Spreading like wildfire- schools

[DirtyDancing]

It's been pretty bad in London on and off.

But this is unprecedented on this scale- local schools which have had the odd cases here and there now seeing 8,10 children sometimes more getting it in a class. Multiple confirmed Ormicron case at local secondary and subsequently lateral flows coming back positive tonight. PCR results pending.

I know of full classes out, and two full year groups (Y3 & Y4) in two other schools .

Is it this bad anywhere else?

15 out of 29 in my dd's class this week

@liveforsummer

It’s also weird. Like one class has 16 cases, but another only 2 cases. It’s just strange who catches it and who doesn’t.

Probably more likely who is testing and who isn't. DD's school is absolutely rife, the parents though are very mindful and are testing before absolutely anything, weekend trips, clubs etc. Where I work the cases are non existent. Lots of unwell dc coming in to school day after day. Majority of parents unvaccinated and of the conspiracy attitude doubt very much any of these kids are getting tested

Totally what's happening in our area. In DC school parents are testing & lots of kids being picked up with no symptoms. Other areas locally - very few testing kids

Is it this bad anywhere else?

75% of one of my sons school classes .

Currently most of one of my classes in an sen school.

But then the odd case dotted here and there throughout both schools. 7 in my sons school this week, different classes and a handful in my own.

Since half term about 70-80 kids have had it, that we know of, out of 300 in my sons school. Around half have been asymptomatic.

It is concerning that that's delta. So god knows what will happen with omnicron.

Supply staff are v hard to get.

I'm in an sen school; we will end up closing classes next term. Had to close one last week.

They ran out of supply and staff with the 75% class at my sons school abd had to close. Closed also to minimise spread!

Unfortunately though until we get more people vaxxed or it burns itself out we're still going to be hit with these restrictions because it can be lethal.

Oh yes. A mother in her late 30s died in my sons school from it in the summer. Anti vax . No other conditions.

We've had 5 teachers test positive in the past 2 days in our primary. It's a mix of home and school transmission - 2 had positive family members at home, 2 are in classes with a large no of cases.
Lots of teachers waiting on PCR results, we're just trying to get through a day at a time and hoping the Christmas holidays act as w bit of a firebreak.

Schools will obviously stay open next week. Some action will be needed for next term though. Judging by how fast omicron is growing by January you could have lots of staff and pupils getting covid again for even in schools hit hard before.

After all double jabbed is only 30% protective and most staff will not have been boosted. Guess we have to wait and see how much double jabbed and infected holds up.

The concern is that if no action is taken soon cases could be so high by the new year that I he government will then have to take much more extreme steps to get them down again

and a rapidly growing population.

This is not true.

@Yellowarmy

I agree we can only pay for it with a tax rise. But are all these restrictions worth it, that's all I'm asking. Weekly death toll is no higher than in any normal year

It's the hospitalisations that are the issue.

@walksen

Schools will obviously stay open next week. Some action will be needed for next term though. Judging by how fast omicron is growing by January you could have lots of staff and pupils getting covid again for even in schools hit hard before.

After all double jabbed is only 30% protective and most staff will not have been boosted. Guess we have to wait and see how much double jabbed and infected holds up.

The concern is that if no action is taken soon cases could be so high by the new year that I he government will then have to take much more extreme steps to get them down again

If the SA data continues to show such low hospitalisations in the healthy, the action should be shielding the vulnerable ending isolation and letting it rip

The vulnerable still need carers, medical care inc hospital stays, food deliveries….?

It's not only the "vulnerable" who need hospital care. The knock-on effect will hit anyone who needs medical attention, be it for toothache, a broken bone or anything else.

HOW is it that we are still having to explain this?!

Actually I dont think it will be hospitalisations that will be the issue first - I think isolation will be. If it is that fast spreading how soon will pretty much everyone will be a close contact so how that is handled

Yep. No KW childcare if the child needs to isolate.

@Quartz2208

Actually I dont think it will be hospitalisations that will be the issue first - I think isolation will be. If it is that fast spreading how soon will pretty much everyone will be a close contact so how that is handled

Agreed, hence the switch to LFT for 10 days in England I think.

Shielding anyone who needs care is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible with omicron by the look of it.

If the numbers are going to be as crazy as predictions are going, mandatory isolation periods will be axed to allow asymptomatic people or people with mild symptoms to carry on working. Otherwise you get critical infrastructure failure.

At that point lockdown becomes almost a necessity because its the other other means you have left to slow things down at all.

Im hoping thats not the scenario we are walking into but even with omicron being very mild and vaccines working well if the caseload is that high thats not an extreme outcome.

Also. A lockdown won't stop this happening. It can only be used to manage case load. Its not if but when in this scenario.

"If the SA data continues to show such low hospitalisations in the healthy, the action should be shielding the vulnerable ending isolation and letting it rip"

Wouldn't be the first time this approach has been tried but that won't change the fact that it may still cause a huge amount of chaos in schools and to children's education given how transmissable it is.

@walksen

"If the SA data continues to show such low hospitalisations in the healthy, the action should be shielding the vulnerable ending isolation and letting it rip"

Wouldn't be the first time this approach has been tried but that won't change the fact that it may still cause a huge amount of chaos in schools and to children's education given how transmissable it is.

Also a dilemma for children with CEV families and children who are CEV themselves.

Feels strange reading this, as I work in a large London secondary school and there isn’t a huge problem at the moment. 8 kids with confirmed covid in the last two weeks (out of nearly 1300). 4 staff have had it this term. Attendance is pretty good overall.

@Tabbacus

Going by mumsnet its been spreading like wildfire since the start, surely all children have had it by now? In seriousness a virus being more transmissible but more mild (which appears likely to be the case with omicron) is good overall.

If Mumsnet is anything to go by though, everyone seems to catch it repeatedly.

Feels strange reading this, as I work in a large London secondary school and there isn’t a huge problem at the moment.

In my part of London it seems to have calmed down in secondary schools but is hitting the primary schools.

Wouldn't be the first time this approach has been tried but that won't change the fact that it may still cause a huge amount of chaos in schools and to children's education given how transmissable it is.

When was this approach tried?

I'm in SE London and have 2 kids in primary, one in nursery and DH is a teacher in a secondary. We have had waves, esp in Sept.

But at the moment it is quiet. Looking at the attendance figures for our primary, which get published each week in the newsletter, attendance is what it was pre-pandemic. No issues with staff absence.

Maybe it hasn't reached us yet.

If you look at the volume map the age range with the highest rates in most areas/ regions are the 5-9s. Then the 10-(what ever it is.)

5-9 aren't even doing twice weekly lft.