
Teachers Are Panicking About Schools Reopening in the Fall - pmoriarty
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7j9nv/teachers-are-panicking-school-reopening-covid-19-pandemic
======
bjourne
Studies from Europe should allay fears about schools contributing to the
spread of the virus:
[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apa.15371](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apa.15371)
[https://www.thelocal.no/20200511/opening-schools-has-not-
rek...](https://www.thelocal.no/20200511/opening-schools-has-not-rekindled-
epidemic-in-norway)

If open schools is one of the main drivers of the epidemic, then teachers in
Sweden, were elementary schools never closed, should be infected at a much
higher rate than the rest of the population. That has not been the case, hence
schools are likely not one of the main drivers of the epidemic.

Big caveat being that the Nordic countries have very generous sick leave
rules. Parents get paid for staying home with sick children.

The kids will already have to deal with the consequences of climate change.
Also robbing them of education and social development because we failed to
properly isolate senior citizens if cruel and unjust.

~~~
8bitsrule
The article cited by the OP (which I read) suggests that the 'studies from
Europe'(which I read - it's apparently largely based on unpublished studies)
are somehow different from those in Israel:

"what happened in Israel, where schools reopened on May 17. On that day,
Israel added only 10 new cases. By the end of June, the country had added
1,400 cases—657 of which contract tracers tracked to schools."

I've been following Covid closely since it appeared, and if I was a teacher I
would _not_ even _consider_ returning to school at this time. It looks like
many, many college teachers agree.

~~~
tinus_hn
So do you expect to be paid while you refuse to work?

~~~
8bitsrule
As essential and needful as the teaching profession is, a lot of people
actually pay a financial penalty for the privilege. They, like everyone else,
are free to choose a better-paying job. That's certainly a saner and safer
course of action than the one being contemplated for them ... especially for
those over 40.

------
epylar
The article starts by confusing cases with infections in a recently published
study. The study says 8% of children who are infected get admitted to the ICU;
the linked study says 8% of children studied were admitted to the ICU, all of
whom were known _cases_. This potentially ignores a large number of children
who were infected and not symptomatic enough to get tested.

~~~
averros
This kind of confusion happens in newspapers and other coroprate media so
often that one is left to wonder if it is intentional. After all, the fear
porn sells.

------
pmoriarty
We could have this disease under control by the time school starts by giving
everyone (or at least everyone in highly affected areas) tests every day.

This is possible, practical, and affordable.

The technology for fast pregnancy-test style tests for COVID-19 exists right
now, and they could cost as little as $1 per test.

The reason these tests aren't being used yet is because of the FDA's misguided
requirements for extremely high sensitivity for COVID-19 tests. If these
requirements could be relaxed to allow lower-sensitivity tests, then these
tests could go out on the market... or, better yet, the government could take
over and ensure everyone gets tested with these tests every day for $1 a test.

Even a more limited plan of testing just all schoolkids every day for $1 a
test would be way better than what we've got now.

Details regarding these tests, the science behind them, and the plan outlined
above can be found in the latest episode of _This Week in Virology_.[1]

Let's not miss another opportunity to stop this disease!

[1] - Starting at about 6'20" in to episode 640:
[https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-640/](https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-640/)

