CDC Researchers See Little In-Person Evidence School Leads COVID-19 Infection

(Reuters) – Studies in the United States and abroad have found little evidence to prove schools are spreading COVID-19 infections, showing a “way forward” to in-person classes, said Tuesday researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The risk of catching COVID-19 in schools and allowing in-person learning or sticking to online courses has been a hot topic of debate in many countries, including the United States.

Although there was some evidence of transmission at school, “the preponderance of available evidence from the fall semester has been reassuring,” the researchers said in an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (JAMA) Network. (bit.ly/3a69ZOn)

“While many schools have reopened for in-person instruction in parts of the United States as well as overseas, there have been reports of school-related COVID-19 cases, but there are little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increased community transmission, ”the CDC said.

The authors partially mentioned a new CDC study of rural Wisconsin schools, where student mask wear was high. The incidence of COVID-19 in the 17 primary and secondary schools was 37% lower than in the wider community, with no school-acquired infection among staff members.

“Based on the results of our data set, with proper precautions such as distance and wearing face masks, it appears that staff in adult schools are unlikely to contract COVID-19 in the classroom,” he said. said Amy Falk, study author, Aspirus Hospitals and Clinics. , said in an email response.

JAMA CDC scientists have said that school closures could affect academic progress, mental health and access to essential services.

They said mitigation measures such as universal mask use, social distancing and ventilation were key to avoiding infection.

In the Wisconsin study, only seven of 191 cases (3.7%) identified among 5,530 students and staff during the period August 31 to November 29, 2020, were associated with school transmission, all in students, the researchers reported.

Social distancing was necessary and wearing a mask was reported over 92%. Classes were conducted in stable cohorts, with lunch and classes taking place indoors. However, no systematic screening for COVID-19 has been carried out in schools or the community, and the wearing of student masks has only been recorded by some teachers, according to the Wisconsin study, published in the weekly report. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly.

Researchers found widespread virus transmission in the surrounding community during the study period, with 7% to 40% of Wood County’s COVID-19 tests showing positive results.

The incidence of COVID-19 among students and study staff translated to 3,453 cases per 100,000 in schools compared to 5,466 per 100,000 in the wider community.