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.

But I don’t think schools should close again.

Neither do most people here. Neither did most people during the pandemic.

Back then they wanted mitigation's.

Right they are are suggesting mitigation's should continue.

That's because when if teachers are not catching it and/ or dying at a much higher rate than the general population - they are generally needed to keep schools open and education up and running.

Once you have 3/4 staff off and 2/3 TAs off with covid it becomes very hard to keep primary schools open fully and secondary schools providing education with subject specialists leading their subjects.

I will never understand why people think it's daft to keep (or even have!) some mitigation's in place to try and prevent this scenario.

I’m not being discordant or antagonistic @mumsneedwine, I change details myself, all the time, to protect my own privacy. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

But the number of deaths and the number of close colleagues and friends you have had who have died or been hospitalised from covid is not only very high it has varied considerably from thread to thread.

I do believe that you have lost colleagues. My sympathy is with you for that. But I do think that, disguising ones identity aside, perhaps people dying is not something that should be discussed on these sorts of threads unless it’s one consistent story.

@CallmeHendricks

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

And that is relevant how?

I'm glad you asked that because it seemed a daft comment

Cases were sky rocketing. That's why the GOVERNMENT had to make the decision to close to all but those who needed to be in.

The data showed cases were highest in 10-19yo and those 12-17 were 7 times more likely to be index case in the household.

Achilles do you believe I was wrong to post threads about rocketing cases in schools before Christmas (which was being covered up at the time) when the ignoring of those cases till it was too late led to schools closing nationally in January?

Or did I have a point?

AchillesLastStand

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

We probably will.
But the question should be asked why.

And the answer is because the government has still done fuck all to put any measures in place to reduce not just covid but any infection spreading in schools.

The government has repeatedly fucked schools over not just in the last 18 months but has been doing it for years.

@noblegiraffe

Achilles do you believe I was wrong to post threads about rocketing cases in schools before Christmas (which was being covered up at the time) when the ignoring of those cases till it was too late led to schools closing nationally in January?

Or did I have a point?

@noblegiraffe

Achilles do you believe I was wrong to post threads about rocketing cases in schools before Christmas (which was being covered up at the time) when the ignoring of those cases till it was too late led to schools closing nationally in January?

Or did I have a point?

But they weren’t rocketing in all schools, especially primary schools in some areas. My son’s school has had zero Covid cases yet he’s missed out on months of schooling. He’s behind on his writing and reading as a result.

Teachers claim they can’t be in the classroom and teaching online at the same time, I get that I really do. Yet that’s exactly what I was expected to do except I’m expected to teach university students while simultaneously home schooling and producing world class research for my university.

I was very angry with decision to close schools in January and believe it should have been done at the local level.

We are just going around in circles though. Covid is going nowhere. Mitigations like masks are fine, but schools operating on a rota basis and on and off closures long term will be extremely damaging. I’m extremely worried that people don’t understand this yet and will keep pushing for closures and lockdown. Children are more harmed by being out of school than in school as Chris Whitty has said time and time again. I don’t know what you think the long term plan should be.

@SpicyJalfrezi er where I have been inconsistent? 2 colleagues died, 1 more teacher friend died in another area. About 37% of our staff have now had a positive pcr test - we had full details given on inset day (was 37.45% which caused a lot of laughter). I'm not one of them although I have had it as have antibodies. I've been v v lucky.
So again, where have I been inconsistent? I am 54 so know lots more older staff I suppose but I have never bothered covering who I am on here. Couldn't care less who knows. Some of my colleagues know and are also on Mumsnet and will now be raging on my behalf 😊.

@AchillesLastStand all teachers have been teaching on line and in person for ages. In fact I'm going to be doing it on Monday as we have kids who have tested positive (thank you Reading).

So was I wrong to post those threads about rocketing cases in schools, Achilles, given the cover-up and inaction, or did I have a point?

Particularly as I was asking for mitigation measures, not school closures.

I wasn’t asking for blended learning or part timetables either, btw, if you were suggesting I did.

AchillesLastStand
I was very angry with decision to close schools in January and believe it should have been done at the local level.

Do you also believe this about FE and HE education?

The amount of education that these students have missed out on is just as bad if not worse that younger pupils.

@CallmeHendricks

"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.

What a stupid comment.

The poster wasn't saying that his opinion was worth more because he was a man. She just said 'brother' as a way of referring to a person she knows.

Yes, was in LA meetings when teachers were pushing hard to be bumped up the vaccination list. The local Director or Public Health said he couldn't in all consciousness support it because, obviously, for every person who had one early someone else got one late and bus drivers and taxi drivers were at far higher risk than teachers.

So two days before Christmas last year it was one colleague but two in May 2020 , three in February 2021and back to two today.

Sorry to get involved but I can’t see the inconsistencies. Perfectly understandable that between Christmas and May (5 months), two people could have sadly died, doesn’t mean she has changed numbers and has already said another teacher friend (assume not in same school) died in another area.

where I have been inconsistent? 2 colleagues died, 1 more teacher friend died in another area.

AICM

Its no more stupid than referring to a person so that a piece of second hand 'information' can be posted on a thread.

@noblegiraffe

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?

Blimeyheck @noblegiraffe. I knew you had form, but I didn't know global pandemics were on your rap sheet.

@FrippEnos

AICM

Its no more stupid than referring to a person so that a piece of second hand 'information' can be posted on a thread.

Posters are doing this all over the place here when they’re talking about their colleagues and contracting Covid. I do it once heaven forbid in reference to my brother who happens to be a man!. What an obtuse comment you made.

@noblegiraffe

So was I wrong to post those threads about rocketing cases in schools, Achilles, given the cover-up and inaction, or did I have a point?

Particularly as I was asking for mitigation measures, not school closures.

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?

@LegendaryReady

Yes, was in LA meetings when teachers were pushing hard to be bumped up the vaccination list. The local Director or Public Health said he couldn't in all consciousness support it because, obviously, for every person who had one early someone else got one late and bus drivers and taxi drivers were at far higher risk than teachers.

And yet it was fine for Lollipop ladies/men, play and art therapists wfh etc to be bumped up the list. Still makes no sense to me (and yes, high risk occupations such as transport workers should have been considered earlier than those who were, including those self identifying as carers but to be fair to the teachers in those meetings, it was WHO guidance and recommendation for school staff to be considered in phase 2.)

That’s not an answer to my question is it, Achilles? You were the one who brought up my threads as if they were a bad thing so I’d like to know why.

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.

*may 2020