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Covid

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Original poster

Multiple close contacts everyday... it's a waiting game as to when I will test positive.

25 replies

somehowsunshine · 13/01/2022 21:20

Working as a TA. Teacher went down with positive test yesterday. C19 has been working its way around the class with 5-7 children away today... more children being sent home with symptoms then some returning after their isolation ends. I take a deep breathe before entering the classroom, knowing covid is all over the place but trying to stay rational and calm. I open top windows and sanitise children when they enter and leave. I feel sorry for the kids who don't really realise it's 'among us' and not knowing they are happily spreading it round themselves. I will probably get it but I'm fully jabbed. Just really hard to get my head around. Class still merrily sitting in assembly with the rest of the school (another year group is rife with covid too). It feels like someone has said "let covid pass around everyone in the whole school, don't worry about it'. Not sure if working in a school is right for me anymore because I just keep imagining the covid germs floating around the kids when they are singing or answering a question which I know is mental.

OP posts:

Summersdreaming · 13/01/2022 22:20

How many times have you had covid so far? I've had it twice, work in a building with 120 people daily, and both times I caught it from dp who WFH

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 13/01/2022 22:22

My school had 23 staff and 100 children with covid on December and I still didn't get covid. I literally followed it about the school as I was covering classes for sick teachers. I only got covid this week.

user1471509171 · 13/01/2022 22:30

I work in a school. I've had Covid twice.

DelphiniumBlue · 13/01/2022 22:31

I've been imagining it floating around in school too, I think it's that public information film that keeps being shown that is bringing the imagery forcefully to mind.
It's certainly been effective in reminding me to keep the windows and doors open, and to handwash. I had Covid almost 2 years ago, so despite my 3 jabs suspect I'll get it again soon.
Are you particularly vulnerable?

DockOTheBay · 13/01/2022 22:32

What do you think will happen if you do get it? In all likelihood you might feel a bit grim and tired for a few days and then be fine. Enjoy another couple of days off work with no germy kids around and then go back.

Serenschintte · 13/01/2022 22:39

Do you imagine all the other germs that children commonly have ? Common cold, flu, norovirus, conjunctivitis ?
If not then maybe consider if you are overly fixated on Covid. Not surprisingly really with all the fear mongering. But also something to consider. And if not why not? They are also infectious

WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe · 13/01/2022 22:40

I work in schools, multiple close contacts, never had it and I only recently had my second vaccine.

It does sound like maybe anxiety has taken hold of you. Its sensible to be cautious but if you’re at a point where you are imagining covid floating out of the mouths of singing children it might be time to rethink.

DiscontentedWoman · 13/01/2022 22:45

Meh. We spent 18 days total with our covid positive kids. No social distancing, did our bloody best to catch it and failed miserably. It's not a forgone conclusion.

bongobingo43 · 13/01/2022 22:49

I feel sorry for the kids who don't really realise it's 'among us'

Personally I'm a bit jealous of them being blissfully unaware. What good would
It do if they knew? They'd have the option of a)staying off school, risking their education and putting their whole life on hold, or b) getting on with it

Most of the population want b) so if you're going for that option worrying/stressing won't do any good. Therefore surely it's good for young children not to be anxious about it? What good would being anxious about it actually do them?

PaddleBoardingMomma · 13/01/2022 22:55

You feel sorry for the kids who don't realise?

They are CHILDREN let them have their childhood unmarred by ridiculous anxieties, let them merrily carry on their wee lives, covid has already taken so much from so many.

DistantSkye · 13/01/2022 22:57

I'm not justifying the governments terrible attitude towards schools, but surely covid is at such a level in the community that you could catch it anywhere, work or socially? And if you're vaccinated chances are it'll be mild and the biggest inconvenience will be isolating! I'm sorry you're feeling so bad though. My DD is 6 and I feel awful that her teachers or TAs could feel so stressed and anxious being around her and her classmates

Blubells · 13/01/2022 22:58

I feel sorry for the kids who don't really realise it's 'among us'

I feel happy for them, they're young and not needing to worry about it!

MissMaple82 · 13/01/2022 23:09

God I'd hate someone like you to be around my child! Leave your job, and just stay at home!

MissMaple82 · 13/01/2022 23:12

Seriously, you need to leave, I put money on it you're unconscious behaviour will be damaging them poor kids

OldaRailer · 13/01/2022 23:43

Op you can stop fretting over "sanitising them" for a start. It's not spread that way apparently, that's been known fur a while now.
Plus we are mostly all going to be exposed to Omicron as it's so contagious. This really does seem to be the one you could catch in the supermarket.

LemonSwan · 13/01/2022 23:50

Tbh you might have already had it if you are taking LFTs and not PCRs.

I work in social care, we test regularly - daily LFTS and 2 PCRs a week. The positives are just not coming up on the LFTs (its like 1 in 5 where I work). Only coming back through the PCRs.

Turns out I have it as we speak and I had no idea.

UnbelievableAlien · 14/01/2022 00:05

OP I say this kindly and as school staff myself. I know how stressful and difficult the last 2 years have been, especially in education. I presume you’ve worked in school throughout the pandemic and not suddenly taken on the role? I don’t understand why you are suddenly more anxious when you now have the benefit of vaccination and the current strain is known to be milder. Do you fret over all illnesses that go through schools like this?
If you are particularly vulnerable then maybe it’s not the right environment for you but otherwise we need to get on and educate our children and give them a life.

Madmog · 14/01/2022 08:01

It provides isn't just getting Covid Op is concerned about - it's all that it entails. Isolating, risk of passing it to loved ones, possibly having to cancel important)looked forward to events. Also, the fact she knows she's been in contact with a number of cases and possibly others and it feels like it's all around..

No one can predict who will get it. We had two classes with large case numbers. One class was down to nine children, teaching staff didn't catch Covid. Eleven off in another class and one TA caught.

You say you've got to windows, are there any other windows/doors that open. When we had a high outbreak before Xmas, literally every door and window was open. We still have a lot of ventilation and children can wear coats and hats. Also, it's accepted staff and children can masks if they wish.

bongobingo43 · 14/01/2022 08:15

@Madmog I totally understand OP being worried for all the reasons you've listed.
Nobody is saying she doesn't have the right to worry about herself.

The part of her post that a lot of us have responded is the bit where she's said she feels sorry for the children who don't realise and are happy.

All we're saying is that if everything that can be done is being done, why would you not want them to be oblivious, carefree snd happy. How would them being anxious about it improve anything?

Cookiecrisps · 14/01/2022 08:41

I understand how you feel OP. It is hard but I found the best thing was just to try and let the worries go and just face whatever happens that day. Take things day by day.

I think what makes it hard working in a classroom during an outbreak is that you can see the cases creeping up in the room daily and there is nothing really that you can / are allowed to do to mitigate the spread and you can also see that things you have been told to do actively encourage spread to others (e.g. when half of my class was off in an outbreak before Christmas, I was still told to teach other classes to cover PPA, not allowed to wear a mask in the classroom, have face to face meetings with big groups of colleagues etc.)

Santaslittlemelter · 14/01/2022 08:47

Your problem OP is anxiety. Not covid.

The kids and you don't have anything more to worry about than you do any winter in reality. You've just had a number done on your way of thinking about it.

TheKeatingFive · 14/01/2022 08:54

Just really hard to get my head around.

Really? What aspect?

It's a virus. Spreading is what it does. Now with vaccines we have excellent protection from serious disease, which is lucky because short of living very constrained lives we aren't going to be able to avoid getting it.

Inastatus · 14/01/2022 08:57

It’s rife everywhere though! Out of my large friendship group the only person who hasn’t (knowingly) had it is a TA working in an infants school! My family caught covid in the last week of the summer holidays. DH, DS and I all had it but my DD didn’t get it. It’s all very random - no point in stressing about it.

Blubells · 14/01/2022 09:14

Not sure if working in a school is right for me anymore because I just keep imagining the covid germs floating around the kids when they are singing or answering a question

Not just covid germs but lots of other germs too, actually. We don't live in a sterile environment!

Xiaoxiong · 14/01/2022 10:22

DH is a teacher and we live in his workplace, with students - barely any of the teachers have had covid even though it's run through the students like wildfire. Whereas I WFH with most of my colleagues in London also WFH, and all of them have had covid. I'm the only one who hasn't!

It does make me wonder if the regular colds that teachers get in normal years have conferred some kind of protective factor (I read an article about this the other day). I can't explain why barely any of the teachers have caught it, given the regular occurrence of entire year groups getting infected. And we all live here so there's no escaping either, I sat at a dinner last October with 12 pupils and DH, every single one of them tested positive over the following week, DH and I were fine. It's very mysterious.

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