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Coronavirus

Coronavirus - The Poll

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RoyJess said:
Unless this government screws it up and we all know that the odds of that is pretty high
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I hope a government department takes it out of the hands of the cabinet. Namely a joint public health team from the 4 nations and the mod.

The way i think it would work best is public health would take the oxford vaccine and use suitable university labs to produce along with some private labs.

Mod would do the logistics, as we know they have experience in quickly setting up complex and challenging logistical system. Also they have personnel used to quick deployment.

This is my humble opinion on it as by keeping it in non profit organisations it would stop the vaccination coming second to profit.

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In terms of Moderna’s vaccine, the UK government has now announced that they’ve bought 5 million doses of it.

Very promising news, though; I was especially shocked by the sheer height of the efficacy! 95% is huge; considering the scientists were psyching us up for 50-60% from the first vaccines, I think to now have 2 (Pfizer and Moderna) with confirmed efficacy of 90% and over is absolutely phenomenal!

If we want to get a little more geeky, both this and Pfizer’s vaccine use a never before used technique known as mRNA in order to produce an immune response. Using unproven technology was a huge gamble, but it seems to have been a very successful one judging by the efficacy results produced by Pfizer and Moderna; this also bodes well for other mRNA vaccines, such as the one being produced by Imperial College London!
 
Do note with the Moderna one that we won't be seeing any of this until Spring 2021, so the other vaccines coming on through are absolutely essential. 5 million doses is also extremely small. However, it is great to see that the Moderna vaccine was tested on the elderly and does appear to have been successful in that too.

So great news in the long run, but hurry the hell up Oxford/AstraZeneca please!
 
RoyJess said:
A note to all the anti covid restrictions activist out there, it looks like the Swedish herd immunity experiment is failing.
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Fancy linking any sources with that, or anything to back it up? Negative information with no sources is always such a downer early on a Tuesday morning :)
 
Islander said:
Fancy linking any sources with that, or anything to back it up? Negative information with no sources is always such a downer early on a Tuesday morning :)
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It was all over the news last night, Sweden has a big surge in cases and having to put in tougher restrictions, plus a quick google will pull up numerous reports too :)

https://www.itv.com/news/2020-11-16...f-300-people-to-eight-as-covid-19-cases-surge

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...hinking-left-country-exposed-second-wave.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13208...vid-19-coronavirus-second-wave-herd-immunity/
 
In other news, water is wet, peanuts may contain nuts, and there are a large number of gays on this forum.
 
The disruption this pandemic is causing in schools is mindblowing. I don't know how much the wider public realise just what chaos is besieging the entire sector right now.

We have significant case numbers across all levels of school - with massive quantites of students at home, self-isolating. Teachers are now having to deliver learning both in person to their classes and, at the same time provide learning for those at home. Whilst many staff - whether catering, cleaning, teaching, administrative or supportive are either self isolating or trying to spread themselves thinly across bubbles, which in reality - is risky in itself.

Whether it's doing duties every day, not having any form of lunch break (eating with the kids), taking calls and emails in the evenings after working a 10 hour day in school - the education sector can only take this for so long.

Extremely difficult times.
 
AstroDan said:
The disruption this pandemic is causing in schools is mindblowing. I don't know how much the wider public realise just what chaos is besieging the entire sector right now.

We have significant case numbers across all levels of school - with massive quantites of students at home, self-isolating. Teachers are now having to deliver learning both in person to their classes and, at the same time provide learning for those at home. Whilst many staff - whether catering, cleaning, teaching, administrative or supportive are either self isolating or trying to spread themselves thinly across bubbles, which in reality - is risky in itself.

Whether it's doing duties every day, not having any form of lunch break (eating with the kids), taking calls and emails in the evenings after working a 10 hour day in school - the education sector can only take this for so long.

Extremely difficult times.
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I have never seen any of this, it is virtually business as usual at my school
 
1 case total in a school of 1350 (as I understand it - am I the only one on here who doesn't know anyone who has had covid?)
 
Thameslink Rail said:
1 case total in a school of 1350 (as I understand it - am I the only one on here who doesn't know anyone who has had covid?)
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Good God. Don't count your chickens, though. Your school is massively below the average and I can only assume you are in area with very low rates. Although, with even 1 case - some children will have been out self-isolating. And it doesn't take much *at all* for bubbles to be out.

I wish all schools were in that position. The stress is real.

:(
 
AstroDan said:
The disruption this pandemic is causing in schools is mindblowing. I don't know how much the wider public realise just what chaos is besieging the entire sector right now.

We have significant case numbers across all levels of school - with massive quantites of students at home, self-isolating. Teachers are now having to deliver learning both in person to their classes and, at the same time provide learning for those at home. Whilst many staff - whether catering, cleaning, teaching, administrative or supportive are either self isolating or trying to spread themselves thinly across bubbles, which in reality - is risky in itself.

Whether it's doing duties every day, not having any form of lunch break (eating with the kids), taking calls and emails in the evenings after working a 10 hour day in school - the education sector can only take this for so long.

Extremely difficult times.
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I obviously can’t speak from a teacher’s perspective, but as a Year 13 student currently studying for my A Levels, I can agree that it has definitely had a profound affect upon school, and this is coming from somebody in the South West, a comparatively low transmission area.

I’m in a similar position to @Thameslink Rail in that our school has only had 2 confirmed cases so far out of over 1000 pupils, so very low in comparison to some, but it’s still having a definite effect.

For example, I currently have 6 teachers across my 3 A Level subjects. A week or two ago, there was a point where 4 of them were self-isolating or just generally absent, and as such I often either had cancelled lessons with independent work set or we have had a virtual lesson over Microsoft Teams. While Microsoft Teams is very good, I don’t think it can replace in-person teaching. Thankfully, I now only have 1 teacher self-isolating and they’re back tomorrow, but I know of many other teachers and students who are still isolating.

Based on my experience in a relatively low transmission area, I cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like in an area of higher transmission.
 
Sorry for double posting, but another thing I forgot to add that’s particularly stressing me out about school at the moment; exams, and the uncertainty about whether or not they will end up happening.

I am currently due to sit my A Level exams in June 2021. However, with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all having cancelled the 2021 exams, I’m growing increasingly doubtful as to whether I will actually end up doing exams.

While I don’t think teacher-assessed grades in themselves would be a bad thing at all (in fact, it would be quite reassuring, as I know I would already have done quite a bit of the legwork towards my final grade), it’s the whole uncertainty of it that’s getting to me. There’s never been a situation quite like this before, and I must admit that it is rather stressing me out thinking about the whole “will they, won’t they” of whether exams will actually end up happening, because there’s just so many conflicting opinions.
 
Matt N said:
Sorry for double posting, but another thing I forgot to add that’s particularly stressing me out about school at the moment; exams, and the uncertainty about whether or not they will end up happening.

I am currently due to sit my A Level exams in June 2021. However, with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all having cancelled the 2021 exams, I’m growing increasingly doubtful as to whether I will actually end up doing exams.

While I don’t think teacher-assessed grades in themselves would be a bad thing at all (in fact, it would be quite reassuring, as I know I would already have done quite a bit of the legwork towards my final grade), it’s the whole uncertainty of it that’s getting to me. There’s never been a situation quite like this before, and I must admit that it is rather stressing me out thinking about the whole “will they, won’t they” of whether exams will actually end up happening, because there’s just so many conflicting opinions.
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The concept of there being exams next year is laughable.

We have to contend with primary end of key stage Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs) - with kids off in doses of 2 weeks here and there - how the hell this is fair is beyond me.
 
I have been lucky in my area. We had a couple of cases.

I work in a different area in education to @AstroDan.

Estates services is busy with covid secure protocols.

The cleaners think it funny to see caretaker/site maintenance doing cleaning.

They find it even more funny when i dressed in level 3 PPE (only estates staff trained on it) to clean down a minibus and 2 room.

I am doing 5 times the amount of first aid call as normal due to first aiders refusing to treat, just in case they have covid.

The teaching staff are stressed. LSA staff are stressed. Everyone at work is stressed over covid.



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Joined my school after half term.

At least three staff members self isolating since I joined, the number is growing. A couple of staff members also shielding on government advice.

Fortunately no confirmed cases amongst the kids yet, a few are self isolating though.

The bubble system works to an extent but as (in our school) adults can pass between bubbles, especially myself, the system is vulnerable.

School is in Leicester which is currently high risk.

I was brought in to run catch-up interventions but unfortunately I fear I will be acting as a cover teacher before long. It is a concern.
 
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