Coronavirus: Study Says Schools Close …

Specifically, the research analyzed which “government-implemented non-pharmaceutical measures” were most effective in reducing infections. According to what is described in the article, after social meetings (with 83%) the suspension of face-to-face classes contributes 73% to the reduction of R, that is, to reduce the number of individuals that a person with covid is able to spread. To achieve such results, researchers collected data in 79 countries and validated it with additional information collected in over 200 different districts.

The limitation of social gatherings and the closing of schools are not the only factors taken into account, however. The scientific team analyzed more than six thousand measures implemented by different nations. Among the most important in reducing the spread of Sars CoV-2, others such as improve health care capacity, restrict individual movements, curfew (limitation of movement at night), border closure and the temporary closure closed places where people can stay for a long time, such as restaurants and gastronomic places.

In the study, the scientists concluded that the ideal is the combination of several measures, which are adjusted in each case to the context of implementation. They also pointed out that While the school attendance factor was not initially considered a source of viral spread, (recent) approaches in the United States claim that closing educational institutions reduces incidence by 60%. of coronavirus and mortality. In Korea, even studies have been published which have verified that children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are more likely to spread the virus than adults.

The impact on the little ones

According to the archives of the CABA pediatric hospital network, from the third week of February to date, there has been a very significant increase in diagnosed cases of Covid. This is confirmed Oscar Trotta, pediatrician at Garrahan Hospital. “Today we have 37 hospitalized Covid patients, 34 in intermediate care and three in intensive care.” Then he continues: “The last time, cases from 0 to 9 years in CABA increased sharply: we had 80 cases on February 18 and we had 363 on April 19. During the same period, the number of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 quadrupled: from 360 we went to 1,598“.

From here, Trotta discusses this idea that some opposition media still support: that boys are not contagious. “The truth is which is a huge mistake. They are carriers and issuers. The only bright spot is that for the most part younger people don’t develop serious illness unless they have co-morbidities, but they spread, they spread like everyone elseSaid Trotta. Fortunately, 80% of children and adolescents are asymptomatic and the rest develop illness that varies from mild to moderate. In Garrahan’s case, those who are in intensive care face more serious illness than usual because they have previous pathologies that place them in risk groups.

According to the pediatrician, the increase is due to the general increase in infections the country is facing as part of a new wave and, sometimes, the opening of face-to-face classes. “Obviously, school closures are one of the most effective measures to reduce infections. Along with other restrictions, such as limits on nightlife and mass events, many countries have chosen to shut them down for a while upon seeing this situation.», Specifies the specialist. Then he continues his reasoning: “The point is that Not only should safety be discussed in the classroom or in the bubble, but everything in the face-to-face process should be considered. From the moment they leave their home, the family member accompanying them, the conversations adults have when they take children away, those who go to a companion. Not only are they infected, but the whole family environment and the teachers themselves“.

Consequences

What has been shown around the world is that many people who receive their epidemiological discharge and no longer have covid, face sequelae that could affect the normal functioning of their organs. The scientific community is gathering evidence to confirm that ‘mind fog’, for example, is one effect COVID-19 could cause in people who – even – had it mildly and without previous conditions. It is a cognitive symptom that has been reported worldwide and could be associated with memory loss, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, headache, and frequent confusion.

Children and adolescents, in turn, also experience their own after-effects.. “Some of those who are recovering from covid then present the Kawasaki disease. Inflammation of the arteries in the body that damages major organs, such as the kidneys, heart, liver, and brain. It’s multi-system and multi-organ, ”Trotta describes. Although its mortality is low (three in 100,000 patients die), the boys must be hospitalized and receive corticosteroids, which becomes a situation that disables them and prevents them from continuing their routine. “We already had patients with Kawasaki. So that by registering more cases of pediatric age, we will begin to have, at the same time, more cases of this type of pathology which, above all, occurs in children under the age of five, ”he underlines.