76% of children have been infected in England

[Warhertisuff]

And 47% of the total population according to University of Cambridge research! It doesn't particularly surprise me, but didn't think it was quite that high!

www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/now-casting/nowcasting-and-forecasting-20th-october-2021/

Given how it's spread through schools over the past months and given these figures, I'd be surprised if things didn't die back down in schools in the run up to Christmas.

DS’s year at school the infection rate is probably closer to 100% with many of them now fully vaccinated. They are16/17. Lots of parties over summer culminating with their postponed prom facilitated the spread. I would agree with op.
The biggest risk groups now are the 20-40 yr olds where vacc uptake is low. 50+ age group can get booster so better protected. I know a lot of over 50s who have had Covid recently (wanting immunity) but it has been no worse than a bad cold.

Wanting - waning

maybe in certain parts of the country but where we are it feels more like 20% at most

My kids go to a very 'naice' schools where the majority of parents WFH, they have just been vaccinated last week because of the high number of cases in the school, about 5% of the school currently has confirmed Covid but they think looking at absences it is actually double that. I can easily believe we'll be close to 50% soon and that areas where fewer parents can WFH a similar wave of cases will have already gone through the school.

like SARS-COV-1. It was always going to become endemic

SARS-CoV-1 isn't endemic anywhere. It isn't circulating.

I presume 76% was estimated because of the ongoing random population blood tests?

@onlychildhamster

If 47% of the population has had it, it's amazing that DH and I never contracted it. We used public transport, live in London, DH goes into office everyday.

In London the figure is 58% (see link in first post). That does mean 42% haven't... As for your DH, he may have been asymptomatic.

@onlychildhamster

Sorry, re-read... I agree it's unusual that neither of you have had Covid (at least showed any symptoms) given you're both travelling on the tube frequently, but anecdotally, prevalence in London over the past 20+ months does back these figures... I'm surprised it's not even higher actually! The fact infections are relatively low in London indicates a higher degree of population immunity.

School children are being tested more than the general population so it's difficult to tell if they are getting it more or less than everyone else.

@lljkk

like SARS-COV-1. It was always going to become endemic

SARS-CoV-1 isn't endemic anywhere. It isn't circulating.

I presume 76% was estimated because of the ongoing random population blood tests?

You literally cut out the first half of that sentence to make it say the opposite of what the PP said. The full quote is “This was never going to be a virus that eventually went away, like SARS-COV-1. It was always going to become endemic.” (Emphasis mine).

I can believe this. Our school has masks all day, been ordered whole school pcrs by local public health and anecdotally my dc has reported classes as low as 14/30.

After half term they are returning to national guidelines with regards to isolating as cases have stabilised but it's still masks all day etc

ah, glad I got that wrong. I was quite surprised someone said S-C-1 was endemic.

Not at my area. Only a hand full of positive case in my dc's huge secondary. My dc doesn't know anyone who had it.

@AnyFucker

I hope this is somewhere near accurate. If it is, the govt’s “strategy” of just holding their nerve and letting this wave peak before full winter is the correct one.

What it really means is the government is fine for lots of elderly and disabled people to die.