Reopening schools safely in the face of COVID-19: Can cluster randomized trials help?
Clin Trials
; 18(3): 371-376, 2021 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1040008
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of evidence-based health policymaking, as critical precautionary decisions, such as school closures, had to be made urgently on the basis of little evidence. As primary and secondary schools once again close in the face of surging infections, there is an opportunity to rigorously study their reopening. School-aged children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults, yet schools may drive community transmission of the virus. Given the impact of school closures on both education and the economy, schools cannot remain closed indefinitely. But when and how can they be reopened safely? We argue that a cluster randomized trial is a rigorous and ethical way to resolve these uncertainties. We discuss key scientific, ethical, and resource considerations both to inform trial design of school reopenings and to prompt discussion of the merits and feasibility of conducting such a trial.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Research Design
/
Schools
/
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Clin Trials
Journal subject:
Medicine
/
Therapeutics
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
1740774520984860
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS