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

@Porcupineintherough

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.

At the moment around 60% are saying they are getting their kids vaccinated so I'm sure that won't be the case in any school. I for one won't be getting my dd2 vaccinated. We have had covid in tue house this week and she's the only one not to have caught it, her sister was single vaccinated and was the most unwell.

Yes, back to masks at our secondary too. Those vaccinations can't come fast enough. Far too little, too late again.

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?

My kids secondary are testing kids weekly at the moment, not sure show many parents consented or how long that’s going to continue, they’ve done 2 tests so far. No masks at the moment unless the kids choose to. My kids don’t want to be vaccinated but even if every kid was, it wouldn’t stop the spread.

Our year 5 has two children in school out of 60, with 50+ confirmed cases out of a school of c.400. Some years have all been advised to take PCR tests. The issue is definitely the more you test, the more you find in schools and it’s very likely most schools have loads of cases that they don’t know about, not that some are faring worse than others. So a couple of kids have mild temps, test and get positive. Their friends’ parents hear and test their kids with no symptoms who are also positive. Cases reach threshold levels and School talks to public health England who advise school to get everyone to PCR, they all PCR and over 60% are positive but almost all with no symptoms.

I don’t see the point of testing at all.

It’s endemic now. Most people will catch it if they haven’t already. Probably best to catch it now and top up immunity before the vaccine effects wane and before winter sets in. The difference this time is that vaccines prevent serious disease in most adults. Children generally get mild symptoms.

I've been very cautious and compliant throughout, but I think it's pretty clear that Covid isn't going away, so the only option for living any sort of normal life is that most people end up immune (or at least immune from serious illness) by either catching it or being vaccinated. I've got secondary age kids and after much thought I've decided to get them vaccinated, but if they catch it first, then so be it. I'm double jabbed, and again, if I catch it anyway, then so be it. I know there's a chance that we could be some of the small number of exceptions who get seriously ill or die in spite of age/vaccination, but I've finally reached the stage where I think it's worth running that risk in exchange for a relatively normal life. Because there's no end point now - Covid is going to circulate for decades. It was different when we were in a race to vaccinate everyone - at that point I was quite happy for restrictions to continue for a bit longer.

And I know it's desperately hard for those who are very vulnerable, but I'm going to be totally honest and say that I just don't see an answer to that problem. Again, if it was a case of a limited period of restrictions to enable something to change, then fair enough. But it's not. The virus is always going to be a risk to the very vulnerable - we cannot have children in masks and bubbles forever. Perhaps if I had a very vulnerable child I might consider shielding at home for a little bit longer until a large proportion of kids have either caught Covid or been vaccinated - but they reckon 50% of kids have already had it, and presumably at some point kids will start to catch it for a second time anyway? I just don't know the answer for those vulnerable families, it must be incredibly worrying. Will it end up being the same as the risk of catching chicken pox or flu in 'normal' times?

@CovidinPrimary

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!

To be fair most 12 plus are not recieving the vaccine yet. In a high school of 5 year groups, 300 per year it's going to be a long time before they all recieve the vaccination and no one in my son's school has had it yet.High schools are also still suffering just as bad, it's certainly not unique to primary.

And I suspect lots of secondary kids won't have the vaccine at all (many of the parents I've spoken to are not planning to vaccinate).

1 in 32 secondary age up to year 11 in England

That's quite a lot lower than the 1/4 or 1/3 prevalence reported here.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

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

Might be local spikes, i live in Bolton, twice we have had the highest rates of infection for the whole of the uk, both times it seemed like Covid was in everywhere locally but it didnt appear to be reflected in the national figures, so far locally we seem to be on an even keel but my kids have only been back a week

If it is one in 32 now though, with close contact between kids and another 4 or 5 weeks til half term, they will surely end up catching it?

Whether they present symptoms is a different matter of course, but it's who they take it home to that's worrying.

I just feel really confused with the case numbers we're reporting at the minute. We surely must be about to see numbers go massively up if that stat is correct.

@lljkk

1 in 32 secondary age up to year 11 in England

That's quite a lot lower than the 1/4 or 1/3 prevalence reported here.

Not evenly distributed - clusters.

I really hope the effects of the vaccine don't begin to wane after 6 months as has been suggested as a possibility. Most teaching staff that I know we're vaccinated between April and July. The sooner the older children can get the vaccine, the better IMO. DC is 11 so will miss out (has had Covid but I believe Covid +vaccine is reported to offer the greatest long-term protection).

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

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

It's because there are area's that have very high rates, and so you see high levels with in schools in those areas.

Where as area's which low cases you not seeing cases in the schools.

As a parent I think it not case of if we catch Covid but when. We know school are not 'safe', but what's the option write off another school year where children from poorer family's or have additional needs fall further behind in there education and children from families who can afford private education get a far superior education as their schools can afford to do. Because as a whole country we do not have the means and the capabilities to teach children out of the classroom.

Will the boosters just be a temporary fix for some of the people ?
If the effects of the vaccine wear off for the under 50s who don't have the booster jabs, won't be just be ' back to square one' in a few months anyway ?
Most people I know don't want their 12 year olds and upwards being vaccinated at all
People who have been vaccinated themselves too. Will the virus just die out ?

Ultimately it is a great experiment to shut schools long term..lessons from the Philippines suggest it’s not an experiment without risk and they actually do suggest some online learning for their kids as opposed to the uk’s “they can watch a few tv programmes it just the same”.

Remember the cmo only recommends the vaccine because of the impact of loss education if the experts are saying that not having kids in school
Is bad for them it’s time to stop pretending that any measures which would result in some kids being out of the classroom for a long period of time are risk free.

9 of 30 in my daughter's class (year 5) have tested positive on PCR this week.

Prior to this term we had 5 cases across the whole school.

They've put some precautions in place for the affected class now. As far as i know, there haven't been any cases in any of the other classes in the school. But it's a ticking time bomb.

It might be a 'ticking time bomb' in terms of case numbers in schools, but isn't that just inevitable now? Primary kids will get it (if they haven't already had it asymptomatically already). They'll be off for 10 days. And then they can hopefully be confident that they won't get it again, at least this season. If their family is vaccinated, then it's very probable that they won't get seriously ill. The 10 days off to care for a primary child is a pita for working parents to organise - but not nearly as much of a pita as the potential for repeated isolations due to burst bubbles. Isn't this just the way we need to manage this now? The people I feel for is those who are v vulnerable or cannot have the vaccine - but as I said upthread, I just don't know the answer to that.

I wish people would name the schools with such high numbers.

Not picking on anyone specific as being disingenuous. But anyone can spout any rubbish online. Since there appear to be large schools with many affected where 1/3 or 1/4 of pupils have covid -- just name those specific schools.

Otherwise, I can't contextualise the importance of anything stated here.

@bluedart

It might be a 'ticking time bomb' in terms of case numbers in schools, but isn't that just inevitable now? Primary kids will get it (if they haven't already had it asymptomatically already). They'll be off for 10 days. And then they can hopefully be confident that they won't get it again, at least this season. If their family is vaccinated, then it's very probable that they won't get seriously ill. The 10 days off to care for a primary child is a pita for working parents to organise - but not nearly as much of a pita as the potential for repeated isolations due to burst bubbles. Isn't this just the way we need to manage this now? The people I feel for is those who are v vulnerable or cannot have the vaccine - but as I said upthread, I just don't know the answer to that.

Exactly this. Most people are vaccinated and are not getting really ill with covid, kids don’t get that ill with covid, for my dd it was 3 days of feeling like she had a bad cold or mild flu, she still has the cough but is well in herself, others have no symptoms at all, I’ve had hardly any symptoms. Focus shouldn’t really be on the number of cases, we know it’s going to spread in schools, what is important is “how many people are ending up in hospital”? , for most it won’t be any worse than a bad cold. The vaccine isn’t necessary stopping it from spreading but it’s stopping vulnerable people becoming really unwell? (Or so it seems). Maybe the best thing to do is to just let it sweep through schools, once kids have had it they shouldn’t get it again for at least 6 months. I’m glad we have had it, it’s given me more relief than having the vaccine did.

@lljkk

I wish people would name the schools with such high numbers.

Not picking on anyone specific as being disingenuous. But anyone can spout any rubbish online. Since there appear to be large schools with many affected where 1/3 or 1/4 of pupils have covid -- just name those specific schools.

Otherwise, I can't contextualise the importance of anything stated here.

Im not sure what the point would be, naming the general area might be helpfull, but when Bolton had really high rates last year naming my sons school would only be relevant to people also living in Bolton.

To be fair most 12 plus are not recieving the vaccine yet. In a high school of 5 year groups, 300 per year it's going to be a long time before they all recieve the vaccination and no one in my son's school has had it yet.High schools are also still suffering just as bad, it's certainly not unique to primary.

This. We’ve been told my DS’s year group of 300 is being offered vax on one day the week after next - at that rate it’s a week to do 5 year groups in a school (probs less as all year 7s not 12 yet) so I reckon they could probs do all 12-15s by half term!

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

It is very obvious when something is going round in schools. We all get what seem to be isolated cases of coughs and colds at times but when something takes hold in a school, you can’t miss it.

It's easy to be complacent love. My DS caught it and still has lingering symptoms. He gave it to me (double jabbed) and I was really ill and in hospital twice. It is not a consequence free thing.

Most cold virus infections are asymptomatic. Or so mildly symptomatic that they are hard to recognise as illness.

Just like most covid infections in children are.