A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that face-to-face classes at K-12 schools do not appear to lead to increases in COVID-19 when compared to areas that have only online learning.
The CDC study noted that, in the week beginning December 6, cases of coronavirus among the general population in counties where K-12 schools were opened for face-to-face learning were similar to rates in counties that were only online.
“The CDC recommends that K-12 schools be the last configurations to be closed after all other mitigation measures have been employed and the first to reopen when they can safely do so,” wrote the report’s authors.
As of December 7, about 62 percent of K-12 school districts were offering full or partial personal learning, but reports of outbreaks in schools were limited, according to the CDC.
Between March 1 and December 12, nearly 3 million cases of COVID-19 among children, adolescents and young adults were reported in the United States, the report said.
The analysis found that the number of COVID-19 positive cases was lower among children aged 10 years and younger compared to older children and young adults.
Nearly 60 percent of cases occurred in young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, according to the CDC, while children between the ages of 14 and 17 were responsible for 16 percent of the cases.
Children between 11 and 13 years old represented 8% of the cases, and children between 5 and 10 years old represented 11% of the cases. Children aged 4 years and under represented 7.4% of the cases.
The lower number of cases among younger children suggests that the risk of introducing and transmitting COVID-19 in daycare centers and primary schools “may be less” than the reopening of secondary schools and higher education institutions, the authors wrote.
The data does not indicate that the highest number of cases among adults was preceded by increases among children or adolescents, the report found.
“Schools provide a structured environment that can support adherence to critical mitigation measures to help prevent and delay the spread of COVID-19,” wrote the authors.
“When transmission in the community is greater, cases in schools should be expected and, as in any group environment, schools can contribute to the transmission of COVID-19, especially when mitigation measures such as universal and adequate masking are not implemented or in a row, ”they added.
The report found that the number of cases among young adults, however, was higher than in other age groups during autumn and summer, preceding increases among other age groups, “suggesting that young adults may contribute more to transmission in the community than younger children. “