Sheer scale of new student covid cases (real data)

[Anonymous]

A reality check for those of you who don't follow the news:

1. Omicron cases in places like South Africa are plummeting

2. All the available evidence indicates that Omicron is far less dangerous than Delta

3. The FDA just approved a new pill that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in people with COVID by a whopping 90 percent.

Get vaccinated, and you will be fine. And there is absolutely zero reason to keep kids out of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A reality check for those of you who don't follow the news:

1. Omicron cases in places like South Africa are plummeting

2. All the available evidence indicates that Omicron is far less dangerous than Delta

3. The FDA just approved a new pill that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in people with COVID by a whopping 90 percent.

Get vaccinated, and you will be fine. And there is absolutely zero reason to keep kids out of school.

Amen.

[Anonymous]

Ok, it’s great that cases appear not to be landing people in the hospital or killing them. And it’s also worth considering how impossible it is to run schools with these level of absences, especially when it hits the staff. Also, teachers have their own kids who are in mandatory quarantines. One DCPS school had to turn back 7th grade students this morning because it didn’t have the teaching staff to cover their classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, it’s great that cases appear not to be landing people in the hospital or killing them. And it’s also worth considering how impossible it is to run schools with these level of absences, especially when it hits the staff. Also, teachers have their own kids who are in mandatory quarantines. One DCPS school had to turn back 7th grade students this morning because it didn’t have the teaching staff to cover their classes.

Time to change the isolation rules for vaccinated people. They should only have to stay home for as long as they are feeling unwell. We need to realize that a lot of these operational problems are completely self-imposed through overly stringent and outdated rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the face of everybody in the world, it seems, doing everything they can to keep the schools open, it’s not enough for you. You still have to come on here and complain. So many of you are so damned selfish, thinking only of how the pandemic affects you and your family and no one else. It’s really sad.

I actually think the schools-open-at-any-cost folks are the selfish ones. Totally ignoring that large swaths of our city are still unvaccinated, that immunocompromised folks exist, that hospital workers are at their breaking point and that schools have proven to be a major source of infection in our city. But we can’t possibly close school for three days!!!

If they are unvaccinated that's their fault. They've had ample time to get free shots to protect themselves and their family. If they failed to do that, that's on them.

Also, there is zero proof that schools are a "major source of infection in our city." You are spreading panic and misinformation. Get your doctor to prescribe you something for your anxiety.

DP: This is getting so silly. Where do you think all these teachers and students are getting infected. I feel like at this point we need a moderator to step in bc there’s no way to prove it one way or another

Where are they getting infected? Literally anywhere. The equivalent of .5% of the city's population tested positive over the weekend. You think all those cases are because of schools? It's because of two things: One, the omicron variant seems to be hypercontagious. And two, everything else in the city/region/nation is open for business as usual, 2019-style. Masks weren't required until yesterday at 6 p.m. I wouldn't be surprised if the transmission rate in schools is lower than it is in the community as a whole, because the schools at least try to require masks, at least some schools have implemented other mitigation strategies (like better ventilation or outdoor lunches), and at least attempt to do some surveillance testing.

Unless students and teachers are living an entirely sequestered life when they're not in school, there is no way to keep covid out of the schools -- and no way to prove that the schools are where people are catching it.

I don't want to get covid, and even more than I don't want to get covid, I don't want to pass covid on to someone who's at higher risk than I am (and I am relatively high risk, with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm also otherwise healthy and vaxxed/boosted). But after two years of this, I'm not interested in shutting down schools for my kids or anyone else's if the main goal is to keep unvaccinated people from getting sick. They've had almost a year to go get a free, safe, effective shot. They haven't. Now covid is everywhere, and pretending it's only in the schools or that you can address it by only focusing on the schools is pointless.

You people are so damn laughable. Your kid sits in the same room with 20-30 other kids, most of whom have irresponsible parents who put them in indoor activities, sports, etc where they’re constantly exposed, then they sit together sharing air in classrooms all day, they all eat lunch unmasked, but nooooo, nobody is getting COVID at school. It’s a magical COVID-free fairyland.

Asinine.

I didn’t say it wasn’t in schools. I said pretending it’s ONLY in schools is silly. Guess we’ll see what happens with schools closed for 13 days now! You think the rates will slow down because of all the school transmission being stopped? I wouldn’t bet on it!

+1

If there is a significant decrease in new cases over the next 13 days, we should talk about schools being major sources of spread.

[Anonymous]

Our chance to eradicate the virus stopped a long time ago. I’m normally conservative, and fine with even a week or two of virtual in January if that made sense somehow. But staff being out is a huge issue. There are no subs. Teachers are having to double up—their workloads are already maxed out this year especially. I’m hoping test to stay and the vaccine mandate for kids will bring a new set of rules so schools can function again. (Or dysfunction bc DCPS.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the face of everybody in the world, it seems, doing everything they can to keep the schools open, it’s not enough for you. You still have to come on here and complain. So many of you are so damned selfish, thinking only of how the pandemic affects you and your family and no one else. It’s really sad.

I actually think the schools-open-at-any-cost folks are the selfish ones. Totally ignoring that large swaths of our city are still unvaccinated, that immunocompromised folks exist, that hospital workers are at their breaking point and that schools have proven to be a major source of infection in our city. But we can’t possibly close school for three days!!!

If they are unvaccinated that's their fault. They've had ample time to get free shots to protect themselves and their family. If they failed to do that, that's on them.

Also, there is zero proof that schools are a "major source of infection in our city." You are spreading panic and misinformation. Get your doctor to prescribe you something for your anxiety.

DP: This is getting so silly. Where do you think all these teachers and students are getting infected. I feel like at this point we need a moderator to step in bc there’s no way to prove it one way or another

Where are they getting infected? Literally anywhere. The equivalent of .5% of the city's population tested positive over the weekend. You think all those cases are because of schools? It's because of two things: One, the omicron variant seems to be hypercontagious. And two, everything else in the city/region/nation is open for business as usual, 2019-style. Masks weren't required until yesterday at 6 p.m. I wouldn't be surprised if the transmission rate in schools is lower than it is in the community as a whole, because the schools at least try to require masks, at least some schools have implemented other mitigation strategies (like better ventilation or outdoor lunches), and at least attempt to do some surveillance testing.

Unless students and teachers are living an entirely sequestered life when they're not in school, there is no way to keep covid out of the schools -- and no way to prove that the schools are where people are catching it.

I don't want to get covid, and even more than I don't want to get covid, I don't want to pass covid on to someone who's at higher risk than I am (and I am relatively high risk, with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm also otherwise healthy and vaxxed/boosted). But after two years of this, I'm not interested in shutting down schools for my kids or anyone else's if the main goal is to keep unvaccinated people from getting sick. They've had almost a year to go get a free, safe, effective shot. They haven't. Now covid is everywhere, and pretending it's only in the schools or that you can address it by only focusing on the schools is pointless.

You people are so damn laughable. Your kid sits in the same room with 20-30 other kids, most of whom have irresponsible parents who put them in indoor activities, sports, etc where they’re constantly exposed, then they sit together sharing air in classrooms all day, they all eat lunch unmasked, but nooooo, nobody is getting COVID at school. It’s a magical COVID-free fairyland.

Asinine.

I didn’t say it wasn’t in schools. I said pretending it’s ONLY in schools is silly. Guess we’ll see what happens with schools closed for 13 days now! You think the rates will slow down because of all the school transmission being stopped? I wouldn’t bet on it!

+1

If there is a significant decrease in new cases over the next 13 days, we should talk about schools being major sources of spread.

On the other hand, schools are also major sources of testing, so I’m not sure if going by sheer case numbers would be quite fair. Positivity rate might be a better indicator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, it’s great that cases appear not to be landing people in the hospital or killing them. And it’s also worth considering how impossible it is to run schools with these level of absences, especially when it hits the staff. Also, teachers have their own kids who are in mandatory quarantines. One DCPS school had to turn back 7th grade students this morning because it didn’t have the teaching staff to cover their classes.

This is fair. So closing schools on a case by case basis makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our chance to eradicate the virus stopped a long time ago. I’m normally conservative, and fine with even a week or two of virtual in January if that made sense somehow. But staff being out is a huge issue. There are no subs. Teachers are having to double up—their workloads are already maxed out this year especially. I’m hoping test to stay and the vaccine mandate for kids will bring a new set of rules so schools can function again. (Or dysfunction bc DCPS.)

There are more than enough Central aoffice employees to cover. Time for them to start earning their lofty management salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, it’s great that cases appear not to be landing people in the hospital or killing them. And it’s also worth considering how impossible it is to run schools with these level of absences, especially when it hits the staff. Also, teachers have their own kids who are in mandatory quarantines. One DCPS school had to turn back 7th grade students this morning because it didn’t have the teaching staff to cover their classes.

Time to change the isolation rules for vaccinated people. They should only have to stay home for as long as they are feeling unwell. We need to realize that a lot of these operational problems are completely self-imposed through overly stringent and outdated rules.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the face of everybody in the world, it seems, doing everything they can to keep the schools open, it’s not enough for you. You still have to come on here and complain. So many of you are so damned selfish, thinking only of how the pandemic affects you and your family and no one else. It’s really sad.

I actually think the schools-open-at-any-cost folks are the selfish ones. Totally ignoring that large swaths of our city are still unvaccinated, that immunocompromised folks exist, that hospital workers are at their breaking point and that schools have proven to be a major source of infection in our city. But we can’t possibly close school for three days!!!

If they are unvaccinated that's their fault. They've had ample time to get free shots to protect themselves and their family. If they failed to do that, that's on them.

Also, there is zero proof that schools are a "major source of infection in our city." You are spreading panic and misinformation. Get your doctor to prescribe you something for your anxiety.

DP: This is getting so silly. Where do you think all these teachers and students are getting infected. I feel like at this point we need a moderator to step in bc there’s no way to prove it one way or another

Where are they getting infected? Literally anywhere. The equivalent of .5% of the city's population tested positive over the weekend. You think all those cases are because of schools? It's because of two things: One, the omicron variant seems to be hypercontagious. And two, everything else in the city/region/nation is open for business as usual, 2019-style. Masks weren't required until yesterday at 6 p.m. I wouldn't be surprised if the transmission rate in schools is lower than it is in the community as a whole, because the schools at least try to require masks, at least some schools have implemented other mitigation strategies (like better ventilation or outdoor lunches), and at least attempt to do some surveillance testing.

Unless students and teachers are living an entirely sequestered life when they're not in school, there is no way to keep covid out of the schools -- and no way to prove that the schools are where people are catching it.

I don't want to get covid, and even more than I don't want to get covid, I don't want to pass covid on to someone who's at higher risk than I am (and I am relatively high risk, with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm also otherwise healthy and vaxxed/boosted). But after two years of this, I'm not interested in shutting down schools for my kids or anyone else's if the main goal is to keep unvaccinated people from getting sick. They've had almost a year to go get a free, safe, effective shot. They haven't. Now covid is everywhere, and pretending it's only in the schools or that you can address it by only focusing on the schools is pointless.

You people are so damn laughable. Your kid sits in the same room with 20-30 other kids, most of whom have irresponsible parents who put them in indoor activities, sports, etc where they’re constantly exposed, then they sit together sharing air in classrooms all day, they all eat lunch unmasked, but nooooo, nobody is getting COVID at school. It’s a magical COVID-free fairyland.

Asinine.

I didn’t say it wasn’t in schools. I said pretending it’s ONLY in schools is silly. Guess we’ll see what happens with schools closed for 13 days now! You think the rates will slow down because of all the school transmission being stopped? I wouldn’t bet on it!

+1

If there is a significant decrease in new cases over the next 13 days, we should talk about schools being major sources of spread.

On the other hand, schools are also major sources of testing, so I’m not sure if going by sheer case numbers would be quite fair. Positivity rate might be a better indicator.

True, but this week, they weren’t doing any asymptomatic testing, so that effect is already gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our chance to eradicate the virus stopped a long time ago. I’m normally conservative, and fine with even a week or two of virtual in January if that made sense somehow. But staff being out is a huge issue. There are no subs. Teachers are having to double up—their workloads are already maxed out this year especially. I’m hoping test to stay and the vaccine mandate for kids will bring a new set of rules so schools can function again. (Or dysfunction bc DCPS.)

There are more than enough Central aoffice employees to cover. Time for them to start earning their lofty management salaries.

Central office employees earlier were asked to volunteer to cover sub positions in schools. No one wanted to leave their cushy virtual desk position to go into schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A reality check for those of you who don't follow the news:

1. Omicron cases in places like South Africa are plummeting

2. All the available evidence indicates that Omicron is far less dangerous than Delta

3. The FDA just approved a new pill that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in people with COVID by a whopping 90 percent.

Get vaccinated, and you will be fine. And there is absolutely zero reason to keep kids out of school.

You posted this on another board. “Absolutely zero?” Come now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So question for the blow through crowd. Should we stop testing and stop requiring people who are positive to stay home? Operationally it is impossible to fully staff many schools and contact trace correctly at this level of case rates.

It should be like any other virus. Stay home if you are sick. Fever free after 24 hours.

Yeah but the problem is you need enough actual teachers to show up and watch the kids. I’m a teacher and scary situations can happen when schools have to combine huge classes and leave them with a sub or unskilled admin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the face of everybody in the world, it seems, doing everything they can to keep the schools open, it’s not enough for you. You still have to come on here and complain. So many of you are so damned selfish, thinking only of how the pandemic affects you and your family and no one else. It’s really sad.

I actually think the schools-open-at-any-cost folks are the selfish ones. Totally ignoring that large swaths of our city are still unvaccinated, that immunocompromised folks exist, that hospital workers are at their breaking point and that schools have proven to be a major source of infection in our city. But we can’t possibly close school for three days!!!

If they are unvaccinated that's their fault. They've had ample time to get free shots to protect themselves and their family. If they failed to do that, that's on them.

Also, there is zero proof that schools are a "major source of infection in our city." You are spreading panic and misinformation. Get your doctor to prescribe you something for your anxiety.

DP: This is getting so silly. Where do you think all these teachers and students are getting infected. I feel like at this point we need a moderator to step in bc there’s no way to prove it one way or another

Where are they getting infected? Literally anywhere. The equivalent of .5% of the city's population tested positive over the weekend. You think all those cases are because of schools? It's because of two things: One, the omicron variant seems to be hypercontagious. And two, everything else in the city/region/nation is open for business as usual, 2019-style. Masks weren't required until yesterday at 6 p.m. I wouldn't be surprised if the transmission rate in schools is lower than it is in the community as a whole, because the schools at least try to require masks, at least some schools have implemented other mitigation strategies (like better ventilation or outdoor lunches), and at least attempt to do some surveillance testing.

Unless students and teachers are living an entirely sequestered life when they're not in school, there is no way to keep covid out of the schools -- and no way to prove that the schools are where people are catching it.

I don't want to get covid, and even more than I don't want to get covid, I don't want to pass covid on to someone who's at higher risk than I am (and I am relatively high risk, with Type 1 diabetes, but I'm also otherwise healthy and vaxxed/boosted). But after two years of this, I'm not interested in shutting down schools for my kids or anyone else's if the main goal is to keep unvaccinated people from getting sick. They've had almost a year to go get a free, safe, effective shot. They haven't. Now covid is everywhere, and pretending it's only in the schools or that you can address it by only focusing on the schools is pointless.

You people are so damn laughable. Your kid sits in the same room with 20-30 other kids, most of whom have irresponsible parents who put them in indoor activities, sports, etc where they’re constantly exposed, then they sit together sharing air in classrooms all day, they all eat lunch unmasked, but nooooo, nobody is getting COVID at school. It’s a magical COVID-free fairyland.

Asinine.

I didn’t say it wasn’t in schools. I said pretending it’s ONLY in schools is silly. Guess we’ll see what happens with schools closed for 13 days now! You think the rates will slow down because of all the school transmission being stopped? I wouldn’t bet on it!

+1

If there is a significant decrease in new cases over the next 13 days, we should talk about schools being major sources of spread.

On the other hand, schools are also major sources of testing, so I’m not sure if going by sheer case numbers would be quite fair. Positivity rate might be a better indicator.

True, but this week, they weren’t doing any asymptomatic testing, so that effect is already gone.

Yes they were. Our school tested full grades on Monday. And now we have a notice with 17 more cases…