School children at more risk from ‘flu or road accident’ than coronavirus, says deputy CMO
Dr Jenny Harries addresses parents’ fears as Boris Johnson says odds of pupils contracting the virus are ‘very small’
School children are at greater risk from “seasonal flu” or a “road traffic accident” than from coronavirus, England’s deputy chief medical officer has insisted.
Dr Jenny Harries told Sky News this morning that she “can understand entirely” why parents are wary about sending their children back to classrooms when the new academic year begins next week. But “a well-controlled school environment, with the information and knowledge that we have about Covid now, should be a safe one”, she said.
“No environment is not completely risk-free,” Harries continued. “Every time a parent sent their child off to school pre-Covid, they may have been involved in a road traffic accident, there are all sort of things.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“And, in fact, that risk, or the risk from seasonal flu, we think is probably higher than the current risks of Covid.”
Harries’ intervention comes as Boris Johnson “moves to seize control of the schools agenda” after being criticised for heading off for a holiday in Scotland amid the “exams chaos”, says The Guardian.
After returning to Downing Street, prime minister has insisted in a statement today that the risk of contracting coronavirus in school is low and that “it is far more damaging for a child’s development and their health and well-being to be away from school any longer”.
“We have always been guided by our scientific and medical experts, and we now know far more about coronavirus than we did earlier this year,” Johnson said.
“As the chief medical officer has said, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small.”
The PM’s “plea to parents” comes amid fears that parental concerns are “the final stumbling block in ministers’ efforts to return youngsters to full-time education”, says The Telegraph.
“Johnson’s message has been given the added backing of new Public Health England figures showing the reopening of schools in June did not lead to a single child being hospitalised with coronavirus,” the paper adds.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Nuclear near-misses
The Explainer From technical glitches to fateful split-second decisions, the world has come to the brink of nuclear war more times than you might think
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
'This isn't judicial restraint — it's judicial activism'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is David Cameron overshadowing Rishi Sunak?
Talking Point Current PM faces 'thorny dilemma' as predecessor enjoys return to world stage
By The Week UK Published
-
Less than total recall
Editor's Letter Why our brains want to forget the darkest days of the pandemic
By Theunis Bates Published
-
'A wonky bureaucratic tweak has dramatically changed how Americans drive'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'Mississippi sheriffs wield a tremendous authority in the counties they police'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Can Boris Johnson save Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question Former PM could 'make the difference' between losing the next election and annihilation
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published