Researchers at CDC see little evidence that the school itself encourages COVID-19 infection

(Reuters) – Studies in the United States and abroad found little evidence that schools were spreading COVID-19 infections, showing a “way forward” for face-to-face classes, researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. from the USA on Tuesday.

The risk of taking COVID-19 in schools and allowing face-to-face learning or continuing with online classes has been a hot topic of debate in many countries, including the United States.

While there was some evidence of transmission within the school, “the prevalence of evidence available in the fall term has been reassuring,” the researchers said in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network. (bit.ly/3a69ZOn)

“As many schools have reopened for face-to-face teaching in some parts of the US, as well as internationally, school cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increasing transmission in the community,” said the CDC.

The authors pointed in part to a new CDC study of rural Wisconsin schools, where student mask use was high. The incidence of COVID-19 in primary and secondary schools was 37% lower than in the general community, with no infections acquired at school among employees.

“Given the findings of our data set, with appropriate precautions, such as distance and use of facial covers, it appears that adult school staff are unlikely to hire COVID-19 in the classroom,” study author Amy Falk of Aspirus Hospitals and Clinics, said in an email response.

Scientists from CDC at JAMA said that school closures can affect academic progress, mental health and access to essential services.

They said that mitigation measures, such as wearing a universal mask, social distance and ventilation, are key to preventing infections.

In the Wisconsin study, only seven of the 191 cases (3.7%) identified among 5,530 students and staff members during the period from August 31 to November 29, 2020 were associated with in-school transmission, all in students, reported The researchers.

Social distance was necessary and the use of a mask was reported in more than 92%. Classes were held in stable cohorts with lunch and classes taking place indoors. However, no systematic screening of COVID-19 has been conducted in schools or in the community, and student mask use has been mapped by only a few teachers, according to the Wisconsin study, published in the CDC’s weekly morbidity and mortality report .

The researchers found widespread transmission of the virus in the surrounding community during the study period, with 7% to 40% of COVID-19 tests in Wood County showing positive results.

The incidence of COVID-19 among students and staff in the study was translated into 3,453 cases per 100,000 in schools versus 5,466 per 100,000 in the general community.