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Scottish Teachers Did Not Face an Elevated Risk of Severe COVID-19 When Schools Were Open

by Noah Carl
15 September 2021 11:03 AM

It’s been known since early in the pandemic that children’s risk of death from COVID-19 is extremely low. However, proponents of school closures have long argued that keeping schools open would put teachers at significant risk.

Back in January, six teaching unions urged the Government to “pause” school reopenings. They argued that returning pupils to classrooms while the virus was still spreading would expose education workers to “serious risk of ill-health”.

However, figures published by the ONS later that month cast serious doubt on the unions’ claims. Between March and December of 2020, the COVID-19 death rate among education workers – adjusted for age and sex – was “significantly lower” than that among the general population.

The highest death rates were observed among taxi drivers, machine operators, security guards, restaurant workers, and social care staff – i.e., in working class professions.

One potential criticism of the ONS report is that the researchers took an average over ten months, and schools were closed for much of that time. Perhaps the risk for teachers would have been much higher if schools had stayed open?

A new study published in The BMJ confirms that Scottish teachers were not at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 even when schools were open.

The authors analysed a large dataset comprising all the confirmed cases in Scotland up to June 2021, as well as a large sample of controls matched for age, sex and location. This dataset included over 25,000 teaching staff.

The authors’ main finding is shown in the figure below. Periods of interest are the autumn term of 2020 and the summer term of 2021, since this is when schools were open. In both periods, teachers’ risk of hospitalisation was not significantly higher than that of the general population.

The authors also estimated more complex models that controlled for a range of demographic characteristics, and confirmed there was no significant difference between teachers and the general population during the periods when schools were open.

This is consistent with the Swedish study which found that keeping primary and lower-secondary schools open had little impact on the spread of COVID-19.

One could reasonably argue that in-person teaching qualifies as an ‘essential’ service, especially if we’re talking about younger children. Given that teachers were at no greater risk than the general population, the unions’ case against in-person teaching falls apart.

Tags: HospitalisationsSchoolsTeaching Unions

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30 Comments
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For a fist full of roubles
For a fist full of roubles
1 year ago

Oh well, as long as he says sorry, that is all right; as long as you apologise, hurty speech is permitted.Perhaps he ought to make that clear to the Met.

88
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
1 year ago

I would consider an “apology” from the Khant as a downright insult. What an appalling stain on humanity and the world this creature is.

97
-2
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
1 year ago

Off -T.

https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/eco-terrorists-blight-on-the-countryside/

There is an eco nutter march in London coming up on Saturday 22nd June. I look forward to the Merry Met Mice bashing a few heads on the day.

Well, it’s something to look forward to.

Last edited 1 year ago by huxleypiggles
44
-3
Mogwai
Mogwai
1 year ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

I don’t think we need to keep saying ”two-tier policing” because the jury’s in, it’s an undeniable fact now. More footage than you can shake a stick at. But here’s a short clip highlighting the contrast nevertheless. Shall we see how many police horses we can count tomorrow, when the hate marches hit the streets again? St George’s flag-bad, Palestinian/Jihad flag-good. It’s just how it is;

https://twitter.com/dannyroscoe7/status/1783206781734564264

55
-4
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
1 year ago
Reply to  Mogwai

Thanks for the link Mogs 👍

15
-4
Ron Smith
Ron Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  Mogwai

Someone mentioned the way to deal with Horses is marbles, this lady has some ideas:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNiP-AXMMdY&t=600s

5
-4
Ron Smith
Ron Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

They won’t bash their heads, they await the ‘Far Right’.

6
0
Freddy Boy
Freddy Boy
1 year ago

Muslim sounding name 😂it couldn’t sound any more Muslim 🤪 + Mehdi Hasan !! Dear me , have a listen to an old clip of him blarting over some thousand year old misdemeanour involving He who can’t be named 😵‍💫

31
-2
varmint
varmint
1 year ago

So according to Khan’s way of thinking people only despise ULEZ because a Muslim implemented it.

41
0
bertieboy
bertieboy
1 year ago

An ‘apology’ – really?

Last edited 1 year ago by bertieboy
10
0
Dinger64
Dinger64
1 year ago

Apologise?

5
0
Dinger64
Dinger64
1 year ago

Sad dick will win! London is not English anymore….leave!

17
0
Dinger64
Dinger64
1 year ago

Sadiq Khan is totally venerated!

London is lost, live with it!

12
-1
Marque1
Marque1
1 year ago

Slimy little turd! Nothing more to add.

11
0

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