Infection and transmission of COVID-19 among students and teachers in schools in Japan after the reopening in June 2020.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wada K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7526027 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundLittle is known about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in educational settings. Public Health England initiated a study, COVID-19 Surveillance in School KIDs (sKIDs), in primary schools when they partially reopened from June 1, 2020, after the first national lockdown in England to estimate the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence, and seroconversion in staff and students.MethodssKIDs, an active, prospective, surveillance study, included two groups: the weekly swabbing group and the blood sampling group. The swabbing group underwent weekly nasal swabs for at least 4 weeks after partial school reopening during the summer half-term (June to mid-July, 2020). The blood sampling group additionally underwent blood sampling for serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to measure previous infection at the beginning (June 1-19, 2020) and end (July 3-23, 2020) of the summer half-term, and, after full reopening in September, 2020, and at the end of the autumn term (Nov 23-Dec 18, 2020). We tested for predictors of SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity using logistic regression. We calculated antibody seroconversion rates for participants who were seronegative in the first round and were tested in at least two rounds.FindingsDuring the summer half-term, 11 966 participants (6727 students, 4628 staff, and 611 with unknown staff or student status) in 131 schools had 40 501 swabs taken. Weekly SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were 4·1 (one of 24 463; 95% CI 0·1-21·8) per 100 000 students and 12·5 (two of 16 038; 1·5-45·0) per 100 000 staff. At recruitment, in 45 schools, 91 (11·2%; 95% CI 7·9-15·1) of 816 students and 209 (15·1%; 11·9-18·9) of 1381 staff members were positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, similar to local community seroprevalence. Seropositivity was not associated with school attendance during lockdown (p=0·13 for students and p=0·20 for staff) or staff contact with students (p=0·37). At the end of the summer half-term, 603 (73·9%) of 816 students and 1015 (73·5%) of 1381 staff members were still participating in the surveillance, and five (four students, one staff member) seroconverted. By December, 2020, 55 (5·1%; 95% CI 3·8-6·5) of 1085 participants who were seronegative at recruitment (in June, 2020) had seroconverted, including 19 (5·6%; 3·4-8·6) of 340 students and 36 (4·8%; 3·4-6·6) of 745 staff members (p=0·60).InterpretationIn England, SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were low in primary schools following their partial and full reopening in June and September, 2020.FundingUK Department of Health and Social Care.
| S-EPMC9764982 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and objectivesThe role of schools in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the community is still controversial. The objective of our study was to describe the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infections in different pediatric age groups during the first 2 months of the fall back-to-school period, in the context of increasing viral transmission in France.MethodsWeekly epidemiological data provided by Santé Publique France and the Ministry of National Education were analyzed according to the age groups defined by the different school levels. Weeks (W) 34-42 were considered for analysis.ResultsThe PCR positivity rate and incidence rate increased in all age groups during the study period, in an age-dependent manner. At W42, with adults being considered as reference, the risk ratio for a positive PCR test was 0.46 [95% CI: 0.44-0.49] and 0.69 [0.68-0.70] for children aged 0-5 years and 6-17 years, respectively. Similarly, the incidence rate ratio was 0.09 [0.08-0.09], 0.31 [0.30-0.32], 0.64 [0.63-0.66], and 1.07 [1.05-1.10] for children aged 0-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-14 years, and 15-17 years, respectively. Children and adolescents accounted for 1.9% of the newly hospitalized patients between W34 and W42, and for 1.3% of new intensive care admissions. No death was observed. Among infected children and adolescents, the percentage of asymptomatic individuals was 57% at W34 and 48% at W42. The number of schools closed remained low, less than 1% throughout the study period. The number of confirmed cases among school staff was consistent with the data measured in the general population.ConclusionIn the context of increasing viral transmission in the population, the spread among children and adolescents remained lower than that observed among adults, despite keeping schools open. However, the impact was age-dependent, with data in high schools close to those observed in adults.
| S-EPMC7883717 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess implementation and ease of implementation of control measures in schools as reported by staff and parents.DesignA descriptive cross-sectional survey.SettingStaff and parents/guardians of the 132 primary schools and 19 secondary schools participating in COVID-19 surveillance in school kids (sKIDs and sKIDsPLUS Studies).Main outcome measurePrevalence of control measures implemented in schools in autumn 2020, parental and staff perception of ease of implementation.ResultsIn total, 56 of 151 (37%) schools participated in this study, with 1953 parents and 986 staff members completing the questionnaire. Most common measures implemented by schools included regular hand cleaning for students (52 of 56, 93%) and staff (70 of 73, 96%), as reported by parents and staff, respectively, and was among the easiest to implement at all times for students (57%) and even more so, for staff (78%). Maintaining 2-metre distancing was less commonly reported for students (24%-51%) as it was for staff (81%-84%), but was one of the most difficult to follow at all times for students (25%) and staff (16%) alike. Some measures were more commonly reported by primary school compared to secondary school parents, including keeping students within the same small groups (28 of 41, 68% vs 8 of 15, 53%), ensuring the same teacher for classes (29 of 41, 71% vs 6 of 15, 40%). On the other hand, wearing a face covering while at school was reported by three-quarters of secondary school parents compared with only parents of 4 of 41 (10%) primary schools. Other measures such as student temperature checks (5%-13%) and advising staff work from home if otherwise healthy (7%-15%) were rarely reported.ConclusionsVariable implementation of infection control measures was reported, with some easier to implement (hand hygiene) than others (physical distancing).
| S-EPMC9527746 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 transmission within schools and its contribution to community transmission are still a matter of debate.MethodsA retrospective cohort study in all public schools in Catalonia was conducted using publicly available data assessing the association between the number of reported SARS-CoV-2 cases among students and staff in weeks 1-2 (Sept 14-27th, 2020) of the academic year with school SARS-CoV-2 incidence among students in weeks 4-5. A multilevel Poisson regression model adjusted for the community incidence in the corresponding basic health area (BHA) and the type of school (primary or secondary), with random effects at the sanitary region and BHA levels, was performed.ResultsA total of 2184 public schools opened on September 14th with 778,715 students. Multivariate analysis showed a significant association between the total number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in a centre in weeks 1-2 and the SARS-CoV-2 school incidence among students in weeks 4-5 (Risk Ratio (RR) 1.074, 95% CI 1.044-1.105, p-value <0.001). The adjusted BHA incidence in the first two weeks was associated with school incidence in weeks 4-5 (RR 1.002, 95% CI 1.002-1.003, p-value <0.001). Secondary schools showed an increased incidence in weeks 4 and 5 (RR primary vs secondary 1.709 95% CI 1.599-1.897, p-value <0.001).ConclusionsSafety measures adopted by schools were not enough to stop related-to-school transmission in students and could be improved. The safest way to keep schools open is to reduce community transmission down to a minimum.
| S-EPMC8115831 | biostudies-literature
Project description:On 13 March 2020, Israel's government declared closure of all schools. Schools fully reopened on 17 May 2020. Ten days later, a major outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred in a high school. The first case was registered on 26 May, the second on 27 May. They were not epidemiologically linked. Testing of the complete school community revealed 153 students (attack rate: 13.2%) and 25 staff members (attack rate: 16.6%) who were COVID-19 positive.
| S-EPMC7384285 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOlder children have higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rates than younger children. We investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroprevalence and seroconversion rates in staff and students following the full reopening of all secondary schools in England.MethodsPublic Health England (PHE) invited secondary schools in six regions (East and West London, Hertfordshire, Derbyshire, Manchester and Birmingham) to participate in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance during the 2020/21 academic year. Participants had nasal swabs for RT-PCR and blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the beginning (September 2020) and end (December 2020) of the autumn term. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess independent risk factors for seropositivity and seroconversion.FindingsEighteen schools in six regions enrolled 2,209 participants, including 1,189 (53.8%) students and 1,020 (46.2%) staff. SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were not significantly different between students and staff in round one (5/948; [0.53%] vs. 2/876 [0.23%]; p = 0.46) or round two (10/948 [1.05%] vs. 7/886 [0.79%]; p = 0.63), and similar to national prevalence. None of four and 7/15 (47%) sequenced strains in rounds 1 and 2 were the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant. In round 1, antibody seropositivity was higher in students than staff (114/893 [12.8%] vs. 79/861 [9.2%]; p = 0.016), but similar in round 2 (117/893 [13.1%] vs.117/872 [13.3%]; p = 0.85), comparable to local community seroprevalence. Between the two rounds, 8.7% (57/652) staff and 6.6% (36/549) students seroconverted (p = 0.16).InterpretationIn secondary schools, SARS-CoV-2 infection, seropositivity and seroconversion rates were similar in staff and students, and comparable to local community rates. Ongoing surveillance will be important for monitoring the impact of new variants in educational settings.
| S-EPMC8343251 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe full reopening of schools in September 2020 was associated with an increase in COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in educational settings across England.MethodsPrimary and secondary schools reporting an outbreak (≥2 laboratory-confirmed cases within 14 days) to Public Health England (PHE) between 31 August and 18 October 2020 were contacted in November 2020 to complete an online questionnaire.InterpretationThere were 969 school outbreaks reported to PHE, comprising 2% (n = 450) of primary schools and 10% (n = 519) of secondary schools in England. Of the 369 geographically-representative schools contacted, 179 completed the questionnaire (100 primary schools, 79 secondary schools) and 2,314 cases were reported. Outbreaks were larger and across more year groups in secondary schools than in primary schools. Teaching staff were more likely to be the index case in primary (48/100, 48%) than secondary (25/79, 32%) school outbreaks (P = 0.027). When an outbreak occurred, attack rates were higher in staff (881/17,362; 5.07; 95%CI, 4.75-5.41) than students, especially primary school teaching staff (378/3852; 9.81%; 95%CI, 8.90-10.82%) compared to secondary school teaching staff (284/7146; 3.97%; 95%CI, 3.79-5.69%). Secondary school students (1105/91,919; 1.20%; 95%CI, 1.13-1.28%) had higher attack rates than primary school students (328/39,027; 0.84%; 95%CI, 0.75-0.94%).ConclusionsA higher proportion of secondary schools than primary schools reported a COVID-19 outbreak and experienced larger outbreaks across multiple school year groups. The higher attack rate among teaching staff during an outbreak, especially in primary schools, suggests that additional protective measures may be needed.FundingPHE.
| S-EPMC8276523 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We used 2 commercially available antibody tests to estimate seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in Japan during June 2020. Of 7,950 samples, 8 were positive by both assays. Using 2 reliable antibody tests in conjunction is an effective method for estimating seroprevalence in low prevalence settings.
| S-EPMC7853542 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo quantify the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in secondary schools after their reopening in May 2020.DesignRepeated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study after the reopening of schools and 4 months later.SettingSecondary school in Dresden, Germany.Participants1538 students grades 8-12 and 507 teachers from 13 schools.InterventionsSerial blood sampling and SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assessment.Primary and secondary outcome measureSeroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in study population. Number of undetected cases.Results1538 students and 507 teachers were initially enrolled, and 1334 students and 445 teachers completed both study visits. The seroprevalence for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 0.6% in May/June and the same in September/October. Even in schools with reported COVID-19 cases before the lockdown of 13 March, no clusters could be identified. Of 12 persons with positive serology five had a known history of confirmed COVID-19; 23 out of 24 participants with a household history of COVID-91 were seronegative.ConclusionsSchools do not play a crucial role in driving the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a low-prevalence setting. Transmission in families occurs very infrequently, and the number of unreported cases is low in this age group. These observations do not support school closures as a strategy fighting the pandemic in a low-prevalence setting.Trial registration numberDRKS00022455.
| S-EPMC8193693 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The COVID-19 situation and school closure has brought intense impact to millions of students and teachers. However, there is a growing pressure from parents, teachers, and children for schools to reopen and the national government has developed guidelines if schools going to reopen. This study is conducted to assess the perspective of teachers and other education personnel regarding the current situation and the outlook when schools reopen in the future. A combination of survey, focus group discussions, and interviews were conducted among school personnel (i.e. teachers, school administrator, and school principals), local education office officials, and representatives from teacher's professional associations in Indonesia. A total of 27,046 school personnel participated in the survey, making it one of the largest surveys ever conducted with school personnel in Indonesia. In addition, 53 participants were involved in the FGDs and interviews in 5 areas. Findings suggest that 76% teachers were concerned if schools reopen due to the health risks and 95% teachers preferred having a blended learning or continue using full distance learning. Nevertheless, if schools reopen, teachers expressed the needs for greater health protection among teachers and children, strengthened coordination and collaboration with local stakeholders, and further capacity strengthening to ensure that the learning process can be safe, comfortable, and effective. Specific analysis on the perspective and needs for teachers working with special needs learners and disadvantaged areas are further analysed.
| S-EPMC8554791 | biostudies-literature