Do you have questions about Covid-19 and return to school testing? Ask Dr Amir Khan

[GraceEMumsnet]

Created for the Government

Parents of secondary school and college students are being asked to remind their children to do a COVID-19 test before returning to the classroom, to help reduce the spread of the virus. Dr Amir Khan is here to answer your questions.

• Everyone who shares a question below by 30 December will be eligible for a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 Amazon voucher
• Dr Amir Khan will be back online to answer a selection of your questions.

About Dr Amir Khan:

“Dr Amir Khan is an NHS Doctor, GP, and best-selling author. Dr Amir is a frequent face on ‘Good Morning Britain’ and ‘Lorraine’.”

Here’s what the Government has to say:

“Following the Christmas break children will be heading back to school - but we really want to help keep Covid-19 out of the classroom. The Omicron variant is highly infectious and continuing to spread fast, which means we need to do more to help stop the spread. So, parents of secondary and college aged students are being asked to remind their children to take a rapid lateral flow test before they come back to the classroom after the Christmas holidays. If your child is at secondary school, they will be asked to do a test at school and then continue testing at home. If your child is at college they should continue to test at home and register results online. You may be feeling unsure about why testing is important, where to get your tests from or how to ensure your children are keeping themselves and their friends safe. So, this week GP Dr Amir Khan will be here on Mumsnet answering any questions you have about children's return to school after the holidays."

Please note that Dr Amir will not be able to respond to questions asking for specific or personal medical advice. If you are worried about a personal health issue, please contact your GP.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Mumsnet Insight T&Cs apply

Why did the government leave it so late to vaccinate children, and how many more positive tests will there be in schools as a result?

Given no one is checking whether tests are actuy being done, how can we rely on home testing?

How often should primary school age children be testing once term starts back again?

Do you think a co2 monitor and a couple of open windows are sufficient to stop the spread of covid in schools?

1 co2 monitor per 10 classrooms or so Theimpossiblegirl. I've never seen one yet and I teach in 4 classrooms this year.

I am a primary school teacher who, a couple of weeks ago, caught covid in the classroom (5 children in my class tested positive) despite ventilation with many windows open - this was before the widespread worry about Omicron (or just as it was beginning to filter through) and I was quite ill despite two jabs (just before I was due booster!) and no pre-existing health conditions. I’m 33. My question is: how can we keep primary classrooms safe (given the different protocol for 5-11 year olds) and should I be lateral flowing (I was told not to for 90 days post positive PCR)? I want to keep my classroom covid-free and be as responsible a teacher to these young children as possible. Thank you :)

Hi Dr Khan, and thank you for not mincing your words on social media.

I’m really interested in what you think is least worst: the mental health and potential safeguarding, learning, attainment calamity caused by closing schools vs the fact that schools are now just covid soup for anyone studying or working in them, and the risk that brings to the wider community. I’ve been struggling with this (as someone who can get very emotional just thinking about the hell of lockdown)..

Hi to Mama Khan :)

I have three questions, but first, thank you for caring about the issues in schools and speaking out.

1. Is it within the guidelines for an (independent) school to ask pupils to test at home instead of doing it in school. I'm a bit worried that this will reduce adherence.

1. Primaries. OMG. Help. What on earth?

1. What data is there about the risk of omicron infection within a month of delta infection. My primary school age daughter has just been really poorly with delta - nothing like a cold, really frightening. I think I may need to keep her at home instead of sending into school to get omicron - she'll just be at the time when she is at risk of MIS-C and I am worried the risk of long covid will increase if she is infected twice within weeks.

Yes primaries are what influenced my question.
We had a class that eventually closed after all staff plus supply ( yes lucky to get them) all tested positive for covid. But children were advised to test and they were all in school when we got numerous parents ringing up saying they had received a positive result for their dc. All of these children were in school it’s madness.

What will be done to encourage home testing in areas with poor uptake?

I've heard the new nasal swab lateral flows are more accurate than the old tonsil and nasal ones but how so? Both of my kids have (separately) tested positive on the old lateral flows in the past without symptoms and were then confirmed covid positive by PCR so I personally have great trust in the old style ones. Should I have faith in the flexflow kits too?

I personally have no idea what the purpose is. If my dsdid a test at school he does it himself, if at home he does it himself. Him performing the test is more important than the location. It seems to me more a pr exercise.

Do you think saliva tests will be brought in any time soon? These would likely be much easier for those children who struggle with swabs.

Thank you for speaking out about the issues in schools. I have a few questions.

1. What sort of uptake does in school testing have?
2. Do you think there might be better uptake of testing if parents were actually being informed of covid cases in their children's schools? We haven't been informed of any in a 1200 pupil school since July 2021 - but I know there have been cases.
3. What other measures should schools be taking in order to keep our children safe? As optional testing on its own - although welcome - is not enough to safeguard my child from omicron.

Hi Dr Amir, I loved listening to your audio version of 'The Doctor will see you now.'

50 year old Primary teacher here. Do you think schools should return to face to face teaching in bubbles in January or go back online?

I have not had a single child off with Covid all term and attendance has been 95%+. I am desperate not to go back to online teaching. Socially and emotionally the children need to be in school, but for the health of the nation should they stay at home?

What is your opinion on the wearing of masks in school for primary and secondary school children, and their teachers?

Do you think schools will reopen as normal after the Christmas break? Do you think they should? Omicron has spread like wildfire in my area - about 30% of kids and 20% of teachers were off in the last weeks of last term. Secondary schools mostly now have good systems in place for remote learning (used up til now for well but self-isolating kids). Wouldn't it be better to use those systems and reopen schools more slowly in response to the local situation in any given area (e.g. at the local authority's discretion)?

Do you agree with only vulnerable children being offered the vaccine in the 5-11 age group? As a parent of a year 6 child who does out of school activities with children in year 7 and 8 it seems a bit odd they are all able to be vaccinated if they choose to be whilst year 6 children (and younger) are regularly mixing with them and can't.

My children have lost god knows how many days of education in the last year or more yet their school has decided to let them miss another day so they can all come in for testing! Why are the schools involved in this when we’ve been doing this at home for the last year? Schools are for learning as a pp said it’s like a pr stunt!

Is there any evidence to show how masks are worn by secondary school pupils is effective at all?

I think, anybody who is interested in COVID-19 should also see My Today's Post at Dr. John Campbell's Talk !
.

How soon after previously testing positive for C-19 should you resume regular lateral flow testing please?

I have asked and googled but can't find a clear answer.

I am a bit confused. DD is 16 (Year 11). She should have had her first jab before the October half-term but the school/local CCG seemed to have made an error and a lot of the cohort didn't get vaccinated (I think they ran out of doses?). Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was a bit reluctant for her to be vaccinated ahead of her mocks but had booked her in to get her jab just after they'd finished. Unfortunately, mid-way through the mocks she came down with COVID (sure it was Omicron which was just emerging at the time). Now I'm confused by official guidance as to whether she has to wait three months before being vaccinated or not (something to do with the risk of myocarditis?). Or is that rule only for the 12 to 15 year olds? Please can you advise?

Oh, and on the subject of secondary school pupils wearing masks, I have it on good authority that a lot wear the 'disposable' ones for days on end!

Our school has asked us to test twice weekly throughout the holidays, then when they go back they will be tested during the first three days, shouldn't they have a staggered return and be tested before returning?