Kids need school, but...

[bennevisplace]

... don't get too close if you are vulnerable to Covid19.

medicalxpress.com/news/2020...

Not what I wanted to read when the grandchildren are coming over on Sunday 😔

[Peggy4]

Oh dear

Peggy

[Justasheet1]

cllady01 beat you to it

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

[Poodle2]

This just isn't getting any better ...😐

[AdrianUK]

Oh xxxxx. Just when I was thinking maybe it’s time to move back home. And I’ll have four kids (some of them young adults) in college uni or school and three of them in the tubes. Not to mention one working as a waitress and my wife in and out of her patients homes.

BUT right now we are stubbornly at less than 1 in 2000 estimated people infected that rate is lower in London and most of the south east. We are getting around 1000 cases confirmed a day and that Inckudss many milder cases and isn’t rising exponentially. And in the whole country we are averaging only around ten deaths per day. So the UK situation is very different now from some other countries including the USA.

I can also do some social distancing and risk reduction at home. Spent several hours there today wearing a mask and sitting near an open window when around family. This is part of my grades exposure therapy to see how freaked out it all makes me. Today was a good session! And by far the longest.

It is so so hard to know how much risk to take. I do think fresh air is crucial mind you. And I definitely won’t be sleeping in the same room as my wife.

[bennevisplace in reply to AdrianUK]

Fresh air 👍

By now we should each be able to manage our own risk. But it takes willpower to stick to protocols "when all around you are losing theirs".

[Psmithuk]

Worrying news, though I was surprised to see the children were aged from 0 - 22, 22 is adult in my world. Winter is going to be a problem.

Cx

[bennevisplace in reply to Psmithuk]

Yes strange. Some do leave school late, but who starts before they are out of nappies?

[kimiD]

Thank you for sharing!

[DisneyMom]

I have 4 babies, 3 school age, 1 is still too little. We're doing distance (online) learning until it's safe for me and them to go back.

[bennevisplace in reply to DisneyMom]

That seems a good plan.

How does your government regard home education at the moment? UK gov says all kids must return to school 7 September and does not seem to exempt kids that could take the virus home to infect a vulnerable member of the household.

[DisneyMom in reply to bennevisplace]

They've actually done a great job here. We were sent an email with the opportunity to opt out of in-person learning. Instead they will have live instruction from the teacher online and have to submit their assignments online as well.

I can re-evaluate before second term if I change my mind and want to send them back. And if you choose to send your kids and change your mind, you always have the option of pulling them out and switching to distance education.

[bennevisplace in reply to DisneyMom]

Good to know, thanks.

[bennevisplace]

The g/c visit went OK as the weather was good enough that we could dine outdoors and have plenty of fresh air circulating indoors. Extra precautions will be needed after they start the new school year 7 September. My lymphocytes and neutrophils have been flatlining below 1.

Meanwhile we have had two official pronouncements in support of children returning to school.

Prof Chris Whitty, UK's Chief Medical Officer, said "the chances of children dying from Covid19 are incredibly small..." and "the evidence here is weaker, and we want to be clear about that, but it looks as if there is much less transmission from children to adults than from adults to adults". bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-53875410

Public Health England published study results, including "out of more than 1 million children attending pre-school and primary school in June, just 70 were affected (by Covid 19)" and "children are more likely to acquire SARS-COV2 at home than in school" https//gov.uk/government/news/stud...

How does this square with the US study, link at the top of this post? Well, it is clear that very few children present with symptoms of Covid. On the other hand children's importance as Covid transmitters is far from clear. PHE's evidence seems to be based entirely on documented symptomatic cases, not on testing for pupils carrying and transmitting the virus. Which may explain Prof Whitty's acknowledgement that the evidence for low transmission rates from children to adults is "weaker".

For now I'm inclined to go with the US study.

[kathymac52]

We haven't seen our grandkids for months now....because my husband is neutropenic as well.

[bennevisplace in reply to kathymac52]

Me too, last neuts 0.6, lymphs 0.3.

My g/c are a 45 minute drive away. We sometimes meet for a walk/ picnic, and if they come here it's mainly in the garden. Airflow indoors, most rooms out of bounds.

Not looking forward to the winter months!

[kathymac52 in reply to bennevisplace]

Platelets are 97, WBC is 2.1 and neutrophils are .5 .. He just had a bone marrow biopsy to see what is going on....been off Ibrutinib for 4 weeks now....Grandkids are 2-3 hours away....and my sons are NOT fans of masks or outdoor activities so we are staying away....I think they are beginning to understand why I am so frightened to get together....

[bennevisplace]

Yes, most folk just don't comprehend that CLL is a disease of the immune system and what that means in the context of Covid. They seem to think that once you're treated and get your colour back you're as right as rain.

I just got my blood results from 18 August. No change => booked a remote cottage in the Hebrides for Easter fortnight. Meanwhile carry on shielding 😐