Really high cases in my local school

[CovidinPrimary]

In two year groups of my local primary school approx a quarter of kids have tested positive in the last week. Public health are involved.

Part of me expected this, but part of me feels very nervous. My DD is not in the year groups impacted but has likely come into very close proximity of many kids who are now infected and will continue to do so, covid is just allowed to be rampant in schools.

It’s really shocking, I have never seen even a cold virus spread as fast in comparison. School are taking mitigation actions as advised, but these just involve trying to stop the impacted year groups coming to contact with other year groups: impossible for reasons such as siblings etc.

The rationale part of me knows that if DD gets covid he will probs be fine (at least short term who knows long term!) but the scale of how it’s spreading in school is just alarming.

I feel like I have been forced to risk accept my child will get covid and it’s not sitting right with me

Welcome to my world. Not even back a week before I caught it. It’s rampant in our secondary school.
Ex-shielding teacher 😡

I am even more unhappy for teachers, it’s basically a giant experiment for anyone in primary school.

12+ are now getting the option to vaccinate. But our youngest and more vulnerable are just expected to catch covid and hopefully recover without it hopefully impacting any childhood development!

I have booked DD for a pcr tomorrow as she has a stuffy nose and sore throat. She had a negative lft yday but I thought I should test. She says loads of kids at school have got colds.....so maybe there are other colds around too . It doesnt take long for germs to start circulating.

These are confirmed actual cases not colds. I have a stonking cold atm, had to do a PCR as my temp spiked, I just have a normal virus as my PCR is neg.

1/3 of kids in DCs class have positive tests. PHE consulted and kids going in with no further measures. It's chaos ! They (and we) are all going to catch it

One week back teaching in a secondary and I caught it

You probably have seen a cold virus spread this quickly, you just weren’t paying attention.

I am glad they are back at school, they are not going to be killed by Covid, all sensible people are vaccinated, what do you want to happen?

Someone will be along in a bit to say there school has zero cases.....

It has been obvious to anyone working in a school that they are not and never really can be, "covid secure". Schools that have had few outbreaks up to now will likely have worse outbreaks. Regardless the plan is to let covid be rife in schools before flu season sets in.

At least most staff and family members have had vaccines now. Crossing fingers that reinfections remain rare and they do prove to be mild. As always the risk to most kids is small and once they are infected they are probably unlikely to be reinfected again this academic year.

If there are any 12-15 year olds in our school that haven't had it by the time they've had the opportunity to be vaccinated I will be amazed. High cases last year (very high in July) and high again now.

It's similar in my kids school. A few (vaccinated) teachers off too. The concern is for those like my friend who is isolating for urgent cancer surgery. Her children are in the middle of the covid spread too.

Try being an immunosuppressed parent of a child in primary with cases in their class.

Missed your post George, yes that's a very bad situation

I am a teacher (secondary) and cases have rocketed i our school but only apparent because of increased testing -kids testing positive are either symptom free or old mild symptoms. With all adults vaccinated now seems pointless to worry. I don’t even bother testing now.

That’s a shockingly high rate of spread. Are schools trying to mitigate the spread at all e.g. wearing masks & testing and trying to stay outdoors for group activists or is it just a free-for-all?

they are not going to be killed by Covid some people really want the best for their kids

Seriously you've never seen a cold virus spread this fast, you can't have been taking much notice then.

Everyone wants the best for our kids and wants them to be in school. But the fact is, this country has sent their kids back to school with very limited protection. Other countries have sent their kids back too, but with masks, vaccinations and air filters. Our kids have nothing so of course they are likely to be infected (with 1 in 7 potentially getting long covid) or pass it on to others (including those who are clinically vulnerable). I would much rather they were in school with some sort of measures in place to keep them safe than to bury my head In the sand and pretend it’s all over when it quite clearly isn’t.

Yeah, delta is really bad. The good news is that it doesn't seem to be more dangerous than any of the other strains (as in, doesn't cause more paediatric hospitalization per infection). The bad news is that it's significantly more infectious and spreads like wildfire in schools. Almost 30% of American covid cases are in those under 18.

It's about six weeks since the schools in the Southern states of America have been back, and they're still seeing caseloads 300% that of last fall. It seems like the peak is going to be less striking in the North, as there's a lot more vaccination in general and in the 12-18 group in particular (as compared with the South).

Oh, and that's with mandatory masking, at least in some states (others, like Texas and Florida, have largely banned masks in schools). But even in conservative states, anti-masks-in-school fervor is quieting as the cases shot up so significantly.

I'm sure its in my class. Lots of sickness and headaches. Child with a cough yesterday so we rang home and were told they had a negative LFT that morning. SLT said that was fine and they could stay (child later told us they hadn't had a test). Same child then vomited and went home. Who knows though. Not a great deal I can do about it!

I can’t see how daily cases can be lower given the number of posts etc I’ve seen re cases in schools.

They aren't in the secondary age group. The cases are climbing in teenagers in England (both case numbers and ONS show this) , but (thus far) falling or levelling off in adult age groups. Objectively, good news, I guess. The difficulty comes when - through household transmission largely- they pass it o to adults, especially if those adults are vulnerable and/or unvaccinated.

My dd and I caught it first week back. Your right that it's going to sweep through schools, the ending of bubbles and isolation for under 18's is to blame but I'm unsure what else can really be done, the constant isolations and sending home of whole classes was just making life so hard for our kids and those who had to take time off work. My dd1 had to isolate 3 times last term, she's doing A level and is now behind as are many others doing exams next year. I'm kind of pleased we have caught it and got it out the way before winter, dd1 can now get back to school (Monday) and get her head down without the anxiety of getting covid.

Dd was unwell with it but only for 3 days, she was vaccinated (one dose), I am double jabbed and my symptoms have been mild.

Sadly we need to learn to live with covid, I know people are scared but over all those under 18 and those who are vaccinated are not getting really sick with covid.

The estimate for England is iirc 1 in 32 secondary age up to year 11) children with Covid.