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A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in-person classes at K-12 schools do not appear to lead to an increase in COVID-19 compared to areas where learning is only online .
The CDC study noted that in the week starting December 6, cases of coronavirus in the general population of counties where K-12 schools were open for in-person learning were similar to rates in counties that were in. line only.
“The CDC recommends that Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools be the last facilities to close after all other mitigation measures have been employed and the first to reopen when it is safe to do so,” wrote the authors of the report.
As of Dec. 7, about 62% of K-12 school districts offered full or partial in-person learning, but reports of outbreaks in schools have been limited, according to the CDC.
Between March 1 and December 12, nearly 3 million cases of COVID-19 in children, adolescents and young adults were reported in the United States, according to the report.
The analysis found that the number of positive COVID-19 cases was lower in children 10 years of age and under compared to older children and young adults.
Almost 60% of cases were in young adults aged 18 to 24, according to the CDC, while children aged 14 to 17 accounted for 16% of cases.
Children aged 11 to 13 made up 8% of cases, and children aged 5 to 10 made up 11% of cases. Children aged 4 and under accounted for 7.4% of cases.
The smaller number of cases among young children suggests that the risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in day care centers and elementary schools “may be lower” than reopening high schools and higher education institutions, wrote the authors.
The data does not indicate that the higher number of cases in adults was preceded by increases in children or adolescents, according to the report.
“Schools provide a structured environment that can support adherence to critical mitigation measures to help prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19,” the authors wrote.
“When community transmission is higher, cases are to be expected in schools, and as in any group setting, schools can contribute to the transmission of COVID-19, especially when mitigation measures such that universal and appropriate masking is not implemented or followed, ”they added.
The report found that the number of cases in young adults, however, was higher than in other age groups through the fall and summer, preceding increases in other age groups, “this which suggests that young adults may contribute more to community transmission than young children. “
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