‘The risk of infection from children is very, very low’

Says the UK’s Chief Medical Officer. So what is the justification for ruining our children’s education any further? I thought we were following the Science?

 

Only if the Science is going in the direction we want to travel. When it's not, we're following Sheer Dumb Luck.

 

Very, very low is still a risk. I'd rather take no risk at all if I had the choice that is.

 

I think schools need to reopen as soon as it's safe to do so. Kids are getting bored, anxious, missing their routlines. But it can't happen if the kids still need to be 2m apart from each other and wearing masks imo.

 

The risk of infection from children is low. What is the long term health risk for those that are infected - even if asymptomatic *now*?

At least 47 teachers + other non-teaching staff died from COVID-19 in the weeks up to the end of April per 100000 according to the ONS figures up to 20th April. There are just over 500000 teachers in the UK, so over 220 have died officially from COVID (+1000 or 240/100000 without a positive COVID diagnosis). Official government advice is to cut classroom sizes and if there isn't enough room or teachers to move to another school - not sure how that is going to happen without doubling the number of schools in the UK - almost overnight!

 

I honestly don't think the government have any idea how crowded schools are, it's hard to walk around the tables without bumping into them, kids congregate together at breaks, before and after school.

 

This is how I understand it to work at the moment. You can play football with your child in a garden centre while wearing a homemade mask after work but not on a bus.

 

My parents can drive through from Pontefract to Greasbrough to see George as long as we social distance but they can't drive through to our house and have a cup of tea in the backyard and social distance.

 

Children are human beings and have all the equipment to pass on viral infections to other humans and be infected by other humans.
If the CMO has said this,they need to consider their position, absurd advice.
We are in England, part of the worst Pandemic management ever,apart from the US.

 

Its impossible to live and take no risk at all. It's a lot more dangerous statistically for a child to ride a bike or be a passenger in a car than they have from Covid19.
What we need to be sure of is that's it's safe for the teachers too. Again you can't make risk zero but it has to be mitigated as much as possible.

 

The Government says it is not safe to reopen to all pupils yet. Beginning of June, Primary only and just in smaller groups. 15 is what I have seen but not separated.

 

I wish my old phone still worked, I had a photo on there of a classroom from one of my placements (end of day, no children in photo). The desks were in rows and almost touched the cabinets either side and you had to wait for someone to walk along aeroplane aisle style, to walk past as there was no passing room - there were 33 children in that class.

 

Agree about the risk. I still kiss and cuddle George but only after I've come in, taken my work clothes off, had a shower, put my slacks on. There in lies the problem. Children need affection. Teacher's still need to give an ounce of affection. Physical contact is sometimes necessary after falls etc. You can't do your job properly in that environment fearing for your own safety.

 

Just in case you’re doubting me.

 

Hi TM,I wasn't doubting you,sorry if I gave that impression. Media outlets often edit statements but thank you for posting the original quote.
As a former nurse, I have no idea why he has said this,it goes against basic anatomy and physiology.
Again apologies if I upset you, that wasn't my intention.

 

Not at all, I know these things can be exaggerated. I agree it was extremely surprising, particularly in that if he's right it invalidates any reason for schools not to be fully open, and means that the strategy flies in the face of what the CMO is saying.

 

I feel the same, as a nurse myself. I cant see how theyre not capable of spreading it. I can certainly understand why they may be at lower risk of death, but can't get my head around why they wouldn't spread it. I'm not questioning the validity of the research, I just don't understand it.

 

The CMO hasn't given advice - or any spin, just repeated the fact. It's the OP's spin on what that might mean that's both dangerous and incorrect.

He would have a different opinion if he was a teacher.

 

His father was a teacher all his working life.

 

The right answer is that at this stage no one knows.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/health/coronavirus-children-transmission-school.html

There seems some evidence in some studies that children can transmit the disease particularly as asymptotic carriers. This hasn’t been proven either way neither has the opposite view. To give weight to one or the other at this stage is just to restate your own prejudices in a few years we may know.

Not sure people would thank me if I sent my kid to school she picked it up there gave it my missis as an asymptotic carrier who then passed it onto my missis working in Hospitals who passes it again asymptotically onto patients. Killing those patients.

In terms of kids going back. It has to be a safeguarding decision. If I can set up infra red scans on building sites to monitor temperature of workers and deny them entry to buildings if their temp is above a certain level the same can be done in schools. Correct PPE for teachers and pupils. Correct measures to enforce social distancing the implementation of test trace and isolate and we are good to go. It requires political will. I remain unconvinced that this govt has that will.