It's actually been nice not having any news the past few days and sort of forgetting about it.

 

Can't wait to see what lies ahead of us in 2021 🥴🤪

It's actually been nice not having any news the past few days and sort of forgetting about it.

 

Can't wait to see what lies ahead of us in 2021 🥴🤪

 

On the plus side, the Oxford vaccine will likely be approved for use this week. It's the vaccine that the government have ordered the most of (100 million doses) with ~40 million to be delivered by the end of March. If it gets approved this week, that should help the vaccination effort tremendously.

Is that just the one injection you need?

I can’t wait for it to be confusing, inconsistent and last minute.

 

 

Boris will most likely announce something before Thursday as that's when the new Tier 4s end and schools are due back next Monday. It's likely he'll extend them and close schools too.

It's actually been nice not having any news the past few days and sort of forgetting about it.

 

Can't wait to see what lies ahead of us in 2021 🥴🤪

 

Yeah its been nice to avoid the news over Christmas. Now the Brexit deal is done the news will be almost 100% coronavirus related for the next few months at least :(

 

I predict the virus will have mutated beyond the vaccine probably within a few months and they will have to create a new one, so I can't see 2021 being a much better year than 2020 but the positive thing is that some of the vaccine companies if i remember correctly have said that the existing vaccine should be able to be modified easily for mutations.

Edited December 28, 20204 yr by Road Salt Mixer

The Oxford vaccine is the silver bullet for the whole world. But it's going to take months for everyone to be vaccinated and the latest rumours are people will be given one shot and then wait 4-6 weeks for the 2nd shot. So people will be at 60% immunity for a while, which makes logical sense from a practicality point of view.

 

But any sort of lockdown with schools open is ridiculous. If that's the answer, then we are totally fuked with this new variant. Closing schools is a well known way to repress the virus, we have a faster spreading variant, the data is also showing the variant is fastest spreading in secondary schools. So the great answer is to lockdown the country and keep schools going- MORONS.

Sky saying that Education Sec. Gavin Williamson was seen entering No.10 earlier and he's still there and whilst there's no full Cabinet meeting with it being Bank Holiday, other senior members have been in No.10 today too. Sky says there seems to be disagreement though still over closing schools.

 

Why not ask MP's on Thursday, have a mini debate about it?

Edited December 28, 20204 yr by CHRIS-TMAS

Is that just the one injection you need?

I think 1.5 was peak effectiveness that accidentally found out

I can’t wait for it to be confusing, inconsistent and last minute.

They should use those as reelection campaign slogans. That's both a clear message and the truth.

Two cases of mutant Covid in Finland. One patient had travelled from the UK for Christmas.

But any sort of lockdown with schools open is ridiculous. If that's the answer, then we are totally fuked with this new variant. Closing schools is a well known way to repress the virus, we have a faster spreading variant, the data is also showing the variant is fastest spreading in secondary schools. So the great answer is to lockdown the country and keep schools going- MORONS.

 

Yes that means that closing schools and having non essential retail open would probably mean less virus spread than closing non essential retail and leaving schools open.

41,385 new cases today — is that the highest ever? January really is going to be rough. I would be very surprised if schools do still open as planned.

41,385 new cases today — is that the highest ever? January really is going to be rough. I would be very surprised if schools do still open as planned.

 

 

Yes highest ever total. Apparently the Society of Paediatricians has written to Boris pleading with him to keep schools open as being at home "affects the mental health" of many children and disrupts family lives.

 

So he's getting different opinions.

Edited December 28, 20204 yr by CHRIS-TMAS

If we're going to be in high intensity tier 4 lockdown with a rampant new strain there's absolutely no way schools should reopen. If schools reopen then the (logical) message is it can't be that bad and we shouldn't have been in tier 4 anywhere and families should have been able to meet for Christmas. If it's not safe for small gatherings of fewer than 10 people how in the hell is it okay for hundreds of people to mix in schools which includes kids that have absolutely no concept of social distancing??

 

Can't have it both ways.

I really wouldn’t be surprised if schooling just went ahead as planned. They refused to act when it was clear to all that teenagers were driving infection and chose to keep schools open until the last moment when common sense, based on their Christmas rules, said otherwise. At the very least they will ensure staff still have to go in full time whatever happens because people are literally seething at the idea of teachers working from home and all we ever get from politicians and the media is the pushed propaganda that we’re selfish lazy and work shy. Our physical and mental health never comes into it.

I really wouldn’t be surprised if schooling just went ahead as planned. They refused to act when it was clear to all that teenagers were driving infection and chose to keep schools open until the last moment when common sense, based on their Christmas rules, said otherwise. At the very least they will ensure staff still have to go in full time whatever happens because people are literally seething at the idea of teachers working from home and all we ever get from politicians and the media is the pushed propaganda that we’re selfish lazy and work shy. Our physical and mental health never comes into it.

 

They're a joke if they keep secondary schools open at the very least. Anything else unless we get jab ourselves with covid is ridiculous. I will say that the case numbers look high, the likelihood is we are flying blind as no doubt some of of the numbers are backlogged.

I had previously been for schools being open in the first term as I can understand the impact on year plans, children's mental health etc. but the cases are just far too high to warrant them staying open, at least in areas in Tiers 3 and 4. As much as I understand the arguments against, schools being shut for the remainder of last year effectively lowered cases and simply you are never gonna get a whole class of teenagers to social distance or wear masks.

 

I think even just for four to five weeks would see a downturn, it might mean missing a term, but there is the option of online learning, I know that works better for some year groups than others, but I'd certainly think older students should be prepared to use this.

 

I'm expecting my college will make use of online learning, but I do wish the government would hurry up and give confirmation as I'm meant to be back on the 4th and I really don't want to be getting on a train and mixing with kids.

The decision on schools is not an easy one. There are strong arguments on both sides. My biggest concern is that the general belief atm is that children are more vulnerable to this new strain than the previous dominant strain. There is no suggestion that they are any more likely to be seriously ill, but it does increase the risk of children passing it on to other members of their family and, of course, school staff.

 

If the schools do not open as currently planned, the government must get its act together on two things. Despite all their promotional puff and self-congratulations, their programme of getting laptops to children who don't have them is far from complete. For as long as they don't have a laptop, these children cannot receive online lessons.

 

Second, the provision of extra tuition will become even more urgent. Again, the government made big promises but, so far, have delivered sod all. If schools don't go back until after February half-term, that will be almost two terms missed. They need to do everything possible (without putting all the burden on existing teachers) to make up for all that lost learning.

They could keep schools closed for January to get cases down. Then cancel the February half term so they don't lose too many weeks of school in total? Or worst case, they could shortern the summer holidays from 6 weeks to 2?

 

 

They could keep schools closed for January to get cases down. Then cancel the February half term so they don't lose too many weeks of school in total? Or worst case, they could shortern the summer holidays from 6 weeks to 2?

 

That would work but only if any proposed school closures actually count as holiday for students and staff. Ie no remote learning at all.