CDC researchers find ‘little evidence’ of schools contributing to the spread of COVID – indicating that face-to-face learning is SAFE if precautions are taken
- US studies found little evidence that schools were spreading COVID-19
- This shows a ‘way forward’ for face-to-face classes, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.
- Although there was evidence of transmission within the school, ‘the preponderance of evidence available in the fall term was reassuring,’ they said.
- The CDC said that ‘there is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increasing community transmission’
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 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 at 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.
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.
The CDC said that ‘there is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to the increase in transmission in the community’. There have been more than 25.4 million infections reported in the U.S. since the pandemic began last year
‘As many schools have reopened for face-to-face teaching in parts of the United States, as well as internationally, cases related to the COVID-19 school 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 percent lower than in the general community, with no school-acquired infections among employees.
“Given the findings from our data set, with appropriate precautions, such as distance and wearing 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.
The researchers pointed in part to a CDC study of Wisconsin schools, where student masks were high. The incidence of COVID-19 in primary and secondary schools was 37% lower than in the general community, with no school-acquired infections among employees
In the Wisconsin study, only seven of the 191 cases (3.7 percent) 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 percent.
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 neighboring community during the study period, with 7 to 40 percent of Wood County’s COVID-19 tests 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.