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1/ Thread: Taking a look at the Royal Society DELVE report on Balancing the Risks of Pupils Returning to Schools.
Published 10th July https://rs-delve.github.io/reports/2020/07/24/balancing-the-risk-of-pupils-returning-to-schools.html
Published 10th July https://rs-delve.github.io/reports/2020/07/24/balancing-the-risk-of-pupils-returning-to-schools.html
2/ The basic premise is that government should do all it can to ensure schools stay open, but that this must be done in a way that limits the risks of infection.
3/ Keeping schools open should take priority over other establishments. I think this is where the pub vs schools argument in recent days has come from, however I do feel the potential impact of schools on transmission is underplayed by some of the reports language.
4/ The idea of closing other places to keep schools open matches earlier SAGE modeling that found that adherence to social distancing in the wider community is the greatest factor on the risk of transmission in schools.
5/ The more people bend or break the rules, ignore measures like masks then they increase the risks of schools shutting due to outbreaks, so its interesting that the anti-maskers in the media are also the most ardent teacher bashers, peddling misrepresentations of union stances.
6/ Let's compare the reports 2nd point to what September currently looks like.
DfE bubbles particularly in secondary isnt an effective measure when you consider students behaviour outside of school.
Report recommends PPE, masks and maintaining distancing, however doesn't address
DfE bubbles particularly in secondary isnt an effective measure when you consider students behaviour outside of school.
Report recommends PPE, masks and maintaining distancing, however doesn't address
7/ the real world issue that comes with expecting distancing in schools whilst also recommending all students come back full time. Let's be honest it's disappointing how many people don't get how crowded out classrooms are.
8/ TTI considered essential for schools, a continuing theme from every respectable study done into schools. Its worth considering what systematic outbreak investigation requires. The current plan for schools is that those who get symptoms get tested if they prove positive...
9/ PHE is contacted. Bubbles/ Year groups could be isolated, it currently looks like in secondaries the members of staff will not be isolated, and if more symptoms develop then they too will be tested. See the problem?
No asymptomatic testing, which is going to be particularly
No asymptomatic testing, which is going to be particularly
10/ troublesome as there is a general consensus that students are less likely to develop systems. Germany is offering weekly testing in their schools, we could have confirmed cases in a school and still not be able to get mass testing of staff and students. Just focusing on
11/ symptoms will result in asymptomatic transmission around the school and into the wider community. This is why the CMO keeps raising the need for effective TTI in schools or risk a second peak.
Also worth noting that it recommends education staff to be one of the first to get
Also worth noting that it recommends education staff to be one of the first to get
12/ vaccinated when/if one is developed. If as suggested and widely quoted by one SAGE member that staff don't get infected then why does the RS recommend staff for early vaccination. Frustarting that the 'No evidence of staff being infected by a pupil' quite by one scientist in
13/ The Times is now being flung around in the media as if its a fact. This doesn't match up with anything said in the SAGE papers published on the Gov website, and contradicts the urgency for better TTI by September from almost every scientific body.
14/ You do have to question how people who constantly use 'well scientists disagree' to ignore any evidence they dislike then jumping on one person's quote to say 'this is the truth everyone else is wrong when it fits their narrative. These are the same ppl who say there has
15/ been no outbreaks in English schools. They also say no outbreaks in other countries, France shut 70 schools after 2 weeks, Germany shut 400 last month and Israel saying trying to get schools back to normal was the worst mistake they've made during the pandemic
16/ Lessons learned from Israel 'just because case numbers are low doesnt mean the virus is over
Scientists there are saying they should have maintained social distancing, encouraged mask wearing and gradually increased student numbers https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/coronavirus-israel-schools-reopen.html#click=https://t.co/7GsCUZCQPe
Scientists there are saying they should have maintained social distancing, encouraged mask wearing and gradually increased student numbers https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/coronavirus-israel-schools-reopen.html#click=https://t.co/7GsCUZCQPe
17/ These recommendations from RS. What do we define as sporadic? However once there is a full outbreak in a school then its already too late as this will be based only symptomatic cases, 'considering' closures is also too weak.
To reopen schools as quickly as possible will
To reopen schools as quickly as possible will
18/ require testing of the whole population, otherwise we are just risking putting those who aren't infected back into the petri dish with some asymptomatic carriers and a couple of weeks later we are back to shutting the school again.
19/ Next question for government that those in the media should be asking.
What is the chain of command regarding school closures? As far as I know its just PHE, how does this interact when a local lockdown is called?
According to the report the current system isn't clear enough
What is the chain of command regarding school closures? As far as I know its just PHE, how does this interact when a local lockdown is called?
According to the report the current system isn't clear enough
20/ Are these kind of surveillance measures in place? How well are cases traced back to a school? Considering that students from different schools mix and use public transport, this is where an app would be really useful.
21/ The report then moves away from infection and goes on to recommend sample testing for learning lost and mental health. Im curious how such sample testing would be conducted and how it would be made representative
22/ Nice caveat here, an admission that the evidence base around schools is weak.
23/ Government has suggested flu vaccine for primary school students and year 7. I wonder why the government decided to not make it available for staff or the other secondary age students.
24/ Good communication with school leaders, teachers and parents? NEU is still waiting for @GavinWilliamson to provide the evidence he promised behind the DfE decision to say masks shouldnt be worn in schools.
25/ Summary: Another respected group highlighting the importance of effective TTI and also recommending masks and distancing to be encouraged in schools.
