CDC researchers find “little evidence” of schools contributing to the spread of COVID – indicating that personal learning is SAFE if precautions are taken
- Studies in the United States have found little evidence that schools are spreading COVID-19
- This shows a “way forward” to in-person courses, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.
- Although there was evidence of transmission to the school, “the preponderance of available evidence from the fall school semester was reassuring,” they said.
- CDC said “there is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to community outreach.”
Studies in the United States and abroad have shown little evidence that schools are spreading COVID-19 infections, showing a “way forward” to in-person classes, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.
The risk of catching COVID-19 in schools and whether to allow personal learning or stay with online courses has been a hot topic of debate in many countries, including the United States.
While there was some evidence of transmission to the school, “the predominance of available evidence from the fall school semester was reassuring,” the researchers said in an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network (JAMA).
Studies in the United States and abroad have shown little evidence that schools are spreading COVID-19 infections, showing a “way forward” to in-person classes, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.
The CDC said “there was little evidence that schools had made a significant contribution to community outreach.” More than 25.4 million infections have been reported in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic last year
“Because many schools have reopened for personal instruction in some parts of the US, as well as internationally, school-related cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there is little evidence that schools have significantly contributed to increasing community outreach. , said the CDC.
The authors partially highlighted a new CDC study of rural Wisconsin schools, where students’ masks were worn.
The incidence of COVID-19 in the 17 elementary through high school was 37% lower than in the wider community, with no infections acquired at school among staff members.
“Given the findings in our dataset, with appropriate precautions such as spacing and wearing face masks, it seems unlikely that adult school staff will contract COVID-19 in the classroom,” the study author said. Amy Falk of Aspirus Hospitals and Clinics said in an email response.
CDC scientists at JAMA said school closures could affect academic progress, mental health and access to essential services.
They said mitigation measures, such as universal mask use, social distancing and ventilation, are essential to prevent infection.
The researchers pointed in part to a CDC study of schools in Wisconsin, where students wore masks. The incidence of COVID-19 in the 17 elementary through high school was 37% lower than in the general community, without infections acquired at school among staff members
In the Wisconsin study, only seven of the 191 cases (3.7 percent) identified among 5,530 students and staff members between August 31 and November 29, 2020, were associated with school-based transmission, all to students, they reported. researchers.
Social distancing was necessary, and wearing a mask was reported at over 92%.
The courses were taught in stable cohorts, both lunch and classes take place indoors.
No systematic COVID-19 screening was performed in schools or in the community, but students’ masks were worn by only a few teachers, according to a Wisconsin study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report.
The researchers found widespread transmission of the virus to the surrounding community during the study period, with 7 to 40 percent of COVID-19 tests in Wood County showing positive results.
The incidence of COVID-19 among students and staff members in the study translated into 3,453 cases per 100,000 in schools compared to 5,466 per 100,000 in the wider community.