ABSTRACT
Background. In-person learning is important for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) because of the additional health, vocational, and functional services for students at these schools. It may be difficult to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission in IDD schools because students require assistance with activities of daily living such as eating, during which social distancing and masking cannot occur. Surveillance testing and cluster tracking in schools for children with IDD, which may be considered high-risk environments for transmissions, could have benefits for mitigating transmission and keeping students in schools. The objective of this study was to identify SARS-CoV-2 clusters in IDD specific schools to compare viral transmission in delta and BA.1 variant waves. Methods. A saliva-based PCR test was offered to students and staff for weekly SARS-CoV-2 screening at six Special School District (SSD) schools dedicated to children with IDD. Clusters, which are considered 2 or more positives cases in the same classroom having an epidemiological link, were then recorded. All weekly testing took place between November 23, 2020 and May 27, 2022. Clusters were recorded from November 15, 2021 to January 28, 2022. A Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables. Results. 545 (90%) and 113 (16%) students participated in weekly testing. 160 participants tested positive throughout the study, 23 (14%) during the delta variant wave and 115 (72%) during the BA.1 variant wave. There was no significant variation in age, race, ethnicity, gender, or vaccination status between positive cases recorded from alpha, delta, and BA.1 variant waves (Table 1). Notably, the vaccination rate of positive participants was lower than the vaccination rate of participants who did not test positive. 42 clusters were recorded, 3 (7%) during the delta variant wave and 39 (93%) during the BA.1 variant wave (Fig. 1). Conclusion. The highly transmissible BA.1 variant resulted in an increase in clusters observed in IDD specific schools. Mitigation strategies for less transmissible alpha and delta waves were not as effective in reducing transmission during the BA.1 wave.
ABSTRACT
Background. Case and contact investigation is a mitigation strategy to understand transmission of diseases. The goal of this study is to assess COVID-19 transmission in schools that employ contact tracing. Methods. Five middle and high schools provided a list of ongoing student and staff cases and their school contacts for the 2021-22 school year. Cases were eligible for interview if they had a known positive test or were a 'presumed positive' by a practitioner. Contacts were eligible if they were identified as a close contact to a case within their school. Contacts who later became a case were eligible for a separate case interview. Trained interviewers contacted eligible individuals to offer COVID-19 resources and determine interests in participating in the study. Interested cases and contacts underwent a semi-structured interview with standardized questions. Results. From 5/2021-4/2022, 360 cases (45% during Omicron surge) and their 412 contacts were identified (Fig 1).Among the 111 cases interviewed, 75% were students, half were in grades 6-8 (Fig 2). 61% of the cases were vaccinated with their primary series. 92% were symptomatic and fatigue, cough, and headaches were the most common symptoms. Transmission from school occurred in 29% (Fig 3) and most commonly occurred in the classroom. Among the 68 contacts interviewed, 96% were students. The two most reported activities contacts participated in were band (n=9) and sports (n=22), 10 from playing basketball. Three contacts reported exposure to COVID-19 within the household and five contacts reported exposure outside the home or school. Conclusion. Case and contact investigation can be a valuable tool to assess COVID-19 transmission in schools. Almost one-third of cases reported school exposures, a greater school transmission rate than previous reported likely do to the increased transmissibility of Omicron. Assessing transmission events with this strategy alone may be limited by its reliance on self-reports. Case investigations can help schools identify potential areas to improve in limiting school-based COVID-19 transmission.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted educators, both personally and professionally. However, very little is known about the extent of these impacts among educators' serving children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The present study surveyed 230 educators (teachers, staff, and administrators) to assess their wellbeing, concerns during the pandemic, and perceived importance of various COVID-19 school mitigation strategies. Data were gathered May/June of 2021 from two separate school districts, one in the Midwest and the other in the Mid-Atlantic, serving children with IDD. Nearly half of all survey respondents reported poor wellbeing. Almost all educators reported health of themselves, students, and family members was their greatest concern when compared to pandemic-related disruption of their duties or benefits (e.g., not having enough sick time). Most educators felt disinfecting routines, vaccinations, and daily health checks were the most helpful in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in schools, while in-school mask mandates and weekly testing of students and staff were perceived as less helpful. Our findings suggest that efforts are needed to support the wellbeing of educators during these challenging times. When pandemic-related policies and procedures are decided by administrators, our data suggest educators will review decisions within the framework of health and safety of themselves, their students, and families. Understanding this framework may be particularly valuable when considering implementation of COVID-19 policies, like masking and COVID-19 testing, that are less preferred.