Some of our young people are half way through their degrees (2019/20 intake): lockdowns on repeat, light at the end of the tunnel with vaccinations (?) and the legacy of COVID-19

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Previous thread

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose is all I can say!

Kazzyhoward that's not the case here. Unless you have an offer letter, anyone self referring that to provide evidence - in my case work badge or payslip and NHS card, DH had to prove he was a member of a certain body and my friend her place of work. I guess every area is different.

DD has an offer of a place abroad next year. By the time she goes (assuming that can happen this year) chances are she'll only have had one of her vaccines which isn't ideal. I'm a bit worried the country she's going to will want her fully vaccinated.

I agree that our students don’t need “arrangements” for coming home at Easter. They need to make a judgment call with their housemates and families at home in terms of risk assessment. If there are easy testing facilities at Uni then even better. By the end of their holiday period some restrictions (in England at least) will have been lifted and we are promised pronouncements about teaching by that time too.

@cookerhood given the whole thing has been about protecting the NHS in my view it doesn’t matter if millions of people fall ill with Covid - it’s the numbers presenting at hospitals we need to control and that’s where the vaccine appears to be most effective.

In many ways I agree with you & I really, really am desparate to get back to normal. Unfortunately the simple fact is that if the virus is allowed to spread it will mutate & eventually there will be mutations that make the vaccination a waste of time - leading us back to where we started. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen before we get everyone vaccinated.

PS I agree completely about it originally being about protecting the NHS, but for a long time people thought that this virus was slow to mutate. It isn't. Hopefully it will mutate so much that it can't spread - it is a balance between mutating to avoid the vaccine & not being able to attach to the cells.
PPS anyway, the main thing is that I am keeping everything crossed that our offspring can have a normal 3rd year!

I'm sort of playing devils advocate here, I've been saying exactly what you are saying @VanCleefArpels, I suppose in a way I'm trying to anticpate what the govt might suddenly say to the students

I have always advocated the 'mixers' being vaccinated first to reduce the level of virus in circulation, and it would seem that our DC should get their first dose before term starts. That leaves a long summer where they could be spreading the virus among themselves, though quite a lot of them will already have antibodies. I'm really not sure how this will be handled, because one thing I do know is that there will be some partying on and after 21st June to make up for lost time. And not only amongst the young. Our village is rumored to be organising a whole community event for 21st June!

@Newgirls

I’ve just said this on another thread (sorry if you are on both)!

Unis will be able to buy lecture courses from anywhere at this rate. Business/IT from tech firms and US unis, drama from RADA, history from Cambridge or whatever. I’m amazed uni staff aren’t pushing to get back to campuses and get the jabs/tests etc that are needed.

Prob fine if you work at oxbridge/London unis etc but surely some unis risk losing international and domestic students if they won’t offer appealing on campus experiences ASAP.

One of DD's lectures was taken almost word for word from YouTube (reputable, Russell Grpup) as it is!

On a more positive note, I can't believe our freshers we were anxious about are nearly in their final year (assuming 3 year course). DC is already taking about masters applications.

*talking

@ExtraordinaryQuince couldn’t agree more - that’s why I really hope they get a normal third year as time is ticking on! DD’s main/only extra curricular is performance based and she’s desperate to get back in a theatre. She has been invited to consider post grad courses based on her performance so far (stealth boast ha ha) but she’s not sure. She’s not a “natural” student if that makes sense, but in the current climate I don’t think it will hurt to do an extra year and we are fortunate that the cost isn’t a hurdle.

I was chatting to a friend yesterday about the possibility that the J&J vaccine might get approved. It’s a one shot vaccine. Might work well for students who could be considered to be a bit more ‘flaky’ and might be less likely to still even be in the same location by the time their 2nd booster jab comes around.

@blametheparents I had exactly the same thought. I'm pretty sure that my DS would avoid a second jab if he had side effects after the first. I am probably going to have to drag him to the vaccination centre in the first place as he is so needle phobic.

Anyone got a DC doing a year abroad in September (assuming it goes ahead)? The country DD is going to are considering passport vaccines, but given our DC won't be fully vaccinated until after they're meant to leave, I'm wondering how that'll pan out.

@ifonly4 - I would think that our DCs would be fully vaccinated by September - or earlier if they do approve the J&J vaccine and they get that one.
My DS is not in that position. His 3rd year will be in Notts, but I hope it works out for your DD.
My friend's son has already had his year in Australia cancelled, but he was due to leave earlier than September.

I think it's much less likely you will get the same type of reaction to the second vaccine as the first though?

Yes, I can imagine a lot of students not following up on making sure they receive a second jab of the vaccine though.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 Anecdotally, the reaction is meant to be worse 2nd time if you get the Pfizer vaccine.

oh dear, we'd better keep that one to ourselves @simbobs.

Yes, worse reaction for Pfizer for the second one, but not AZ. I think giving the students one shot is a great idea (DS has had Covid so only needs a booster, anyway!)

Ds says he will have a vaccine when called. But every time I think of ds and vaccines it makes me smile...When he had his pre school vaccines at age 4 he screamed the surgery down when she did them. As we walked out through the busy waiting room with him crying he shouted out "my willie hurts" goodness knows what the people thought the nurse had done to him. I must remind him not to shout that out when he gets the covid jab 🤣

@Cookerhood Is it actually the case that they only get one jab if they have already had covid?
@icanbewhatiwant . That's a good one!!

No but in some countries they are suggesting that. I'm not convinced that the J&J vaccine is any more efficacious than the others but it seems to be developed for one shot. Either way, if DS didn't get round to getting 2 shots, or had the J&J one I suspect one would be enough if they've already had Covid.

Are there not more people, at least in UK, who have had 2nd Pfizer? And therefore we are hearing more of side effects after 2nd dose Pfizer. In my hospital we started to inject with Pfizers sec dose at the time when we only just had started injecting with first dose AS. I only know 1 person who had 2nd dose of AS (who was off for a day afterwards ).

I had 2nd dose Pfizer last week and felt dreadful until today ( achy/ flue like symptoms and splitting headache) ....not sure if it's the vaccine or a flare of my autoimmune disease ( my antibodies must be buzzing!)...anyway just glad to have received it now!
Ds flatmate has had his first vaccine at Uni in Scotland ( he has asthma) unsure what version he had but he felt rough for day or two

DS got his results for his January exams today - achieived a 1st for all four modules. He is delighted! Especially as he was saying that he would rather have 'normal' exams.
I am sure he will be out partying tonight - oh wait! Not possible! Maybe a Dominos delivery then and a few beers!

Well done @blametheparents DS! I wish I could say the same, but mine didn't have any exams. He says that he is doing quite well but still seems to be struggling to settle back into his uni flat.