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?

The 'point' of it was to 'save the NHS' - ie keep infections at a manageable level until a vaccine could be developed and distributed. It was never to ensure that nobody caught covid ever. The vaccine has now been developed and distributed, children catching it aren't a threat to the hospitals, so we no longer need to have those measures in place.

Precisely. I am not sure how many times this needs to be said before people get it.

Meanwhile vulnerable under-12s have absolutely no protection at all - potentially sitting next to someone at school who could have an entire family with Covid but are still expected to go in everyday. Ending isolation for household contacts was a big mistake in my eyes, as is the government's total failure to address ventilation in schools.

Precisely. I am not sure how many times this needs to be said before people get it.

I think for some it's going to be like when you mislearn the words to a song and it's only years later and it just dawns on you in horror that you've been belting out, "Spare him his life for his pork sausages" the whole time.

@pinkpip100

Meanwhile vulnerable under-12s have absolutely no protection at all - potentially sitting next to someone at school who could have an entire family with Covid but are still expected to go in everyday. Ending isolation for household contacts was a big mistake in my eyes, as is the government's total failure to address ventilation in schools.

How many under 12s have been seriously ill or died from covid in this country since the start of the pandemic?

@FourTeaFallOut

Precisely. I am not sure how many times this needs to be said before people get it.

I think for some it's going to be like when you mislearn the words to a song and it's only years later and it just dawns on you in horror that you've been belting out, "Spare him his life for his pork sausages" the whole time.

😂

I don't want children disrupted but we could have some mitigations in schools. I caught mild covid and it took me over a year to be 100% again. It annoys me when people are so flippant about school staff. Many are older and suffer quietly for months after initial infection.

Fine with me. Better to have it now as a child, when they almost certainly won't be badly affected.

@FourTeaFallOut

Precisely. I am not sure how many times this needs to be said before people get it.

I think for some it's going to be like when you mislearn the words to a song and it's only years later and it just dawns on you in horror that you've been belting out, "Spare him his life for his pork sausages" the whole time.

Haha 😂

My one is I never got the positivity rate situation and like not hearing someone’s name in the first meeting I’ve just glossed past since.

I have 3 off in my year 6 class. They have 4 siblings still in primary that are in as per regulation and 2 in secondary.

My dd is in year 10 and is down to 14 out of 30.

The numbers seem lower than they are because people are just not bothering with pcr or reporting lft. And sending kids in regardless. I an CV and we all live with my mum who is CEV. It's not great. When I get it i'm looking at a lengthy illness as I am on very high dose steroids already and lord alone knows with mum. I am thankful I am double jabbed but schools are now doing nowt as per gov guidance. I have a co2 alarm ( which goes off by 9.10) but otherwise that's it.

I think it's fine. We have to learn to live with it. We have been jabbed now - that's different from before. Life goes on

@flippertyop

I think it's fine. We have to learn to live with it. We have been jabbed now - that's different from before. Life goes on

It sounds like you don't care if the kids get it or not, since you are double vaxxed. Was that your intention?

I think health wise it’s not going to cause any great damage - children in the vast majority of cases are fine. But I think there needs to be more acknowledgment to how disruptive this is to the start of the school year and the emotional impact this has on children and the impact on their learning. Government want exams to resume - but at this rate September and October are becoming a bit of a write off with so many children off. Parents are also keeping children off now because they don’t want them going into a thriving Covid hub. The children left at school can sense things aren’t as they should be - quite the downer after such an enthusiastic ‘back to normal’ start and that will affect their learning too.

Parents are also keeping children off now because they don’t want them going into a thriving Covid hub.

How much is this happening?

The children left at school can sense things aren’t as they should be - quite the downer after such an enthusiastic ‘back to normal’ start and that will affect their learning too.

Do you mean in your school? I haven’t had this at all - 3 x London schools

Our secondary is introducing some extra measures - we have a cocktail of covid and other back to school respiratory stuff.

My DD is quite poorly with Covid. She’s only 4.
I think we should be at least TRYING to stop children getting this. Perhaps household contacts having to isolate, outdoors lesson for high cases in a class etc
This Government have brainwashed people in to thinking it’s lockdown or let it run free because they are lazy, bored of Covid and fundamentally don’t care about us at an individual level.
It might be benign in the sense that very few die but I really don’t think it’s okay that it’s just being allowed to run through schools.

@Moonopoly

My DD is quite poorly with Covid. She’s only 4. I think we should be at least TRYING to stop children getting this. Perhaps household contacts having to isolate, outdoors lesson for high cases in a class etc This Government have brainwashed people in to thinking it’s lockdown or let it run free because they are lazy, bored of Covid and fundamentally don’t care about us at an individual level. It might be benign in the sense that very few die but I really don’t think it’s okay that it’s just being allowed to run through schools.

I do not want my child doing lessons outdoors in autumn/winter. I'd rather he catch Covid.

And to be honest OP it looks like you are in the minority.

I'm not sure how having outdoors classes is supposed to help with stopping people getting ill? Being cold and damp isn't going to do much to keep kids healthy.

Thank you for the sympathy towards my DD…your lack of comment on that speaks volumes on the people you are. So I’ll end my debate with you here I think as we are in no way aligned in thought.

@Moonopoly

My DD is quite poorly with Covid. She’s only 4. I think we should be at least TRYING to stop children getting this. Perhaps household contacts having to isolate, outdoors lesson for high cases in a class etc This Government have brainwashed people in to thinking it’s lockdown or let it run free because they are lazy, bored of Covid and fundamentally don’t care about us at an individual level. It might be benign in the sense that very few die but I really don’t think it’s okay that it’s just being allowed to run through schools.

We are trying to prevent people- including children- from catching covid ffs. That’s why we have compulsory isolations for those who are symptomatic and close (adult) contacts who aren’t vaccinated ; one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the world; ubiquitous public health advice and messaging; vaccines ; research and surveillance etc etc. There are plenty of illnesses out there that make children very very ill, that we have invested a hell of a lot less into (eg chicken pox, which almost all children can expect to contract at some point , unless their parents pay for a private vaccine). What people need to understand is there are limits to what we can do that’s proportionate due to harms caused directly by mitigation measures. It’s not just strict lockdown that causes harm.

The suggestion to teach children outside during the coldest months of the year, obviously isn’t in the interests of public health.

Isolations for household members has costs in terms of economy/ jobs, education, well-being etc and has been judged no longer proportional to the risks for double vaccinated adults and under 18s. We don’t have household isolations for other common diseases that are just as much of a risk to children.

I’m sorry your DD is unwell and hope she feels better soon. I myself have a 2 year old, currently v sick with norovirus.

No, it's not ok. As you correctly point out no other country is doing this.

There is evidence there may be long term neurological damage from covid, even mild cases. We don't know what the impact is on developing children's brains yet. We just don't have the data. Maybe it'll be fine, maybe not.

No other country is doing this. Many private schools are implementing ventilation, small class sizes and masks. That should be a clue.

We're so close to having a vaccine for all kids over 5, it's madness to let it rip now with unknown long term impacts.

I hope their gamble with our kids health pays off. That's all we have to cling to - that it MIGHT be ok.

Sending hope your DD is better soon OP and is only mildly affected.

Personally I'm writing to my MP letting him know that I don't consent to this massive experiment with our kids and will hold him and the government responsible if my kid catches it and gets long covid, PIMs etc.

I disagree with the notion (popular with many posters on here) that if you can't eradicate Covid, there is no point in doing anything to slow the spread. Even if your goal is nothing higher than allowing the NHS to function at normal pre-Covid levels, we are not achieving that at present. In the last couple of months, Leeds NHS Trust cancelled cancer operations due to being under pressure from the number of Covid patients being admitted .www.independent.co.uk/news/health/leeds-cancer-surgery-coronavirus-nhs-b1879646.html That was in July, so I dread to think what it will be like in winter if Covid rates are as high as currently or higher. Other European countries are managing to function relatively normally while keeping Covid rates much lower. Suggesting that there is "no alternative" to the UK's approach is simply wrong.

@LilyPond2

I disagree with the notion (popular with many posters on here) that if you can't eradicate Covid, there is no point in doing anything to slow the spread. Even if your goal is nothing higher than allowing the NHS to function at normal pre-Covid levels, we are not achieving that at present. In the last couple of months, Leeds NHS Trust cancelled cancer operations due to being under pressure from the number of Covid patients being admitted .www.independent.co.uk/news/health/leeds-cancer-surgery-coronavirus-nhs-b1879646.html That was in July, so I dread to think what it will be like in winter if Covid rates are as high as currently or higher. Other European countries are managing to function relatively normally while keeping Covid rates much lower. Suggesting that there is "no alternative" to the UK's approach is simply wrong.

We are NOT “not doing anything”. This is a Ridiculous and dangerous misconception. Please Stop reproducing it.

We have:

compulsory isolations for those who are symptomatic and close (adult) contacts who aren’t vaccinated ;
one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the world (part of the reason our infection rates look so high in comparison to other countries);
ubiquitous public health advice and messaging;
An extensive vaccine programme (which goes beyond what many scientists say is actually justified based on the evidence);
Extensive research and surveillance;
New health treatments;
Border controls;
Ongoing test and tracing (albeit in more limited circumstances);
Mitigation plans.
Need I go on?! This won’t be an exhaustive list.

Honestly what is wrong with people? 😩

@LilyPond2

I disagree with the notion (popular with many posters on here) that if you can't eradicate Covid, there is no point in doing anything to slow the spread. Even if your goal is nothing higher than allowing the NHS to function at normal pre-Covid levels, we are not achieving that at present. In the last couple of months, Leeds NHS Trust cancelled cancer operations due to being under pressure from the number of Covid patients being admitted .www.independent.co.uk/news/health/leeds-cancer-surgery-coronavirus-nhs-b1879646.html That was in July, so I dread to think what it will be like in winter if Covid rates are as high as currently or higher. Other European countries are managing to function relatively normally while keeping Covid rates much lower. Suggesting that there is "no alternative" to the UK's approach is simply wrong.

There's an alternative to asking the general public to keep restricting their lives - fund the NHS properly.