many hundreds of kids lots under 5 have recently died in Indonesia.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/indonesia-children-delta-variant-vaccine-b1892274.html

We seem be one of few counties not vaccinating kids.
In US schools and some in Europe they wear masks.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/08/us-children-covid-delta-latest-surge

edition.cnn.com/2021/08/07/health/children-covid-19-protection/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_term=link&utm_content=2021-08-07T10%3A26%3A41

www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/delta-vaccinated-parents-people-kids-12-need-know-rcna1590

Why is the narrative and risk in states different to here..
We both wealthy countries with same varient and same vaccines.
Cdc recommended masks in schools.
Online or hybrid learning seems be easier option than uk.

Currently last years teacher been expected either teach online if bubble burst or teach in person as well as preparing work for people isolating.

Maybe if improved online offering
Had smaller classes.
Had least option vaccinate kids and make boosters priority for teachers.
Better ventilation and co2 machines
Maybe offering some kids option repeating a year.
Updating symptoms as younger age groups and delta current x
Dominant strain has different symptoms.
More child friendly covid tests

Why is the USA 🇺🇸 so different.
Vaccination rates in my own uk city only around 50% double

How can the science differ so much between America and the UK.

@3asAbird

Why is the USA 🇺🇸 so different. Vaccination rates in my own uk city only around 50% double

How can the science differ so much between America and the UK.

Well, exactly. I guess it's because the UK govt has steadfastly refused to even consider the idea that schools aren't 'safe' and magical places where covid doesn't exist, so no mitigation is needed, nothing to see here...

@moimichme

I don’t think anyone has claimed that covid can’t spread in schools.

What is undeniably true is that the risk of spread in schools is far outweighed by the benefits of DC being in school.

[quote GreenLakes]@moimichme

I don’t think anyone has claimed that covid can’t spread in schools.

What is undeniably true is that the risk of spread in schools is far outweighed by the benefits of DC being in school.[/quote]
The government spent many months claiming children didn't spread Covid.

Why was govt talking so much about schools only reflecting the local community spread of covid, and implying teachers must be giving it to each other through not distancing, then? Articles like this one, from early on:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-known-case-of-teacher-catching-coronavirus-from-pupils-says-scientist-3zk5g2x6z

And as recently as May 2021, the govt refuses to reveal in school transmission data, just before their decision not to require masks in secondary schools anymore:

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/22/no-10-tried-to-block-data-on-spread-of-new-covid-variant-in-english-schools

This is recent info./advice in the U.S. - also dealing with the delta variant now:

www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-outbreak-and-kids

But it seems in the UK we're going to pretend everything is going 100% back to normal unless/until it becomes impossible. Again.

@moimichme

The thing is that schools will be back to normal come September.

If a DC or teacher is ill, they will be at home. Otherwise, they will be in school as normal.

If a DC or teacher is ill, they will be at home. Otherwise, they will be in school as normal

The point that teachers are trying to make is that it won’t be normal. Supply is in short supply, even assuming schools can afford it. Sick kids being sent in with covid will mean teachers off for prolonged periods. The nature of the incubation period means teachers will get infected in groups, meaning schools will need to close. Secondary schools will prioritise learning of exam groups. Infections in the community will rise accordingly. It will not be normal.