Incidence and Secondary Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Schools.
Pediatrics
; 147(4)2021 04.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1015975
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In an effort to mitigate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), North Carolina closed prekindergarten through grade 12 public schools to in-person instruction on March 14, 2020. On July 15, 2020, North Carolina's governor announced schools could open via remote learning or a hybrid model that combined in-person and remote instruction. In August 2020, 56 of 115 North Carolina school districts joined The ABC Science Collaborative (ABCs) to implement public health measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission and share lessons learned. We describe secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within participating school districts during the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 academic year.METHODS:
From August 15, 2020 to October 23, 2020, 11 of 56 school districts participating in ABCs were open for in-person instruction for all 9 weeks of the first quarter and agreed to track incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Local health department staff adjudicated secondary transmission. Superintendents met weekly with ABCs faculty to share lessons learned and develop prevention methods.RESULTS:
Over 9 weeks, 11 participating school districts had >90 000 students and staff attend school in person. Among these students and staff, 773 community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections were documented by molecular testing. Through contact tracing, health department staff determined an additional 32 infections were acquired within schools. No instances of child-to-adult transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were reported within schools.CONCLUSIONS:
In the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in North Carolina schools, we found extremely limited within-school secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2, as determined by contact tracing.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Schools
/
Education, Distance
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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