How will we know if our kids have it from April?

[Kage30]

Cases rising in kids school again. Been told to pcr test if any symptoms. But what about form April when pcr testing is ending? Only 11 whole days away?!

I know we still have access to lft's - that you will have to pay for. I have a couple boxes left but won't last forever. Many parents including myself cannot afford to buy multiple lft tests.

Also , lft's aren't always accurate right? So if your kid has symptoms and you get a negative lft doesn't mean that they don't actually have it, could be just too soon to tell? But as above many won't be able to afford to buy multiple lft's.

I mean if your kid is visibly ill with say a fever, bad cough or fatigue etc - keep them off until better. But what about when a child just has mild sniffles? But totally fine in themselves? Paying for an lft each time?!

Thankfully mine aren't ill that often so hopefully won't affect us. But Dd has all year round allergies, usually mild and kept under confirm with antihistamines but if it gets bad for whatever reason she often develops a cough that I've had to test her for to get back to school as her cough has been bad. But I won't be able to afford an lft each time!!

She'd had covid twice and had minimal symptoms each time. Picked up as was testing due to close contact to covid, I wouldn't have known if I didn't test her.

@DragonOverTheMoon

I'm concerned because of the higher risk of heart problems when having boosters within 12 weeks of positive case. I won't be having any more vaccines and neither will my dc.

This is really interesting. I hadn’t heard this but have had heart problems after my second jab although nothing diagnosed, and have continued to have chest pains now 7 months post jab but doctors won’t acknowledge any problem or link. I refused to have booster because of this but felt like it was just me/in my head as have been fobbed off so many times. Had said second jab 28 days after testing positive as per NHS advice… Off to Google now…

@Excited85 it is 12 weeks for u.18s. Maybe it should have been the same for adults 🤷‍♀️ I feel worried about this as I don't want my dc to have complications from covid and I don't want them to have complications from the booster because of maybe catching covid without knowing.

Tbh I’m wondering this too, like where I live we have run out of teachers and supply teachers, because teachers are sick. Adults seem to be getting it and still to poorly to work. Now it’s great less people are dying but I suppose looking after 30 odd children poorly is pretty difficult. Also plenty have caught it 6 weeks between the last. Tbh it’s still effecting our kids education even if they now can go in (at the moment asked to stay off until a negative lft on day 5.
I wonder if schools could be given lfts to hand out maybe. 2 tests in a pack, on to see if a child is positive and one as a fat 5 test.

Staff are typically too ill to be in school for at least 7 days.

Really? If they're vaccinated then that seems very unlucky! And probably not representative of an average teacher.

@Lilaclavenders all teachers I know who have had COVID recently have been ill and would need to have been off sick not just because they have to isolate

@Lilaclavenders

Staff are typically too ill to be in school for at least 7 days.

Really? If they're vaccinated then that seems very unlucky! And probably not representative of an average teacher.

Viral load - and the sheer physicality of the job. If I can’t stand and perform in front of the class for 6 hours, I’m not able to do my job.

I would say 7 days is typical of the teachers I know - a few less, a few much more - with the most recent variant. Vaccinations are waning for most, remember.

Vaccinations don't stop you getting it. I work in a school and have had Covid twice. Both times needed to be at home. Felt fine at home but within 2 days of being back in a freezing (all windows and doors open) classroom felt terrible again. Fit, healthy no health conditions. Have students I work closely with Covid positive almost daily since November last year.

they will be missing a teacher fir 1-2 weeks every half term

Plus a week off if they’re ill as well.

@oatmilk4breakfast

ECV families are being thrown under a bus here. At the moment covid is still really dangerous for them. But from April, that’s it, no/one will know

This. Quite apart from the devastating effect unchecked Covid will have on all children’s education, I can’t believe that people are so uncaring about children who are vulnerable.

@Lilaclavenders

Why do you need to know? If she's well enough for school, send her. If she's poorly, keep her home.

This!

Remember how it was in 2019?

If your child feels ill, keep them at home in bed. If they feel well enough, send them to school!

Not all keep unwell children off school though ... shove em in regardless with no fucks given ...

@toomuchlaundry

One symptom of this new variant seems to be diarrhoea. I wonder how many parents will send their children in even with this symptom, as they are not feeling too bad

Even pre Covid you were meant to stay home till 48 hours after diarrhoea

@Teateaandmoretea

Wowzers. Schools are going to be heaving with covid at this rate.

No, it will just peak then go down like anything else. The testing is keeping it going.

idiotic statement... testing is keeping it going.

This. Quite apart from the devastating effect unchecked Covid will have on all children’s education, I can’t believe that people are so uncaring about children who are vulnerable

I’ve written to my MP about this and waiting for her response.

I’ve also asked her to clarify whether her government thinks it is acceptable for us to put our children at increased complications from the covid jab by not having access to free testing.

This isn’t living “with” covid, it’s living in ignorance of covid and is disgraceful.

@Delatron

Why would you be more cautious?

It was pretty frustrating having an asymptomatic child sat at home for 10 days last Nov. Who didn’t pass it on to the rest of his family.
They’ve missed enough education.

I haven’t tested mine for ages.

If they are ill to be at home they will be if they are well enough to go to school they will.

DS1 is 13 he has not had a day off sick from school ever. It’s not good to keep healthy children at home if they are well.

Ha... so in other words, your 13 year old has always been sent to school when unwell and subsequently passed it all on to the other children in school and their families, whilst you proudly wave the 13 years in a row one hundred percent attendance certificate.

No @Whattodoniw he hasn’t been ill. Why would I keep a healthy child at home? Are you mad? He is never ill. He has never thrown up. He must just have a very good immune system.

I tested him when required to for school then stopped. He has not, as far as I am aware had Covid. Sorry I don’t believe in carrying on testing well children. What part don’t you agree with?

I’ve never sent him to school unwell so stop making assumptions.

Interesting this new wave /variant seems to make teachers so ill they cannot go to work, yet everyone I know who is not teacher who has caught covid in last month has described it as a minor illness and have been back at work after day or so

I keep seeing online (MN and FB) about this new wave not being bad ect. But then I see the news about how full the hospitals are and they're overwhelmed. I don't know what to believe.

@Theredjellybean

Interesting this new wave /variant seems to make teachers so ill they cannot go to work, yet everyone I know who is not teacher who has caught covid in last month has described it as a minor illness and have been back at work after day or so

I wonder whether it is that teachers - particularly primary teachers - are working with a large number of the unvaccinated, in very close quarters, and those unvaccinated children are giving off high virus amounts?

So many of the general population are vaccinated now that the 'true measure' of the current variant will only be seen in largely unvaccinated populations like young children, and through them, the effect on those who work with them? It's interesting that omicron has been less mild in e.g. China, where there are many fewer vaccinated?

I remember how it was in 2019, and we would of kept DC away from GPS for a few days, however with normal flu or cold it wouldn’t have as much higher chance of killing them off or even passing it on.

Covid is very is much more infectious than normal flu or colds, we all had it last month I am still dealing from the effects. My friend (didn’t catch it off me) got it a week later and was blue lighted to hospital with pneumonia and Lindsey damage - she is 29 and a picture of health.

The GPs are scared of catching it and now don’t leave the house, we are their only living relatives, so really trying to avoid any infection

@Theredjellybean I’m south east and honestly everyone I know has been poorly. Worse than flue. 5-8 days to feel better even the children. I actually wonder if there is a new variant here. Kids seem to be being sick with it…
Or maybe the vaccines wearing out. I honestly know no one since Jan that hasn’t been poorly with it.

@Delatron

No *@Whattodoniw* he hasn’t been ill. Why would I keep a healthy child at home? Are you mad? He is never ill. He has never thrown up. He must just have a very good immune system.

I tested him when required to for school then stopped. He has not, as far as I am aware had Covid. Sorry I don’t believe in carrying on testing well children. What part don’t you agree with?

I’ve never sent him to school unwell so stop making assumptions.

😁😁😁

@Theredjellybean

Interesting this new wave /variant seems to make teachers so ill they cannot go to work, yet everyone I know who is not teacher who has caught covid in last month has described it as a minor illness and have been back at work after day or so

Both DH and I caught it last month. We were both in bed for a week (not teachers!). I have known DH for over 30 years and in all that time I have never known him have more than 1-2 days off sick. Five weeks on and neither of us are completely over it. Still coughing a lot, and utterly exhausted.

You don’t need to know. That’s the point. If you’re poorly stay at home. If not go to school.

Remember 2 years ago? It’s coming back thank god!

@lookforthesun

You don’t need to know. That’s the point. If you’re poorly stay at home. If not go to school.

Remember 2 years ago? It’s coming back thank god!

Two years ago we didn’t have covid.

And you do need to know because there’s an increased risk of myocarditis in children if they have covid too close to their vaccine.

So I’d like to fucking know, thanks.

@lookforthesun 2 years ago pre-COVID I don't remember Secondary schools having to close down year groups due to lack of staff. DS never had to spend 2 weeks at home doing remote provision because of so many staff/pupils being ill.