Experts emphasize the importance of face-to-face learning for student development and access to essential services. On the other hand, in the case of Covid-19, hospitalization and mortality rates remain high across the country.
In an effort to find the right balance, schools have adopted varied approaches that include face-to-face learning, online learning and a hybrid of the two.
In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, CDC researchers noted that the type of spread seen in crowded offices and long-term care facilities was not reported in schools. Transmission at school occurred, but the researchers said there was little evidence that it contributed significantly to the increase in transmission in the community.
“Today’s commitment to policies that prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in communities and schools will help ensure the future social and academic well-being of all students and their education,” wrote the researchers in the JAMA article.
Two new CDC studies published on Tuesday in the agency’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report demonstrate that, with the right precautions, children can safely return to school.
Triple-layer, non-contact sports face masks
In the first study, the researchers analyzed data from 17 K-12 schools in rural Wood County, Wisconsin, who did face-to-face learning last fall. They found Covid-19 case rates lower than in the wider community and few cases of transmission at school.
Of 5,530 students and staff, 191 tested positive for Covid-19. The researchers found that the Covid-19 case rates in schools were 37% lower than in neighboring communities.
Contact tracking and investigation determined that seven of the 191 cases – 3.7%, all among students – were contracted at school. Three of the seven students with a positive test were from an elementary school class.
Schools did not conduct routine Covid-19 screening, but implemented mitigation measures.
For example, each student received three to five double or triple layer fabric masks. Masks were required in schools and, across the state, more than 92% of students of all age groups wore them.
Cohorts of 11 to 20 students of the same level of education met for classes and had lunch indoors, where students generally sat next to the same person. The cohorts were asked not to mix, and the researchers found no transmission at school between different cohorts.
Employees were instructed to mask social distance and to limit time in shared indoor spaces. If a student was out of school with symptoms of Covid-19, his siblings should also stay home.
When a student or employee tested positive for the virus, school officials used interviews to identify close contacts – anyone who was less than 2 meters from the person for more than 15 minutes over 24 hours. These close contacts were forced to quarantine at home, and if symptoms developed during that time, the authorities investigated whether the spread within the school was the cause.
The team says their findings suggest that, even with varying rates of positivity in the community, students are not necessarily at a greater risk of contracting the virus if they attend face-to-face classes. In fact, they say that being in a monitored environment, such as the classroom, can increase adherence to public health measures.
Extracurricular activities, such as indoor sports, could be another story, according to a separate CDC report published on Tuesday.
Two wrestling matches in Florida high schools became over-the-top events in December, when 54 of the 130 participants – wrestlers, coaches and referees – were tested for Covid-19, and 38 were positive. Among 91 close contacts of infected people, 43% tested positive for the virus. A contact, who was over 50, died.
It is not possible to maintain physical distance in high contact sports, and the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against wearing a mask during hand-to-hand combat, as this poses a risk of suffocation.
After calculating the amount of time everyone involved had to quarantine and isolate, the researchers estimated that there were 1,700 face-to-face class days lost due to the outbreak – a number that they say would probably have been greater if the outbreak had not occurred. so close to the end of the semester.
“Outbreaks among athletes who participate in high-contact sports can impact the personal learning of all students and increase the risk of secondary transmission at school and in the community with potentially serious results, including death,” wrote the researchers.