Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

[LeMarchand]

Remdesivir, the first drug approved by licensing authorities in the US to treat Covid-19, is made by Gilead

 

 

"Let's give our pharma company a name that most will connect to a fictional oppressive regime."

 

 

we want to ensure that any American patient who needs can pay the soon to be very high price for remdesivir can get it.

 

^^^More accurate version.

[mikes]

I wonder if it'll be marginal at best anyway Edited July 1, 2020 by mikes

[mikeprice]

Apparently there are some companies licensed to make a generic version of this drug

they sell it for less than half the price the US company is charging but only in some poorer countries

 

and is doesn't actually reduce the death rate - just reduces the recovery time

[witch]

On the schools issue: can see a couple of issues straight away

 

School buses

15 classes per year in our local comp. Where are you going to put all those children then?

[mikeprice]

School busses must be a major problem - I have only worked in one school that used them - but I know of many where nearly all the kids get to school on a LA bus

 

and it will also give problems when you have staggered start times

 

I suppose the bus companies could do several runs???

 

anyone know what the plans are - or is no-one bothering to plan this sort of thing in case the advise changes - again

[paulkerton]

touch up a few of the old boys to get some more classrooms built

 

I'm sure they still wake up with night terrors about the pretty prefects demands at the best of times, they don't need any more touching up.

[6Foot2]

Link: Coronavirus: Year groups kept isolated in back-to-school plan [bBC News]

 

The full-time return to school in September for all pupils in England will be based on keeping year groups apart in separate "bubbles".

 

The Department for Education is expected to confirm safety plans based on reducing contact, rather than social distancing.

 

For GCSEs and A-levels, most pupils will be expected to continue with all of their intended subjects.

 

Attendance will be compulsory, with the threat of penalty fines for parents.

 

The rules for how schools will operate in the autumn are to be published on Thursday - although much of the detail was revealed in leaks earlier this week.

 

The safety plans will be an expansion of the "protective bubble" system already used in schools - in which classes or year groups are kept apart, with separate starting, finishing, lunch and break times...

 

I can't see that this plan has even the slightest chance of working here with all year groups back.

[jthompson]

It'll 'work' if no cases turn up, but once they do, a school is very quickly going to need to revert to remote teaching for lots of pupils, with lots of parents needing to take time off work accordingly.

 

On a national scale though, expect it to work 'well enough'.

[6Foot2]

Staggered starts: What of those students who come in by bus/coach? The coach companies are probably unwilling to make multiple runs for groups of students from the same pickups/drop off based on year group.

 

Teaching bubbles: Most of the time, you won't be able to take a practical/equipment based PE/Technology/Science/IT lesson to a 'bubbled' classroom.

[mikeprice]

Staggered starts: What of those students who come in by bus/coach? The coach companies are probably unwilling to make multiple runs for groups of students from the same pickups/drop off based on year group.

 

Teaching bubbles: Most of the time, you won't be able to take a practical/equipment based PE/Technology/Science/IT lesson to a 'bubbled' classroom.

 

As said before - I know of some schools where most of the kids need to use a school bus to get into school

 

and they are based on areas - not year groups - no coach company will be able to drive round every area of the town to pick up Y7 - then do the same for Y8 etc etc

and how would the drivers know what year group a kid is part of

 

 

Yet another policy that has been thought out in detail over a period of 2 minutes and with full consultation with - a couple of mates - if that

 

anyone who has worked in a school can see holes in this idea that a fleet of busses could drive through in formation

 

 

I get the feeling that they just want kids back in school - end

and if they get infected then the vast majority will be just fine

the family - not so much

 

we will probably just have to not see the grandkids for a while after September

dunno what will happen to they Mum as she is pregnant

[LeMarchand]

I get the feeling that they just want kids back in school - end

 

I think the logic from our esteemed leader is (and this is a personal, rather than a political attack): Send 'em back! If a few of them don't make it the parents can always make more; it's never been a problem for me.

[mrstrong]

yeah just listening on news. still lots of detail missing from the "plan" but I think the kids do need to get back.

Easy to criticise but no easy answers here. Always felt a nationwide lockdown was a non-optimal solution, we could have

done it better e.g. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/opinion/coronavirus-contact-tracing.html

[Ditto]

I think the logic from our esteemed leader is (and this is a personal, rather than a political attack): Send 'em back! If a few of them don't make it the parents can always make more; it's never been a problem for me.

Trouble is making teachers is a little more tricky . Seriously though, whilst it is right and proper for us to focus intensely on the children's safety and well-being, it is the teachers and other staff that are at more risk or harm with this virus. Sometimes this seems to be forgotten and as with every other kind of employment, the safety and well-being of staff needs to be kept equally in focus.

[paulkerton]

Easy to criticise but no easy answers here. Always felt a nationwide lockdown was a non-optimal solution, we could have

 

My major criticism will always be that we didn't lock down sooner, and we didn't lock down harder. It was always going to be easier to do that, and then unlock where we could, rather than how it's happened. It's helped drag this all out even further. We closed down too slowly because of the economy, and seem to be opening wrecklessly because of the economy.

 

It worked so well in New Zealand, you'd think it'd be an obvious move for another island nation to do the same.

 

Then of course, you've got certain people who have repeatedly ignored lockdown and got away with it, or those who got caught and got excused rather than disciplined. So then since late May there has been this "Well if they can do it, so can I" attitude.

 

Trying to get people to wear masks, or behave when going out at the moment is nigh on impossible. Especially when there are people who are asking us to abide by these rules who themselves, or their family members are completely ignoring.

Anyone looking for a Covid safe villa in Greece when this is all over, by the way?

[jthompson]

I suspect that the education sector can rely on significantly less good will and patience from the public compared to that enjoyed by the NHS.

 

Not so much standing on doorsteps and applauding the workforce as "shut up and get back to work you slackers!".

[paulkerton]

I suspect that the education sector can rely on significantly less good will and patience from the public compared to that enjoyed by the NHS.

 

Not so much standing on doorsteps and applauding the workforce as "shut up and get back to work you slackers!".

 

There seems to be a small but vocal group of people who are angry that the entire education sector wasn't furloughed on 80% wages.

The same people who would've been incredibly vocal that those people who were then not allowed to work because they were furloughed, weren't working to get their kids educated when schools closed.

The same people are probably very angry that some businesses have been asking people to work even though they were put on furlough.

 

You have to laugh at their complete inability to understand these things, to the point where it's kind of sad for them.

 

I'd have taken furlough over the last few months, if it would shut them up, but it wouldn't.

[DrBeaker]

There seems to be a small but vocal group of people who are angry that the entire education sector wasn't furloughed on 80% wages.

The same people who would've been incredibly vocal that those people who were then not allowed to work because they were furloughed, weren't working to get their kids educated when schools closed.

The same people are probably very angry that some businesses have been asking people to work even though they were put on furlough.

 

You have to laugh at their complete inability to understand these things, to the point where it's kind of sad for them.

 

I'd have taken furlough over the last few months, if it would shut them up, but it wouldn't.

 

For me it's that IT have been expected to carry on working as normal to support the teachers, students and parents 5x days a week, whilst the admin staff haven't been furloughed, but haven't been doing any work at home either. Especially so when some of them were given school equipment to allow them to work from home. I.e. our finance team and several members of admin and teaching staff.

E.g. I got asked to contact parents by SLT and said no. That's why we have 5x staff on the pastoral team to do that. Our MAT IT lead is in agreement with me.

 

Both myself and the school business manager feel this way and have made it clear how we feel on this. Which is why I have no sympathy for the ones who've told me they've enjoyed the lockdown and had chance to sort out their loft, garage and paint the house etc.

 

Even now I'm in pretty much 5x days a week the admin are only doing 1x day a week. So that means if finance aren't in on the I need to order something, I have to wait a week for it to be done (despite them having kit to work from home).

Edited July 2, 2020 by DrBeaker

[6Foot2]

...IT have been expected to carry on working as normal to support the teachers, students and parents 5x days a week, whilst the admin staff haven't been furloughed, but haven't been doing any work at home either...

Same here: I am working supporting IT on site alone.

[stevejp]

Trouble is making teachers is a little more tricky . Seriously though, whilst it is right and proper for us to focus intensely on the children's safety and well-being, it is the teachers and other staff that are at more risk or harm with this virus. Sometimes this seems to be forgotten and as with every other kind of employment, the safety and well-being of staff needs to be kept equally in focus.

 

Not so much forgotten, as totally disregarded (at best) and treated with contempt. Whilst they have to be careful with the NHS, they knows damn well that they can do what they want with education, as long as disruption to childcare is kept to a minimum. The right wing press are only too glad to indulge in a spot of teacher bashing, and everyone else who works in a school is tainted by association.

[Andrew_C]

The right wing press are only too glad to indulge in a spot of teacher bashing,

 

TBF... they get a hard time around here too.

[stevejp]

TBF... they get a hard time around here too.

 

No comment...

[elsiegee40]

My major criticism will always be that we didn't lock down sooner, and we didn't lock down harder. It was always going to be easier to do that, and then unlock where we could, rather than how it's happened. It's helped drag this all out even further. We closed down too slowly because of the economy, and seem to be opening wrecklessly because of the economy.

 

It worked so well in New Zealand, you'd think it'd be an obvious move for another island nation to do the same.

 

Then of course, you've got certain people who have repeatedly ignored lockdown and got away with it, or those who got caught and got excused rather than disciplined. So then since late May there has been this "Well if they can do it, so can I" attitude.

 

Trying to get people to wear masks, or behave when going out at the moment is nigh on impossible. Especially when there are people who are asking us to abide by these rules who themselves, or their family members are completely ignoring.

Anyone looking for a Covid safe villa in Greece when this is all over, by the way? [emoji3]

 

I have said it before in this thread and will say it again... you cannot compare the UK and New Zealand. It’s like comparing Apples and Oranges... both fruit but very different.

 

New Zealand has a population smaller than Manchester and a land area much larger than the UK. This considerably less dense population means that disease is easier to control.

 

It’s at the end of the line. You only go there because you want to be there. You don’t transit through New Zealand to anywhere else. This makes it very easy for the country to isolate itself.

 

It’s just not sensible to compare the two countries

Edited July 2, 2020 by elsiegee40

[stevejp]

I have said it before in this thread and will say it again... you cannot compare the UK and New Zealand. It’s like comparing Apples and Oranges... both fruit but very different.

 

New Zealand has a population smaller than Manchester and a land area much larger than the UK. This considerably less dense population means that disease is easier to control.

 

It’s at the end of the line. You only go there because you want to be there. You don’t transit through New Zealand to anywhere else. This makes it very easy for the country to isolate itself.

 

It’s just not sensible to compare the two countries

 

...and not only that, they have a strong leader with genuine empathy, compassion, intelligence and common sense - so totally impossible to compare (but very easy to contrast...)

Edited July 2, 2020 by stevejp

[Andrew_C]

I have said it before in this thread and will say it again... you cannot compare the UK and New Zealand. It’s just not sensible to compare the two countries

However, comparison with Japan shows:- WE FAILED.

[jmak]

10th of March was when we started cancelling social events, stopped using public transport and started socially distancing in my family. Based on what I read in consumer scientific journals and especially first hand accounts from medics working in Italy. My neighbour who works in the City was sent home on 13th March and told to start working from home for the foreseeable future. There was plenty of evidence in the public domain that showed lockdown was inevitable and that the sooner we did it the less impact there would be on the economy, nevermind the number of deaths that could have been avoided. I have no claim to be some kind of sage or crystal ball reader. We have been let down.