Unfortunately, time and again, our needs have not been considered.
Clinically Vulnerable people have a 5.4x increased risk of Long Covid and an 8.5x increased risk of death (data from the final ONS Covid survey).
Withdrawing protections from schools has hit us hardest.
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Our increased risks, without any protections in place, make our lives more difficult and impact our children - even if they are attending school. It is a barrier to attendance and a barrier to learning.
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Many Clinically Vulnerable Families no longer feature in official attendance data, as they have been off-rolled, because schools and local authorities do not want their own data blighted.
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Clinically Vulnerable Families reject the incredibly distasteful title "Ghost Children".
Minimum estimates for Covid Orphans continue to grow.
Because by not protecting our children were are not protecting their households, families and communities.
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We have been collecting data,
We hope to share it with the Education Committee Inquiry into attendance, but we have yet to be invited to share our oral evidence.
Even winter pressures on healthcare affected our school attendance.
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All children are now frequently getting sick with Covid itself, as it remains in high prevalence year-round. This also has a direct impact on attendance figures.
Whilst some people may be asymptomatic, others can take a long time to recover - if they ever do...
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Children are developing post-viral conditions such as T1 diabetes which make them Clinically Vulnerable.
And highly vulnerable children are now locked out of high demand special schools due to a shortfall in provision.
However, there is something they could do...
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And it isn't recycling the old "Schools Bill" to crack down harder on struggling parents.
Because fines, prosecutions, social services referrals, and school attendance orders are blunt instruments, which only make matters worse and won't fix our problem.
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All we are asking for is a safe learning environment. It is a very simple and basic request.
Because even those who are in school are struggling. How can children learn or perform when 'personal responsibility' means that they are constantly managing risk?
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💙 We want to *live* with Covid
💜 #educationANDlives are essentials
💗 Everyone needs safe schools
Let's invest in health. Air filtration can reduce the risks for everyone.
By reducing Covid, 'flu, Strep A. & RSV we improve pupil & staff attendance and community health.
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Join us in the unmentionable place to find the most supportive community and to contribute to our attendance survey:
Search for : Clinically Vulnerable Families
Additionally, please complete the DfE survey requesting evidence on children missing from education.
🧵 The #UKCovidInquiry's first report on 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 has been published.
While it addresses many critical areas, it missed significant issues faced by Clinically Vulnerable (CV) families. Here’s what you need to know...
1/ #CVAwareness
The report’s focus on general preparedness overlooked the specific needs and challenges of CV people.
Our community faced unique risks and often felt abandoned in the early stages of the pandemic. Our exclusion from *this module* (M1) of the inquiry was a glaring oversight. 2/
Key areas missed include:
💔 The lack of tailored guidance for CV families
😷 Insufficient availability of appropriate PPE for home use
🫂 Inadequate mental health support
CV households had to navigate the crisis alone, compounding their stress and isolation.
The constant risk of infection has made lives more difficult, and the damage caused by infection. We are still more likely to die and develop post viral conditions.
2/
Clinically Vulnerable people were rejected from the first 2 sections of the #CovidInquiryUK, unable comment on planning for future pandemics, even though by Baroness Hallett's own admission we will "suffer the most".
Our data, collected thanks to mask wearers during the General Election, reveals troubling issues...
#MyMaskMyVote😷 #CleanAir💨
2/ Disenfranchisement is real.
Voter ID checks varied significantly:
- 38% were IDed with a mask on
- 42% asked to de-mask indoors
- 26% removed their mask indoors
- 1% ⛔️ were disenfranchised ⛔️
#MyMaskMyVote😷
3/ Some voters were masking to protect others from Covid.
Nobody should have to de-mask indoors. Everyone deserves to vote safely.
If you do use one of these devices, it is worth knowing that whilst they have a net benefit, you really must be in the air stream to experience the most gains*.
* ..and that means being pretty close!
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A quick reminder that the QT3 can be improved by taping. Even with taping, the most gains are up to 40cm - and the closer the better.
Unfortunately, the fan is not very powerful, so the air flow is lower than the others above.
🧚♀️As I sat in the hall during our Primary School assemblies, I used to watch the fairies dancing within a strip of light from between the curtains.
Little did I know...
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... that when they 'disappeared' that they were still there.
Or that the whole room was filled with them!
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Oh, and they weren't really fairies...they were 'particulate matter' or PM for short.
Which is kind of mind-blowing when you are taking in all of these different particles. Some will scatter light, and others can absorb it - so you can't always see them.