Is it ok we are just letting our kids get Covid?

[Moonopoly]

DD5 has just tested positive for Covid. There have been several cases in her Year 1 class but school remains the same. Under the old rules the ‘bubble’ would have closed and she would perhaps have stood some chance of not getting it.
Is it ok that we are letting the government pursue a herd immunity policy with a novel virus amongst our kids?
We seem to be the only country doing this?

I'm not following this particular person, but as long as the facts are correct, I don't mind about the emojis.

It is hardly inappropriate to suggest that the death of a child is sad.

I'd rather that than someone trying to spread the idea that vaccines give you covid.

Ugh - have just seen a copy of the fake consent letter being circulated by anti-vaccine groups to put teens off having the vaccine. Looks legit with an NHS logo but filled with fake claims designed to scare people.

No-one can make an informed choice if they're being coerced with misinformation, god know who thinks this is justified.

Every time I read the checklist I get more cross.

twitter.com/Kit_Yates_Maths/status/1442571448112013319

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-58713266

Compare rates in children with middle Aged females that maybe parents, keyworker or teachers.
Coincidence much?

@herecomesthesun the death of every child is a tragedy. But we do generally understand this without emojis. We expect news and factual content to be delivered in a more neutral style. This twitter poster is not neutral and very partial, in her selection and presentation of facts. But you ignore this because you agree with her. This whole thread is mainly people at one extreme shouting about people at the opposite extreme, ignoring anything pragmatic or reasonable offered by anyone else.

What do you feel has been ignored from you / by you?

The fact is, though, that covid is a preventable disease - preventable via masks, social distancing and the like. How many children could we have saved if we'd bothered with any mitigations in school? Wouldn't it be worth it for even one life?

There's already been many more lives of children lost this term compared to last year - because covid rates are so high. As Professor Christina Pagel once said - yes, children are only affected badly at a very low percentage. But a percentage of a very big number is still a big number. And we're choosing that.

Personally I don't think there's a mental health cost to masks - not when those who need exemptions can use one.

I think there's a mental health cost to the very clear message being sent by this government /adults responsible to children that they're not worth protecting.

And then they look at other countries and see medics and educators talking about protecting kids, and kids being protected in schools with ventilation, air filtration etc.

They draw their own conclusions I expect.

@theemperorhasnoclothes but what if to save one life from covid, you sacrifice many more by abused and neglected DCs not getting onto social services radar through school, mental health issues for many more DCs - sometimes leading to suicide attempts, and in the longer term many DCs not reaching their full potential due to broken teaching during key learning periods.

You talk as if covid mitigants have no counter balancing negative impacts, but they clearly do.

@rookiemere

None of those are caused by wearing masks in schools, by updating windows and installing HEPA filters.
That's what a huge number of other countries (including many states in the US) are doing, and so they have fewer cases among children and school staff, and fewer cases overall. Our policy seems to be not just negligent, but actively trying to increase cases now before winter. And if they do increase like that and the hospitals get overwhelmed (which they are in many places already) then we're more likely to have a lockdown, or people without covid but needing other services, will die.

Scotland peaked in cases on school age

Why wouldn’t England? And isn’t hospitalisation falling?

If the peak is flattened so it runs over winter instead does it help that much

But kids are more likely to stay in school if there are mitigating measures in school. They're more likely to be off if there aren't.

They're more likely to be off (with covid) if covid is running rampant. That's a minimum of 10 days off.

And yes, if hospitals get overwhelmed (and they're close already, a couple of weeks into term) then we'll have another lockdown which will be far worse for kids health than wearing a mask in school or having an air filter in their classroom would be.

Actually there is some evidence that ventilation and air filtration can be have a higher impact on levels of covid than masks. How on earth would those two things affect kids in any way other than positively by keeping schools open?

Why aren't we doing the basics?

It’s a delay.

Delta is too transmissible, they will get it sooner or later.

@MarshaBradyo

It’s a delay.

Delta is too transmissible, they will get it sooner or later.

Delaying gives the hospitals a chance at coping by spreading it out

It also means more will be vaccinated so should suffer fewer complications needing hospital.

But you see, even the vulnerable kids 12-15 haven't been fully vaccinated.

And vulnerable parents haven't had boosters yet.

And also schools are closing years etc because there are so many children and teachers off sick.

So yes there are still advantages to mitigations in schools that will reduce the speed of rise in infections and delay infection till we have had vaccinations.

EvilPea We have definitely moved on from that strategy which was needed prior to high vaccination rate.

Hospitalisation is falling and the age group that is getting it won’t overwhelm hospitals, no where near.

You need to look at 60 plus age range instead.

There is no reason to flatten the curve for the young lest age ranges.

• Youngest

It makes sense to put some measures in. There is a difference between a risk of catching covid to a pretty much guaranteed certainty. It is such an extreme view to just let it run rife through schools. Why are we following the extremist approach? Why aren't we following any science?

And also schools are closing years etc because there are so many children and teachers off sick.

Can you back this up? I saw two schools mentioned in The Guardian article iirc.

Students may be off but that is due to testing positive - although many won’t have symptoms so not sure if they are caught by tests or not. Scotland got through the peak we will too.

@beentoldcomputersaysno

It makes sense to put some measures in. There is a difference between a risk of catching covid to a pretty much guaranteed certainty. It is such an extreme view to just let it run rife through schools. Why are we following the extremist approach? Why aren't we following any science?

We are following science. People just haven’t caught up with the changes in the situation.

"It’s a delay.

Delta is too transmissible, they will get it sooner or later."

Imagine a class of 30 school children in Y9.
They are going to be offered a vaccine in the next few weeks.
You can either let them get it by allowing them to go to big assemblies, sit in shut classrooms with little ventilation and no masks, and fine any parents for keeping them off.
Then they may well get it, it spreads around the class and 20 of them go off, meaning one or two may suffer long covid, may spread it to relatives. They miss 10 days at a time while having it, meaning parents or carers need to take time off work for that, and possibly an extra few days on top if they also catch it.

Or you put in mitigations (which will then be available if this ever happens again in the future). They manage to make it to vaccination without any cases, 26 of them get vaccinated, the others choose not to, and then even if one of them does get it, the others are far less likely to catch it, they have half the chance of getting long covid if they do, and they can carry on with schooling without disruption to them or their families.

"We are following science,"
Yeah. The branch of science known as eugenics.

@MarshaBradyo I'm struggling to understand your view. Do you totally agree with current policy?

@MarshaBradyo

And also schools are closing years etc because there are so many children and teachers off sick.

Can you back this up? I saw two schools mentioned in The Guardian article iirc.

Students may be off but that is due to testing positive - although many won’t have symptoms so not sure if they are caught by tests or not. Scotland got through the peak we will too.

I have seen it on the media and I think people mentioning it on here.

I'm sure you can find more examples if you google

@duffeldaisy

"We are following science," Yeah. The branch of science known as eugenics.

We’re not waiting for 12 to 15 vaccine to kick in. It’s barely beneficial from a medical POV if you follow JCVI.

[quote beentoldcomputersaysno]@MarshaBradyo I'm struggling to understand your view. Do you totally agree with current policy?[/quote]
This made me laugh a bit as I thought I had been pretty blunt ;

But yes I do.

It needs to be done by weighing up risk v benefit and the cost of delay and the benefit of that.