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.

Is this even worth discussing?

There's no clear solution is there? We all have to go to work and just accept we'll all get this virus at some point.
Might as well get on with it, and find ways to manage our own anxiety around it. What will be, will be.
We can't carry on with mitigations forever.

For heaven’s sake you’re blaming one group of people, children, for spreading Covid.

Don’t think I am, you know.

Chris Whitty et al have all said that young children are much less likely to spread Covid than adults, at least the original variant

Sounds like you are v up to date on your covid knowledge.

I don’t know a single child that’s had Covid

So they don’t exist?

I’m sure you’ll be along with one of your infamous charts soon and bleating about school closures

Ah, there’s that word ‘bleating’ and the good old bullshit claim that I want to close schools. I like ONS graphs being described as my infamous charts though.

whilst screwing over an entire generation of children.

Do you mean ‘teaching maths’?

Also it wasn’t our choice to end face to face teaching for university students. It’s been a frustrating year for students and lecturers alike.

Just like teachers then.

University lecturers don’t just give lecture but also seminars and significantly more of them than lectures. We’ll be in small rooms with students as well

Just like teachers have been throughout.

"For heaven’s sake you’re blaming one group of people, children, for spreading Covid. Chris Whitty et al have all said that young children are much less likely to spread Covid than adults, at least the original variant."
That's old news and has since been amended and also, perhaps it has escaped your notice that the original variant has long been eclipsed by Alpha and now Delta.
"I don’t know a single child that’s had Covid."
Then perhaps you might listen to those of us who deal with hundreds of children on a daily basis and DO know many.
"bleating about school closures whilst screwing over an entire generation of children."
No mention by you of the entire generation of your University students who have also been "screwed over."

It's great though that at least one UK university will also be doing lectures f2f! All the ones my DD was interested in applying to have confirmed their lectures are still going to be online.

@noblegiraffe

For heaven’s sake you’re blaming one group of people, children, for spreading Covid.

Don’t think I am, you know.

Chris Whitty et al have all said that young children are much less likely to spread Covid than adults, at least the original variant

Sounds like you are v up to date on your covid knowledge.

I don’t know a single child that’s had Covid

So they don’t exist?

I’m sure you’ll be along with one of your infamous charts soon and bleating about school closures

Ah, there’s that word ‘bleating’ and the good old bullshit claim that I want to close schools. I like ONS graphs being described as my infamous charts though.

whilst screwing over an entire generation of children.

Do you mean ‘teaching maths’?

If children aren’t in school a lot of them aren’t getting taught, are they?

My brother teaches maths too and absolutely thinks children should be in school and the 10 day isolations were ridiculous and right to end.

I have the greatest respect for teachers and think the government have squandered the 6 week holiday by not putting in place mitigation’s like air filtration, mitigations that actually work and don’t disrupt children’s education. Gavin Williamson should be sacked. I’m angry at the government not teachers. But I don’t think schools should close again.

"Start doing your jobs. Your double jabbed so get on with it!"

We never stopped . We want schools open and safe with no or at least minimum closures but alot of you just think we are whinging.

@cantkeepawayforever

I am also worried about burnout if staff due to the relentless pressure of providing parallel online ad physical teaching both when children are at home and when staff are. All children isolating have to be provided with instant online learning, and all infected reachers have to provide plans for their class cover staff AND deliver online learning.

That is my major concern at this point in the pandemic. Do people realise that this is literally doubling the workload of school staff? Even if one child in a class is off, double the workload. Annoying workload that really eats your time away disproportionate to return - things like producing videos and resources that won't be looked at, like phoning children at home at the end of your day, when you've got 29 other kids to prepare for, like entirely changing your lesson management to involve a few kids who might be watching on teams, to the detriment of everyone's learning and school experience.

I'm glad schools are back. The kids are noticeably happier not being confined to tiny bubbles. But I've still got on my mind the 4 hours it took me to produce, and hand deliver, 10 days of personalised learning (as per guidance) to the one child I had off with covid in the last week of July term. He did one maths sheet.

"Is this even worth discussing?"
Yet you thought to post on the thread?

"We all have to go to work and just accept we'll all get this virus at some point. Might as well get on with it, and find ways to manage our own anxiety around it. What will be, will be."
Glad to see that workforces other than teaching, health, retail and transport are coming round to this way of thinking

"We can't carry on with mitigations forever."
Can you point to even one poster on MN who has suggested this is an option? Forever? No, just for a little while longer whilst numbers are rocketing.

the government have squandered the 6 week holiday

6 weeks? The last 18 months I think you mean.

"My brother teaches maths too and absolutely thinks children should be in school and the 10 day isolations were ridiculous and right to end."

All hail. A Man has spoken.

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.

If children aren’t in school a lot of them aren’t getting taught, are they?

So I screwed over a generation of children (I knew class sizes were getting out of control) because kids weren’t getting face to face teaching but you did not screw over a generation who missed out on your face to face teaching for far longer?

And that school kids missing out on face to face teaching is somehow my fault, but you had no control over what the universities did.

Got it.

@noblegiraffe

If children aren’t in school a lot of them aren’t getting taught, are they?

So I screwed over a generation of children (I knew class sizes were getting out of control) because kids weren’t getting face to face teaching but you did not screw over a generation who missed out on your face to face teaching for far longer?

And that school kids missing out on face to face teaching is somehow my fault, but you had no control over what the universities did.

Got it.

I didn’t start thread after thread about Covid cases in school pupils sky rocketing.

"I didn’t start thread after thread about Covid cases in school pupils sky rocketing."

And that is relevant how?

I didn’t start thread after thread about Covid cases in school pupils sky rocketing.

Are you suggesting it was my threads and not the covid cases in school pupils sky rocketing that closed schools?

@noblegiraffe 😂😂 you are all powerful.

Schools closing has never been about protecting teachers though - it was all about community transmission & protecting the wider population. Do mumsnetters really think the government cares so much about teachers they will close schools to protect them 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

I teach and really would prefer schools to stay open - as do the majority of us. It's a myth we want schools closed.

And Universities have 'screwed over' students while also charging them for the privilege. Most still not giving a normal service next term - still on line for lots. So won't be lectured by them about safety concerns.
We have just been notified that 4 staff tested positive today. We had full staff inset days so we will see how this progresses next week.

@CallmeHendricks

"Is this even worth discussing?" Yet you thought to post on the thread?

"We all have to go to work and just accept we'll all get this virus at some point. Might as well get on with it, and find ways to manage our own anxiety around it. What will be, will be."
Glad to see that workforces other than teaching, health, retail and transport are coming round to this way of thinking

"We can't carry on with mitigations forever."
Can you point to even one poster on MN who has suggested this is an option? Forever? No, just for a little while longer whilst numbers are rocketing.

I posted to say it isn't worth discussing, as everyone is going round in circles. Pointless.

I work as a teacher, so not sure about your 2nd point.

A little while longer?
Covid infections will continue to go up and down, just like coughs and colds. It isn't going anywhere.
I'm baffled as to how people still aren't understanding that.

@AchillesLastStand
It is an absolute disgrace that university staff haven’t returned to face to face teaching yet, TWELVE MONTHS after schools returned, especially with the amount universities charge for tuition. Those poor young adults have been royally screwed over by you and your colleague who have been happy to take the cash.

No wonder so many people are looking at other options. If you value your jobs, you should have been fighting to get back to work.

@Dusneyblue absolutely. We’ll still be having this discussion the same time next year, and so on and son on.

I have the greatest respect for teachers

You clearly don’t.

@AchillesLastStand so will all Unis be back to normal next term then ? And if not why not.