A new study found that hospitalization rates for people diagnosed with COVID-19 did not increase in most – but not all – U.S. counties when schools reopened, suggesting that it may be safe for more K-12 schools to return to learning presential.
For the study, the researchers focused on hospitalization rates from January to the end of October 2020 (before the new, more contagious strain COVID-19 was identified in the U.S.), rather than positivity rates, considering it a more accurate indicator. negative health outcomes. In counties where the total number of new COVID-19 hospitalization rates was below about 36 to 44 hospitalizations per 100,000 people per week before schools reopened, the study authors wrote that they found “no effect of school reopening. in person at the hospitalization of COVID-19 quotations. “
In counties with higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates (more than 36 to 44 hospitalizations per 100,000 people per week) before schools reopened, researchers found inconsistencies – some data showed higher COVD-19 hospitalization rates after schools reopened, while other data found the opposite – and considered it “inconclusive”.
The study authors wrote that there is a downside to opening schools in these high COVID-19 areas – that is, doing so can spread the virus, but they note that “school-age children seem less likely to transmit” or “suffer mortality” The virus.
They also emphasize that returning to face-to-face school can “improve other health outcomes for students and their families in other ways”, including mental health and physical abuse (teachers are more likely to report child abuse).
Although the study’s authors called the closing of physical schools a “reasonable reaction to an uncertain and fluid pandemic”, they wrote that the decision exacerbates the “short and long-term social and economic crisis”. They point out that remote learning “forced many parents to leave the job market or work at home, while supporting their children’s learning”.
“There are academic consequences that we are well aware of, but there are also health consequences,” Douglas Harris, lead author of the study and professor and head of the economics department at Tulane University, told Yahoo Life. “Children are more likely to suffer from mental illness, abuse and malnutrition. These health consequences of keeping schools closed need to be weighed against the consequences of possible spread of COVID when schools are opened in person. “
The study authors also distinguish between elementary and high schools and colleges. They say the colleges are “able to spread viruses, especially in residential colleges, where students come from afar and live in dormitories or other group accommodations.”
They add that “students are likely to bring the virus to campus with them, spread the virus in dormitories and social settings, and then bring the virus home during breaks and holidays. Several studies have shown an increase in the positivity of COVID-19 in university-age adults and in the general population living near colleges. “
Harris told Yahoo Life that it is “very likely safer” to reopen elementary and high schools in person “compared to residential colleges where students live on campus”.
“Young people in schools seem less susceptible to the virus and, at the end of the day, return to their individual homes and apartments,” adds Harris. “But college students live in dormitories, where the spread of viruses is difficult to contain. In addition, the indirect effects of keeping schools closed are worse – young adults in college can learn more remotely than young children, and learning remotely does not require parents to reduce their working hours like K-12 schools. “
Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said EdWeek in November 2020, that some school districts are being “very cautious” with school closures. “I have no doubt that schools need to be bolder than they are. There is a great cost to children’s mental health. And we know that this will substantially increase the performance gap between white / wealthier students and black / poor students. The effect will be felt for a long time. “
Jha adds: “You always have to weigh these costs very high in relation to the cost of going back to personal education. Obviously, if going back to face-to-face education would lead to many infections and deaths, you would say, OK, this is a cost that we cannot afford. But districts that are being very cautious are doing huge damage to children and families in their communities. ”
Dr. Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford Medicine, told Yahoo Life that schools can be reopened safely, with certain precautions to protect students and teachers. “It’s all about risk mitigation,” says Lee. “We need multiple layers of protection. None is perfect, but if we stack them, we can guarantee the safety of children and teachers. This means vaccines, masking, social distance, cohort / bubbles, environmental / engineering controls, hand hygiene, testing, contact tracking, etc. The difficulty is that most of these interventions depend on behavior and require high adherence all the time, which is difficult to do. The good thing about vaccines is that they are two doses and 95% protection. Therefore, it is an easier layer of protection to achieve. “
Harris told Yahoo Life that the study provides “important new evidence on the public health consequences” of the reopening of schools, “showing that it is still safe in most counties, but not in others”. Harris hopes the report “will help our leaders see compensation more clearly”, adding: “There are no ‘risk-free’ or perfect options and we have to do the best we can in these difficult circumstances.”
To latest coronavirus news and updates, go together on https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and immunocompromised remain the most at risk. If you have questions, consult the CDC‘sand Who is it resource guides.
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