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Original poster

1 in 10 students with COVID

139 replies

catchingzzzeds · 20/10/2021 18:28

The secondary school I work at now has 1 in 10 students and 10 teaching staff at home with COVID. We started the week with 65 cases and today we have over 100.
Why are the government not helping us? If we could bring back masks and bubbles we could at least stand a chance of containing the spread. I also think advising that whole households isolate if a family member tests positive would help too.
We are finding that siblings are testing positive a week after the first household case.
Roll on half term, here's hoping it acts a bit of a circuit breaker.

OP posts:
Warhertisuff · 21/10/2021 09:44

It is crazy. The staff with COVID are double jabbed, I understand the jabs are preventing hospital admission and I'm glad but the rapid spread is seriously impacting schools and education and that needs to be recognised.

It is affecting education, but lots of mitigation now just means that impact is spread out over a longer period and potentially into exam season. There's no silver bullet here... Masks, more isolating and bubbles will just mean you'll still being impacted at school into 2022.

MarshaBradyo · 21/10/2021 09:45

What makes you think the figures are getting it wrong? Ie how are they missing it

beentoldcomputersaysno · 21/10/2021 10:03

@LilyPond2

Covid is here and we will never contain it We won't get rid of it altogether, but the experience of other countries shows that it is possible to limit spread. Germany has consistently kept case rates much lower than the UK. Letting Covid spread unchecked is a political decision. You may agree with that political decision, but don't try to paint a political decision as if it were an inevitability.
This. I think it's a poor political decision, but it is of course a political decision. A political decision backed by opaque evidence that it's a sound one.
beentoldcomputersaysno · 21/10/2021 10:09

twitter.com/john14011/status/1435303120150700040?s=21

puppeteer · 21/10/2021 10:10

Is opaque evidence the new name for evidence that supports a position that we don’t agree with? ;-)

Better than misinformation I guess…

SleepyMathematician · 21/10/2021 13:01

@Mistlewoeandwhine

It can’t be rare if every single one of us in my family got reinfected.
I agree - anecdotally I’m not seeing it as that rare. One of my pupils had it just before Christmas and has just tested positive again. Both times confirmed by PCR. She’s not the only one. I wonder what the point is of letting it spread unchecked in schools if they are just going to catch it over and over.
NetflixCompleted · 21/10/2021 13:40

@Mistlewoeandwhine

My son went on a school trip where Covid spread through them like wildfire. That was three weeks ago. One of the teachers is in hospital and I’m still unwell (the whole family caught it off my son) and it’s a big problem for me as I am self-employed.
Was the trip to a theme park by any chance as same thing happened at my daughters school?
savagebaggagemaster · 21/10/2021 15:18

@Bobholll

No if woundnt *@savagebaggagemaster* - many teachers only had their jabs over summer or late spring & absolutely don't need a booster just yet. Their vaccines will still be providing excellent protection.

We are boosting at 6 months for a reason. Boosting at 3 months is pointless!

Did I state when?! It would just help if school staff, who are also frontline staff, were entitled to a booster shot!
Porcupineintherough · 21/10/2021 15:26

@Watapalava

how many are actually seriously ill?
My son's French teacher has been off for 2 and a half weeks and counting. Hopefully she's not seriously ill but that is 10 lessons he has missed and he sits his GCSE in 6 months time. If he comes down with it he'll miss another 8.

You dont have to have lots of ICU admissions to have a big effect on education.

NovemberWitch · 21/10/2021 15:38

@RavenclawsRoar

It's crazy op. My school has had to shut early for half term because there's simply not enough staff and supply agencies are drained. It has spread like wildfire.
I’’m working ft as supply on a day to day basis. Mostly Covid cover. I’ve not had to travel more than 5 miles for work since September.. Schools are desperate.
Lovemusic33 · 21/10/2021 15:48

My DD’s school is the same and we’re advised to bring back masks between lessons and in communal areas (this started yesterday), there’s over 40 kids off in DD’s school but it’s a small school. Most of those who do have it have no symptoms or just cold symptoms, dd had it a few weeks ago and was unwell for 4 days.

Mistlewoeandwhine · 21/10/2021 16:14

@NetflixCompleted No it wasn’t. It was an outward bound residential.

Oblomov21 · 21/10/2021 16:53

I'm not that bothered by how many cases per day. Most are barely unwell, a bad cold, for most it isn't that nasty. If it causes a hospitalisation or death that very serious, totally different.

Warhertisuff · 21/10/2021 17:31

@SleepyMathematician

I wonder what the point is of letting it spread unchecked in schools if they are just going to catch it over and over.

Notwithstanding that re-infections are likely to be fewer and less severe over time. A "virgin" population will always be likely to become infected more easily and severely.... I draw the exact opposite conclusion. If pupils are going to get many times (and they will over their lifetimes) restrictions would have to be strict and permanent if we want to stop it., with the emphasis on permanent.

Watapalava · 21/10/2021 18:00

Porcupine

Yes I know what you mean as dd is tear 11
That’s why I’d rather treat it like cold and flu -
Which is what it has become really and stop the forced isolation

If you are well - even with covid - go to school

It’s the forced testing abs asymptomatic isolation that causes disruption

Mazblue86 · 21/10/2021 19:38

@Watapalava

Porcupine

Yes I know what you mean as dd is tear 11
That’s why I’d rather treat it like cold and flu -
Which is what it has become really and stop the forced isolation

If you are well - even with covid - go to school

It’s the forced testing abs asymptomatic isolation that causes disruption

This is a bit mean. What about the CV/CEV staff and children and or peoples CV/CEV families? My mum is double jabbed, 63 years old and works in a school. She has covid now. Hopefully she'll be alright but I don't think she deserves to get covid just because she's a teacher. I'm pregnant. I work in a high school. I don't want covid. I am double jabbed.
Watapalava · 21/10/2021 19:47

Double jabbed cev are likely as equal risk from flu etc

To be honest I don’t expect any isolation come next year - it’ll be dropped just like isolation contacts now

Just this week all kids in my dd year 11 refused asymptomatic testing (it’s being done twice a week on site). There are 45 cases in year and now literally no kids are testing anymore

Once it’s so rife it doesn’t really matter who is isolating or not

Mazblue86 · 21/10/2021 21:22

@Watapalava

Double jabbed cev are likely as equal risk from flu etc

To be honest I don’t expect any isolation come next year - it’ll be dropped just like isolation contacts now

Just this week all kids in my dd year 11 refused asymptomatic testing (it’s being done twice a week on site). There are 45 cases in year and now literally no kids are testing anymore

Once it’s so rife it doesn’t really matter who is isolating or not

Flu isn't circulating though is it?
Watapalava · 22/10/2021 07:14

Maz it is and the press conference this week stated they expect more flu than ever this year

Mazblue86 · 22/10/2021 10:53

Well don't send your kid to school with flu either. I've got a year 11 class and if I get flu or covid and an off for two weeks the class won't be covered by another subject specialist, it will be covered by a supply teacher who won't know the children or be able to control the class. I'll be setting work from my sick bed which will be 'read pages x and y and make notes.' Maybe for ten lessons if I take two weeks off.

beentoldcomputersaysno · 22/10/2021 11:07

@puppeteer

Is opaque evidence the new name for evidence that supports a position that we don’t agree with? ;-)

Better than misinformation I guess…

No, opaque as in where's the info backing up the decision not to have any protective measures in schools. It's not in public interest to know apparently. As for mis/disinformation, plenty of that around. twitter.com/karamballes/status/1451340898005094400?s=21
OnceuponaRainbow18 · 22/10/2021 12:35

@Mazblue86

Do you not team over teams when you’re ill in bed?! So lazy!!

Our school got a pharmacy into the staff room and flu jabber anyone who fancied a cupa that day 😂

Egghead68 · 22/10/2021 12:44

Why aren’t the government helping you? Because (a) they don’t want to antagonise the CRG and (b) they don’t give a shit.

herecomesthsun · 22/10/2021 13:22

ONS rates for England up to 1 in 55.

Rates in 7-11s is now given 7.8% - the rate was previously given as 8.1 % and there is a sort of plateau and rise on their graph in mid October.

PuzzledObserver · 22/10/2021 19:12

@Mistlewoeandwhine

It can’t be rare if every single one of us in my family got reinfected.
Not necessarily. If there is a genetic component to COVID susceptibility, you may all have the gene which makes you more vulnerable, or lack the gene which makes you more resistant, since you are all related.