Still no air filters in schools?

[wondersun]

Is anyone else really hacked off that there are still no air filters in schools??

The kids don’t spread it / don’t get sick from covid nonsense narrative has been replaced with cases are low due to school holidays (so much nicer when covid knew to wait at the school gates!) but the government are still refusing to do something so simple which could make schools safer.

Its like they don’t want to admit it’s worth avoiding repeat covid infections so therefore have to do nothing to stop/slow the thread and risk inevitable questions.

Even if it just slows it - every covid infection is a roll of long covid etc risks - why do they seem so keen to spread it round asap.

Weird isn’t it. I think some people are full to capacity with what they can think of - get that, this government are the worst. There also seems to be a big push on social media to minimise and discredit anyone who is trying to raise awareness of what the scientists are saying and what’s happening in other countries.

Teacher here. There's no money so of course we're not getting air filters. To be honest, it doesn't bother me at all. Would prefer they spent the money on more support staff.

I bought my own air filter and actually need to change the filter when I go back. I can't be sure it has made a difference but it can't hurt.

I’d rather be able to afford glue sticks

But the kids who are off on a rolling programme of 2 x two week cycles during outbreaks won’t need glue sticks.

No, no, no. The lockdown fanatics have caused enough damage to education, health, society and the economy as it is.They are responsible for the economic crisis heading our way.

There is no money left for people to heat their homes thanks to them. The last place any available funding should be going is comfort blankets to placate the likes of independent sage.

Im delighted about normality in school returning.

Like fuck it has. Normality isn't what we had in January when so many teachers were off that kids had to be supervised in the hall or year groups closed. Nor was it normal at the start of July when nearly 20% of kids were absent, coinciding with another covid wave.

School attendance is nowhere near normal.

During outbreaks? Nobody is going to be testing. I can well believe there'll be schools shutting this winter, but not because of covid.

It doesn’t matter whether testing is happening or not - children and adults will be ill. Other adults and children will catch it. There will be lots of absences. These are facts.

I swear it’s like living in an alternate universe sometimes.

There is a benefit to the immune system when a child gets a disease and acquires lasting immunity that will protect them in old age when their immune system is weaker. But there is absolutely zero benefits in getting a disease like Covid which actually weakens the immune system and damages other systems in the body.

As far as the immune system goes. We know that anyone can get long Covid, regardless of age and health profile, and the chances of getting long Covid is compounded with each reinfection, like each spin on the barrel playing Russian Roulette. Long Covid is the chronic activation of the immune system, which leads to autoimmunity.

This British Medical Journal study from 2022 discusses the heart problems that Covid causes: “Those who had had covid-19 had a 72% increased risk of heart failure, 63% increased risk of heart attack, and 52% increased risk of stroke compared with controls.

The researchers wrote that the increased risks “were evident regardless of age, race, sex, and other cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and hyperlipidemia; they were also evident in people without any cardiovascular disease before exposure to Covid-19, providing evidence that these risks might manifest even in people at low risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Ignoring the risk for our children's future health is not getting back to normal. It is possible to mitigate these risks and support all of our children's needs, but we can't do this if we pretend the risks do not exist for them and our families.

@LockAqua I think there are a few other reasons why there is an economic crisis, I'm not convinced life would be rosy now if we had not had lockdowns

Kids (and adults) are off despite no testing because they are unwell.

Same here. The first time it was everyone (bar 2) from the class within a 2 week period which also caused the last two to get ill to miss our residential. The layered dropping of the second outbreak was worse though: I had over a half-term without a single day with every child in class.

Yes, my experience exactly. Who are these teachers who don’t give a monkey’s about that kind of teaching time lost? Weird.

There was lots of 'cover' in our school - TAs covering classes, supply teachers, even medical officer - one TA lost most of the term and don't know if she's back yet. Breakfast club also had to be cancelled for the term. It's a shit normal. Lots of missed learning, with schools doing what they can against the odds. It seems beyond insane to me that those who shout phrases like 'lockdown lovers' the loudest seem the most against any measures that may help keep schools open in a more sustainable way. Surely less covid is better for education, economy, health?

Baffled as to why lockdown has even been brought up and have duly noted who has done so. We’re talking air filters, people. Keep up!

Sorry, a PP mentioned it, but I've seen it happen on lots of posts. It does baffle me too how addressing air quality equals lockdown. It's a bit like saying addressing NHS bed capacity / increasing staffing / addressing social care would equal more cancelled operations.

Totally agree! I don’t mean you 😊

Alt this point, it would be a complete waste of money. We don’t need them.

Yes, we can totally cope with rolling absences at least twice in the year. Has no impact whatsoever. 🙄🙄🙄

Why don't we need them?

I have to say I'm a bit concerned that we had such utter chaos in schools last year, particularly in January, when both staff and students were very recently vaccinated.

If vaccines lessen the severity of covid and we are now headed into autumn and winter with kids and the majority of school staff having the effects of their vaccines largely worn off, how will that impact absence?

We had air purifiers put into our classrooms, and they made no difference at all to the air quality, according the to the monitors which were fitted.

That's because air purifiers (usually) don't remove CO2, which is what the monitors will be measuring.

It’s funny how people who are trying to think of ways to keep as many pupils/staff in schools as much as possible are called lockdown fanatics, surely they are the exact opposite