My school wants to know tomorrow if my RC is going back 1st June

[ShutUpaYourFace]

I'm torn. My head says send him back, heart says not yet.
I was going to wait until nearer the time to make my decision but the school needs to know numbers which is fair enough.
I know the virus is with us for the long haul.
I know the school will implement the guidelines where possible. I know my child needs to go back, but my child is 4 he's ok at home. He will be mixing with 15 other children plus staff that's 17 plus different households. It won't be like normal, he was often tearful going, I wonder if sending him will be more harmful, he maybe with a different teacher, not with his usual friends.
I already work and have worked through except when my ds had a nasty chest infection going into lockdown so I had to isolate with him. Partner is furloughed not for childcare reasons. He delivers booze to pubs/bars so no chance of him returning until bars and restaurants re-open. So I'm thinking to leave ds with dp until mid June to see how things pan out.
I think writing this I have made my decision but interested to know WWYD?

Denmark's population is about 10 times smaller than ours. 5.8 million. Any numbers should really be deaths or cases per million to compare properly.

norestformrz The potential impact on children is extremely low . All experts are saying that

hellomist agree it should be looked like that but they have been back and the systems are working as transmissions within schools are non existent. Again, looking at it on a localised level may make sense. Eg London, where transmission is very low

The potential impact on children is extremely low . All experts are saying that

If all children went to school by themselves, and lived by themselves, the risk for the children would, of course, be a sensible thing to talk about.

As i spelled out in detail above, children live in households, with parents who work in e.g. care homes or hospitals or other schools and who care for elderly and vulnerable relatives or friends. Teachers also live in households, and care for vulnerable relatives.

The question about schools returning is therefore NOT about direct risk to children. It is the direct risk to adults in the schools, and indirect risk to adults in the community, via lack of distancing within schools, that should be the primary concern.

"The potential impact on children is extremely low . All experts are saying that" no they aren't that's the point ...the governments own expert has said we don't know.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/15/bma-backs-teaching-unions-in-opposing-reopening-of-schoolsls*^

"Dr Nagpaul said that the BMA’s Public Health Medicine Committee (PHMC) 'has considered the evidence available on the reopening of schools and has found it to be thus far conflicting'."
"And he added that the 'view of the members of the PHMC is completely aligned with the NEU that, until we have got case numbers much lower, we should not consider reopening schools'."

cantkeepawayforever. I mention that as that (the minimal potential impact on children) is the concern amongst many on here.

In term of other adults, temp checking, testing and distancing (teachers and parents) need to be put in place. Other people also have contact with grandparents (although they certainly should not be having contact in a way that put them in danger whether they are working in a school, or not) and vulnerable people and are working . Teachers with vulnerable people in the household would not be obliged to work if safety measures were deemed inadequate, no?

norestformrz. Look at other papers - they are saying different things. Have you watched the interview from the WHO chief scientist?

I wish all people understood that @cantkeepawayforever. Because I keep seeing posts (here and on Facebook) implying parents are literally wishing death on their children if they plan to send them to school.

I agree. As a society there needs to be a debate about how and when children go back to school. But the posts implying children are going to die if they go back to school are ridiculous.

The one telling clinicians to be aware that there is a growing concern that a SARS-CoV-2 related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children"

Yes but statistically these cases are rare.

Children are at a small risk of dying from all kinds of things. We can't just stop everything for ever. I have watched my son fight for his life several times in his young life. He still deserves to live his life.

Paediatric Intensive Care Society
27 April 2020
PICS Statement: Increased number of reported cases of novel presentation of multi- system inflammatory disease
Please note this is a statement intended for medical professionals who look after critically ill children.
If you are a parent, please be assured that serious illness as a result of COVID-19 still appears to be a very rare event in children. If your child is unwell or has the symptoms of sepsis, then please seek medical attention in the usual way as set out in guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020- 04/covid19adviceforparentswhenchildunwellorinjured_poster.pdf
Over the weekend, PICS members received an email alert from NHS England highlighting a small rise in the number of cases of critically ill children presenting with an unusual clinical picture. Many of these children had tested positive for COVID-19, while some had not. The alert indicated “the cases have in common overlapping features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki disease with blood parameters consistent with severe COVID-19 in children. Abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms have been a common feature as has cardiac inflammation”.
It is important to highlight that, both in the UK and in other countries, there have still been very few cases of critically unwell children with COVID-19 admitted to paediatric intensive care units. However, an early case report relating to COVID-19 presenting as Kawasaki syndrome has been published recently [1], and PICS is aware of a small number of children nationally who appear to fit the clinical picture described in the NHS England alert.
What does this mean in practice? If you are a healthcare professional and see children presenting with a picture of toxic shock or atypical Kawasaki Disease then please discuss this case early with paediatric infectious disease or paediatric critical care teams via your usual pathways (often paediatric retrieval services).
What are “blood parameters consistent with severe COVID-19”? Whilst it is too early to say with confidence, features appear to include high CRP, high ESR and high ferritin. In adults with COVID-19 disease, hyperinflammation or cytokine storm syndrome, as well as macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) have been described [2].
What is “cardiac inflammation”? Children are presenting with a picture of myocarditis with raised troponin and proBNP. Some have an appearance of their coronary arteries in keeping with Kawasaki Disease.
PICS will continue to work with PICAnet and other national organisations to collect
1

accurate data relating to critically ill children presenting to hospital with suspected covid-19 disease.

1. Jones VG, Mills M, Suarez D, et al. COVID-19 and Kawasaki disease: novel virus and novel case. Hosp Pediatr. 2020; doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-0123
2. Mehta P, McAuley DF, Brown M, et al. COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression. Lancet 2020 Mar 28;395(10229): 1033-1034. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30628-0.

So because it's rare it means your child won't be unlucky?

On the contrary. My child is in a higher risk group. But j already live with the fact that they could die because they have anaphylaxis and asthma. And my view is that life is for living and sensible precautions are fine but hiding away for ever when they are more likely to die in a road accident or from eating a piece of cake seems irrational

Ours need to know tomorrow too. I have said yes but will change my mind if the numbers start increasing again.

Except they aren't more likely to die in a road accident and I'm sure you avoid risk with food but not with Covid

Or we could look here

www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/covid-19-talking-children-families-about-returning-school-guiding-principles

@Norestformrz so presumably it would also be proportionate for me to insist that all milk, egg, and fresh fruits are banned from my childrens school in order to keep them safe. Because it seems like we now are only allowed to send our children to school if there is zero risk of them dying?

And statisticalky yes they are far more likely to die in a road accident. So let's judge any parents that let their children travel by car too.

"Social distancing may mean children have to sit at desks 'in a way which might seem rather more traditional', says former education secretary"

You'd be perfectly within your rights to insist that your child isn't exposed to milk, eggs and fresh fruit if they are life threatening. Many schools have bans on nuts etc.

Really. I shall ask the school to ban all those foods then. See how that goes down.

It is an irony that my son is only mildly allergic to nuts but lethally allergic to milk and egg and fruit but I expect very few parents would tolerate a ban on those foods. Indeed there are teachers on here saying they won't even administer an EpiPen now because it would break social distancing guidance. So let's have a balanced look at all risks rather than pretending risk has never existed before

my son is only mildly allergic to nuts but lethally allergic to milk and egg and fruit but I expect very few parents would tolerate a ban on those foods

We have done this in the past - made arrangements that did affect the food eaten by some others in the class (as well as cleaning and supervision arrangements) because of a child with a life-threatening allergy to something other than nuts.

All parents involved were entirely supportive.

Schools where I've taught and those my children attended made adjustments when children had a life threatening allergy

Adjustments yes. But no one can make the risk zero unless they ban children from eating the allergens before they come into school and ban them entirely from the premises.

Obviously school have no control over what children eat at home just as you have no control over what children your child meets in the park have eaten