Teachers can play a role in transmitting COVID-19 to schools: US CDC

(Reuters) – Teachers can play an important role in transmitting COVID-19 in schools, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday, citing a study conducted in elementary schools in a school district from Georgia.

The report comes after agency researchers last month said there was little evidence schools were spreading COVID-19 infections in the country – partly based on a study of schools from Wisconsin – allaying concerns about being allowed in-person learning. The Wisconsin study found that the spread of the virus in schools was significantly less than in surrounding communities.

An investigation of about 2,600 students and 700 elementary school staff in a school district in Georgia revealed nine clusters of COVID-19 cases involving 13 educators and 32 students in six elementary schools, the CDC said.

Of these, two groups involved probable teacher-to-teacher transmission, followed by teacher-to-student transmission in classrooms, the agency said in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report.

Transmission by teachers resulted in about half of 31 school-related cases, according to the survey.

The study was subject to certain limitations, including the difficulty in determining whether transmission of the coronavirus occurred at school or in the local community, the agency noted.

Distinguishing between the two types of transmission was especially difficult when the average number of 7-day cases per 100,000 people exceeded 150, according to the agency.

The CDC said the COVID-19 vaccination of educators should be considered an additional mitigation measure to be added when available, although it is not required for schools to reopen.