#vax4kids #MasksInSchool
T&T billions supporting in-school contact tracing
HEPA
Quarantine of those taking PCRs
OR of households with +ves
Updates on Delta symptoms
Reductions in class sizes
How can CV/CEV households keep safe exposed by schools?
No mitigations.
Children next to those from Covid-positive households.
Incorrect symptoms mean that appropriate testing won't occur.
Contact tracing, when kids don't have details for those they were with, grossly irresponsible.
Vaccines are being used against us.
Yes, they increase protection, but there is little data for Vulnerable groups. Plus with increasing vaccine escape even those who had fair protection will be less protected. Immunocompromised / immunosuppressed will always be at risk with 📈.
Withdrawal or not? that is the question.
Not all families can support their children to learn at home. Disabled families have increased disadvantages but facing a threat to life what can they do.
Keeping kids in feels somewhat like living with a gun to your head. MH suffers.
Kids also carry the impossible mental health burden of keeping themselves & their families safe.
Often the only ones wearing a mask they cannot reasonably protect themselves in such circumstances.
They risk themselves / become a vector transmitting to their CV/CEV household.
Withdrawal must not be the only option to those with lives at risk. We do not choose HomeEd.
Our children must not lose access to:
Formal education
Friends/Community
Formal exams GCSEs & A Levels.
🧵A letter, signed by Prof Jennifer Harries OBE, has informed parents of Clinically Extremely Vulnerable children that they are not CEV anymore.
Even being identified as needing a vaccine isn't a reason to shield.
NB/ Many (12-15) have still not received a first dose yet. 1/
Seeking to reassure parents
"Recent clinical studies have shown that children & young people are at very low risk of serious illness if they catch the virus. We are pleased to let you know that your child is therefore no longer considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable" 2/
...before the big blow...
"It is important that your child continues to attend their school or other educational settings."
* With a caveat that actually maybe your child is still CEV and "will still have to isolate or reduce their social contact".
"The JCVI recommends vaccines for children 12-15 who have severe neurodisabilities, Down's Syndrome immunosuppression and profound or multiple learning disabilities."
1/
"The JCVI advice also recommends offering the vaccine to children and young people aged 12-17 who live with someone who is immunosuppressed."
2/
Whilst this is a start and we welcome the offering of vaccines to these children to protect incredibly vulnerable families, we feel this does not go far enough.
CV/CEV households all need #vax4kids urgently. We don't understand the risks posed by all of these vulnerabilities.
3/
CV/CEV families are being exposed to a deadly virus:
via public transport
via workplaces
via supermarkets (no priority slots)
via unsafe schools
1/
At Home
They should only meet with double vax outside or should be responsible for ventilation if they meet inside. All of their visitors should test with a Lateral Flow first.
They can't meet their own kids any more, of course, who will be unvax.
2/
In the Workplace
There will be no social distancing but they don't need to work from home.
Employers are now responsible for their safety.
Their colleagues / clients won't take Lateral Flows.
They can to take their employer to court.(They may need an Eng / Epidemiology PhD)
3/
This is a common phenomenon with all lateral flow testing. There is no amplification of the sample and so you are only testing what you have - if there isn't much there the line will be faint. You see the same with pregnancy tests (also lateral flow).
They use immobilised antibodies and markers that bind to the antigens on the reservoir pad and then migrate along the test. As they move across binding reagents will bind the target to the test line. The larger the sample of whatever you are testing for the stronger the line.