BMJ: Teachers not at greater risk of hosp'n, and lower risk of severe disease, than general population

[Kokeshi123]

www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2060?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=hootsuite&utm_content=sme&utm_campaign=usage

Unlike previous studies, this one actually looked at periods when schools were open and compared like-with-like for those periods.

Compared with adults of working age who are otherwise similar, teachers and their household members were not found to be at increased risk of hospital admission with covid-19 and were found to be at lower risk of severe covid-19. These findings should reassure those who are engaged in face-to-face teaching.

This should not be taken to mean that we should do schooling with no mitigations whatsoever--I'd be in favor of doing indoor masks for kids and teachers till the winter is over if it was up to me, and ventilation is always a good thing anyway. However, at least this should provide some reassurance for teachers and families. And in my opinion, this kind of thing should settle the argument on having any further school closures; mitigations are one thing, but schools absolutely must remain open IMO.

@ChloeDecker

So again what should the long term plan be for education? And I don’t just mean this year for the next five/ten years?

Vaccinating 12-15 year olds would be a good start. A high proportion of your students when you start back at the end of the month, will be vaccinated, at least with the single dose, if not both.

So you want to go against the recommendation from the JCVI?

Do you know what percentage of the students are already immune?

@AchillesLastStand

Your "husband" the head of the Union is Jo Grady? The female head of the uni union?

Forgive my confusion.

Sorry to hear your son has suffered as a result of school closures. Did he not participate in any of the work being set? Didn't you ask his teachers for feedback or strategies to help? You say reading and writing. You could try and read with him.

So again what should the long term plan be for education? And I don’t just mean this year for the next five/ten years?

I would say…

Vaccinations for any 12-15 who want it.
Ventilation encouraged wherever possible and suitable clothing-hoodies, warm shoes etc to be allowed.
Stop pushing while school assemblies-there is no need to rush this now.
Household members of positive cases to stay at home.

For this academic year. Then see what cases look like.

and back to two today.

No, still three inc teacher friend.

AchillesLastStand

It was a point made to another poster, but if that is the only point that you are going to respond to, then so be it.

[quote Geamhradh]@AchillesLastStand

Your "husband" the head of the Union is Jo Grady? The female head of the uni union?

Forgive my confusion.

Sorry to hear your son has suffered as a result of school closures. Did he not participate in any of the work being set? Didn't you ask his teachers for feedback or strategies to help? You say reading and writing. You could try and read with him.[/quote]
The heaven of the university union not the national union.I’m not married to Jo Grady, thank god!

Of course I read with him but he does struggle and I’m not a Key Stage One teacher. I didn’t train for this. And no I had zero feedback from his teacher.

@BustopherPonsonbyJones

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

Like other posters, I am now fatalistic. I am still very anxious as I am at higher risk and from what I see, even mild Covid has had a nasty impact on a significant number of lives. But I need to work to get money to live.

On the other hand, the rest of you who don’t think teachers are more at risk should know that I will be amongst you in the shops, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and theatres after spending the day in rooms of unvaccinated people. My risk is your risk. If I am to catch Covid and be seriously ill, I intend to enjoy myself before I do. You and your loved ones are MY collateral damage. As Abraxan said, up to now those who stayed at home were protected to a greater degree. This will change.

I would also add that if the rest of society is in lockdown because it is too dangerous to live normally, schools should follow the same guidance. If we take the OPs report without cynicism, it’s still saying teachers’ risk Is THE SAME as everyone else’s, so schools shouldn’t be treated differently to other workplaces. It’s back to being cannon fodder again.

Is that supposed to worry me? I've been out and about for ages, and will continue to do so.

The thing that worries me is that a household member could test positive and yet according to the government I am a.ok to visit those whose health conditions make them vulnerable.

“3 teachers I know” = 2 colleagues + 1 friend. I’m not @mumsneedwine but I can see how I would flip between the options depending on whether I’m talking about “people I know” “teachers in general” and “in my particular setting”.

Reminds me of the charming poster who was determined my son couldn’t have had covid in the spring of 2020 as she’d found a post where I’d had to take him for a (negative) covid test in spring 2021 I’ve told the poor kid that he’s not allowed any more coughs as it confuses mumsnet.

Not at all. I believe that she has lost at least one colleague and on a different type of thread it wouldn’t matter. But when you are trying to argue that teachers are in high levels of danger, it is different to claim you’ve lost one, two, or three colleagues from the same setting.

It is using deaths - real tragedies - to win arguments online. I don’t like it. It is not the same at all as a negative test one year and a positive the year after.

It is using deaths - real tragedies - to win arguments online

What do you want to do? You clearly wanted to plant doubt in people’s minds by bringing that up, ok, job done.

But these are real people that she has lost from her life. Do you really want to carry on pulling that thread? Is it worth it, to “win”?

The thread is being de-railed with something that is really distasteful.
Can it please stop?

Certainly. I don’t think I am the distasteful one, though.

Your posts are being deleted, Spicy, so MNHQ disagree. Thankfully.

You’ve had a fair few deleted yourself in the past @noblegiraffe, sometimes that doesn’t mean what you’ve been saying is wrong. But I have no intention of getting a ban over this.

"You’ve had a fair few deleted yourself in the past"

Proportionally? I don't think so, really.

@noblegiraffe

Your posts are being deleted, Spicy, so MNHQ disagree. Thankfully.

I think it would be best if no one responds to these pots from here on it.

Fires need oxygen to breathe. Let's not give them the air.

Is it ‘Bring up Noble’s posting history’ Day or something? I’m feeling quite famous.

Of course not. I’m just making the point that deletion doesn’t = wrong

I do think you’ve got a certain level of fame, or notoriety, but again I don’t see that as a bad thing. On every forum I’ve been on some topics are posted on by the same usernames, it is what happens, we all have topics we know a lot about.

@AchillesLastStand

Covid isn’t going anywhere. Last year it was just wait until we’re all vaccinated, now it’s wait until the numbers are lower. We can’t spend every year going round in circles.

This! It's like people are (maybe because they're naturally anxiety-prone) are looking for ever more reasons not to go back to 'normal'. It's quite worrying actually....we have to live with the virus and so let's move on..