Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

Ah thanks for that. I had misunderstood. That does make more sense.

It would be selfish if you expected everyone else including the childcare centre to adapt to your personal risk level. Taking your own steps separate from them is the opposite of selfish.

I do an antigen test on my kids any time we're visiting vulnerable people. The tests are not perfect and the relatives are vaccinated, but I figure it's an extra layer of "just in case".

FWIW if we vaccinated all primary school age children we'd get to about 85% total population vaccinated, and I'm slightly curious about what that would do to the epidemiology, but since Portugal has already reached 84% total population vaccinated (due to their older population structure) that's an experiment we don't need to do.

The answer is that Portgual's estimated reproduction rate dropped below 1.0 once they hit 73% (we're now at 73%) and continued to drop to around 0.7, so they've seen their cases steadily drop since then, without vaccinating the under 12s.

Our estimated reproduction rate is stuck around 0.9, but it looks like we're out of the woods at least until the heating season sets in, without any real case to offer vaccination to under 12s (although it would probably make teachers a bit more comfortable).

In terms of vaccine priorities the HSE seems to be focusing on young adults (e.g. in colleges) which seems eminently sensible.

That's just not allowed, nor are you allowed query anything unless you're a doctor apparently.

Fair play btw.

My wife has a Masters in Electrical Engineering.

But I wire the plugs.

Do you have significant life insurance policy that you may have recently signed ;-)

Always remember, phase tester first, and back of you hand then, just to be sure to be sure.

Living in a house is nearly guranteed spread as oppose to sitting in the same class with masks on and windows open for a few hours...

Contact tracing data shows the spread in school is lessbthan household so therefore households continue with close contact rules...for now..

Personally I think close contacts in school should be priority tested . A quick turnaround with results and straight back to school if negative

Or at very least bring in antigen testing for the kids . Not ideal but surely better than nothing

That sounds like a better idea than what they are proposing now.

I still want to know if I’ve to wear a mask whilst teaching after October 22nd? Most my colleagues are dying to keep them, love them almost. Just madness.

I also have a scientific background and my thinking on it is that the people who have trained and have the background and experience to make the decisions should be trusted to do so. They’ve done a good job so far. And tbh I don’t know whether they will recommend the vaccine for young children or not. It isn’t clear cut. But whatever they recommend I am likely to follow their advice because they know their stuff and I don’t.

I have to agree with this . Each family is different with different situations and different risk . I think they should be entitled to make up their own mind and choose to do what is best for their family

Some kids are in homes with vulnerable adults or minded by older grand parents . The parents could choose to get them tested or do an antigen test for example .

No no harm at all. But I’m just saying I put my trust in the folks whose job it is to make these recommendations.

I probably would too but still like to research the benefits

Generally I'd have a high regard for your posts, but I disagree with you here.

Has it not been established that Delta spreads among children at a similar rate to adults? Certainly I've heard Luke O'Neill say this recently.

It seems obvious to me that Covid flows most through the path of least resistance, ie. the highest unvaccinated age groups. When Delta hit, it hit those in their 20s and 30ss the most because they were largely unvaccinated at the time. Currently that highest unvaccinated age group is children of school going age.

This would tally with the massive surge of Covid in England among that age group, with 100k children out of school with confirmed or suspected Covid.

Covid may present a statistically lower risk to children, but it is not zero, and Long Covid is very much a concern. I think around 20 children a week have been dying of Covid in the US. Indonesia has had many hundreds of child deaths from Covid.

I think it's of the utmost concern that we get children of school going age vaccinated as soon as possible. Both for their own well being, the well being of the population as whole, and for children's education. The sooner children are vaccinated, the sooner disruption, uncertainty and angst about the safety of schools can end.