Related: Coronavirus forum, discuss everything related to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
Related: Coronavirus forum, discuss everything related to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
Lockdown learning
Why don’t they vaccinate all teachers as a priority?
Emmie12345 · 19/01/2021 08:20
Start now so the kids can go back to school ASAP?
OverTheRubicon · 19/01/2021 08:23
Because a healthy 25 year old teacher is at a tiny risk - even if schools reopen - compared with a 70 year old with comorbidities, or come to that, a healthy 63 year old, or a 40 year old supermarket worker with severe asthma. There aren't enough vaccines yet for them all.
I want my children back in school too, and I want teachers to be safe, but not if it risks far more avoidable deaths and NHS overwhelm with other people more likely to get ill.
GCAcademic · 19/01/2021 08:24
Because it's not just about the teachers. Have you not seen the threads on here from people who have Covid or family members in hospital because their kids have brought it home from school? There's a poor MNer who has just been told by doctors that her husband has only a slim chance of survival. Her teenager caught the virus at school.
Emmie12345 · 19/01/2021 08:24
Ok , then modify it to vax all higher risk teachers alongside current programme
Avidreader12 · 19/01/2021 08:36
I think teachers will end up being offered vaccinations in phase 2. They prioritising the health care workers older people and ones with underlying health problems first.
SavoyCabbage · 19/01/2021 08:38
Because then they would have to admit that children are carriers and that people who work in schools are at risk. And because then people would say the police and supermarket workers should be done at the same time.
They have already widened the second priority group to include all vulnerable people as well as 70-80 year olds so including people who work in schools would push that back even more.
My schools bubble burst last night. We should have had 160 key worker and vulnerable children today but we have had to completely close because we don't have enough staff.
Ffsnosexallowed · 19/01/2021 08:39
Because priority at the moment is those who are clinically most vulnerable.
PammieDooveOrangeJoof · 19/01/2021 08:40
I think they’ve already said they will put them in priority group in phase 2 along with police etc.
rosie1959 · 19/01/2021 08:42
Have more teachers died or been admitted to hospital in relation to other sections of society
barofsoap · 19/01/2021 08:44
they can get in the queue with all the rest of the "public facing workers" - police / healthcare / shop workers etc etc -the problem with all roles is everyone sees that theirs is the most high priority and to them it is.
TA in this household has decided he'll give the vaccine a miss ... at least until we have many, many more months data on it
Chicchicchicchiclana · 19/01/2021 08:45
I think there are about 20 threads on this subject already OP.
Emmie12345 · 19/01/2021 08:45
@PammieDooveOrangeJoof
Oh right didn’t know that ...
lavenderlou · 19/01/2021 08:47
The narrative that schools are closed to protect teachers is getting extremely frustrating.
The government DO NOT give a shiny shite about the health of teachers, other than that it is inconvenient if enough staff get sick that it affects the ability of schools to operate.
The reason schools were closed is because they were driving transmission in the community, pushing up the infection rate to levels where hospitals could not cope with the number of admissions.
School closure is part of ongoing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, not to protect teachers or school staff.
AlternativePerspective · 19/01/2021 08:49
If teachers fall into specific risk groups then those teachers will be vaccinated according to the normal schedule.
I didn’t see Matt Hancock say that teachers were going to be added to priority2 yesterday, quite the opposite.
And tbh I wish to fuck people would stop harping on about this now.
Angel2702 · 19/01/2021 08:51
Because they still haven’t had time to study the effect vaccination has on transmission. If it stops or significantly lowers transmission then they will be top of priority for phase 2. If it doesn’t stop transmission there is little point prioritising groups that are low risk for hospital admissions. This is why phase 2 hasn’t been decided yet.
Emmie12345 · 19/01/2021 08:56
@Angel2702
Ahhhhh makes sense x
canigooutyet · 19/01/2021 09:05
It’s been widely discussed including the news, the vaccine might not prevent transmission. If it doesn’t then what would be the point of them getting vaccinated?
Regardless of the government decision, many schools were already closed due to lack of staff.
movingonup20 · 19/01/2021 09:12
Because a healthy 30 year old teacher is at a lower risk of hospitalisation than a 65 year old. The programme is about prevention of serious illness and death currently. Once the under 60's programme rolls out they may be prioritised along with shop workers, food supply chain (this group probably needs to be number one in fact), remaining emergency services, public facing roles at the council, funeral service providers and religious organisations that provide support (I'm still going into people's homes and have done throughout), retail etc. Teachers are far from the only people going to work. We don't know enough about how much the vaccine prevents transmission so cannot risk schools returning anyway
Pumpertrumper · 19/01/2021 09:14
I think there is an element of opening the flood gates.
The NHS and carers, people kind of turn a blind eye to because we know they are treating covid patients daily it’s not a ‘you might come into contact with’ it’s a ‘you will be coming into contact with’.
I was in a large supermarket yesterday and overheard 3 staff members literally having a ‘well if they vaccinate teachers they better vaccinate us too. I’m not being funny but they’re only exposed to a set amount of kids. We are exposed to thousands of strangers every week.’
I can see their point.
But then I can see how delivery drivers and pretty much every other ‘key worker’ title job that can’t be done from home would suddenly feel equally entitled.
Yes you can argue ‘but we need to get the kids back into school’ but not everyone has kids or kids in school and to them if they are key workers risking their lives daily coming into contact with people why should a teacher get it before them?
AllTheWayFromLondonDAMN · 19/01/2021 09:15
Call me cynical but.... Teachers aren’t priority because the majority of them won’t ever vote Tory.
movingonup20 · 19/01/2021 09:16
@Emmie12345
All higher risk teachers are part of the current roll out, group 6 are those who are clinically vulnerable and all over 50's are to be vaccinated ASAP.
bravefox · 19/01/2021 09:19
A good target would be all teachers by April 1st so Summer Term can go ahead with confidence.
At current rate you could vaccinate all UK school staff (roughly 1 million people) in just 3 days.
barofsoap · 19/01/2021 09:25
@Angel2702
this is the key - if it stops transmission then the whole programme will look very different and definitely worth shifting down the age ranges (it isn't at the moment)
comes down to if vaccine protects the individual (which this does) or the population (which we don't know but seriously hope it does)
Jelly4444 · 19/01/2021 09:27
We can't open schools when the teachers are vaccinated. So the teachers aren't a priority because the kids can carry and spread covid. The idea that schools are a safe place is rubbish. We all know it!
00100001 · 19/01/2021 09:29
@AllTheWayFromLondonDAMN
What nonsense.
The programme is being rolled out on medical need...not because teachers are stamping their feet.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.