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Children are more likely to be harmed by not going back to school next month than if they catch coronavirus, says the UK’s chief medical adviser.
Prof Chris Whitty said “the chances of children dying from Covid-19 are incredibly small” – but lessons lacking “harm children in the long run”.
Millions of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland return to school within weeks.
Prof Whitty also said that Covid-19 would be a challenge for at least nine months.
He said it would not be likely that there would be a vaccine in 2020, but there was a “reasonable chance” that a successful jab was ready for next winter in 2021-22.
The government has said that all pupils, in all age groups, in England will be expected to return to full class in September. Schools have already reopened in Scotland.
Prof Whitty, who is also the Chief Medical Officer of England, said “much more [children] were probably harmed by not going then harmed by “going to school.
“There is also very clear evidence from the UK and around the world that children are much less likely to get a serious illness and end up in hospital if they get symptomatic Covid,” he added.
His interview came as chief and deputy chief medical officers for all four UK nations said there were “no risk-free options” and it was important for parents and teachers to understand both the risks and benefits when reopening schools.
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Protective measures such as distance, hand washing and cleaning can reduce risks, said Prof Whitty
Labor MP Lucy Powell told BBC Breakfast that her party was concerned that the “chaos” caused by a heavily criticized A-level rating system and GCSE results had led schools to prepare “two valuable weeks that could be spent” for safe return to class.
The shadow ministry minister said schools could open up with greater confidence if the Department of Education provided “more clarity” for parents and teachers, improved the coronavirus contact tracing program, and offered more comprehensive testing – such as people without symptoms.
What is the message for parents?
Prof Whitty used his interview to highlight “overwhelming” evidence that in children not going to school are more likely to be “mentally and physically ill in the long run”.
He added that the vast majority of children who died from the virus had “very serious” pre-existing health conditions.
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics on Aging, 10 deaths were recorded as “due to Covid-19” among those aged 19 and under in England and Wales between March and June – and 46,725 deaths among the population of 20 and older.
Of the more than one million children who attended pre-school and primary schools in England in June, 70 children and 128 staff were infected in outbreaks of the virus, according to a Public Health England study published on Sunday.
It said most of the 30 outbreaks during that time were likely to have been caused by staff members infecting staff other than students, with only two outbreaks thought to involve students infecting other students.
The study also suggested that children who went to school in June were more likely to catch coronavirus at home than at school.
Prof Chris Whitty has spoken on behalf of all the UK’s Chief Medical Officers. But this rare interview reveals much more about his own views on how the virus develops in him.
More parents who will return to work with schools again are likely, he thinks, to increase the transmission of viruses and that may require restrictions in other areas.
He says people need to accept that, with autumn and winter, the pressure will increase.
He refers to “an incredibly narrow path” for walking to protect people from the virus without further damage to the economy, which means that “there is not very much room for maneuver”.
If the virus occurs among younger adults, he claims, it could spread to older and more vulnerable age groups. His conclusion is that there is still a really serious challenge at least nine months away.
This is a medical officer who probably does not seem to have any further restrictions and is willing to suggest tightening as that is the price to be paid for the vital purpose of getting children back to school.
Will children spread the virus to grandparents?
Prof Whitty said it looked like “there is much less transmission from children to adults than adults to adults”.
He said reopening schools would connect families in other ways – for example by parents meeting at school gates, or by mingling with others as a result of being able to return to work.
“The fact of open schools will probably lead to some increase in transfer, but a lot of that is indirect,” he said.
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Are school staff at risk?
Data show that staff spreading the virus to other staff members “may actually be more important than staff catching it from students,” said Prof Whitty.
He said that – just like other workplaces – “it is the staff that comes together and spreads it together” that can drive infections.
“Even with the best actions, you can not take that [risk of transmission] down to zero and we’re really clear about that and we do not want to suggest otherwise. “
Epidemiologist Prof Sian Griffiths told BBC Breakfast that returning school staff – and parents who can therefore return to work – should remember the “simple messages” about hygiene, such as regularly washing their hands and covering snow.
“Some of the times when people forget about transmission are, for example, in the staff room, or in the work canteen or in the coffee room at work … that’s how the disease is spread in situations outside homes,” he said. se.
Can schools ever be completely safe?
Prof Whitty said the risks can be minimized by having hygiene and cleaning measures in place, but warned that as with any workplace, “we can not say that the risk is taken to zero”.
The NASUWT faculty union said the “critical importance” of social distance and hygiene was reinforced by the statement of the chief medical officers.
The National Education Union accused the government of letting students and teachers out by missing a “Plan B” if there is a peak in infections.
It said the government should seek extra space, and mobilize mobilization personnel, to continue classes safely as infections increase.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said ministers were doing “everything we can” to help schools reopen.
He wrote in the Sunday Times, saying he wanted to reassure every parent and student that schools were “ready for them”, and the fall return to schools this year was “more important than ever”.
Meanwhile, Mr Williamson is defending his decision to visit Scarborough days before the release of A-level results in England, up to 40% of which will be changed after the first-grade system was dismantled.
Mr. Williamson said in a tweet that, while visiting family in Scarborough, he was in “constant communication” with the Department of Education.
Social media images show students sitting close to each other at schools in Scotland
Helen Carter, deputy head teacher at Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester, told BBC Breakfast that school would look “very different” for its students.
She said the school will have five separate entrances for each of its “year group bells,” and that children will only move to different classes for specific subjects such as PE and design and technology.
Ms Carter said she expected some parents to be convinced that the site “is as safe as we can make it, and children need to get back to school”.
“It’s been a long time coming, they need to keep busy with their learning – and it’s also the issue of mental health. Children need to be back in class, where teachers are best placed to look after them and their to help make the progress they need from their learning, ”she said.
Should face masks be worn in schools?
In Scotland, where students came to classrooms this month, there was criticism from students and parents about safety measures and the ability to maintain social distance.
And a school in Edinburgh has told pupils and staff to wear face masks as they move between lessons.
The World Health Organization has said children aged 12 and older should wear masks in accordance with national recommendations, with evidence indicating that young people can infect others in the same way as adults.
Children’s Minister Vicky Ford told Times Radio that children “normally do not have to wear face masks” at school, because when they form small bubbles with other children, it is clear who their close contacts are.
“That’s very different than, for example, if you were on public transportation or if you were at a mall where you do not know who you are mixing with,” she said.
“In the school setting, children and young people will be kept in their consistent groups – and that means that if there was an outbreak, it could be managed very quickly.”
What about the R-number and a fax?
The government’s latest estimate saw the R-number – the rate at which an infected person passes the virus on to someone else – increase to 0.9-1.1, meaning infections can grow.
On Saturday, the government said there were 1,228 newly confirmed cases.
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Prof Whitty said he would be “very surprised if we had a very effective vaccine ready for mass use in a large percentage of the population by the end of winter, certainly for this side of Christmas”.
He said that while humans were developing a vaccine at “extremely fast speeds”, the virus would pose a “really serious challenge” for the next nine months.
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