Classroom surveys highlight the threat to Delta Variant schools

August 30, 2021-Unvaccinated teachers who regularly unmasked and read to students started COVID-19 Outbreak At an elementary school in Marin County, California, he eventually infected 22 students and 4 parents.

Gene sequencing tests show that the strain behind the outbreak Delta variant..

Overall, primary schools seem to be doing a good job according to the recommended mitigation strategies. Windows and doors were open for better ventilation, each classroom had a portable high-efficiency air filter, and students and teachers wore masks on a regular basis.

Only two teachers at school were unvaccinated and one came to work experiencing symptoms that she believed to be the cause. allergy..

Studies presented at the CDC Weekly morbidity and mortality reportsEmphasizes how aggressive the Delta variant is and how easily it can spread if layers of protection, including vaccination and masking, are applied unplanned.

“In Northern California, we’ve found that COVID can spread inside and outside the classroom due to the lack of optimal multi-layer protection,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said at a White House press conference on Friday. I mentioned in.

According to the survey, the number of pediatric cases in the United States more than quadrupled in about four weeks, increasing from 38,000 cases per week near the end of July to 180,000 cases reported in the week until August 19. Data collected According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Children’s Hospitals.

The increase in the number of cases is consistent with the increase in travel during the summer and the return of schools to face-to-face classes. Some governors have banned schools from requesting masks. Many districts oppose governors to require masks anyway.

Last week, Children’s Hospital Association Wrote a letter to President Joe Biden Warning of “worst situation” of shortage of staff, surge RS virus Increasing cases, children’s mental health problems, and children’s COVID-19 infections that can threaten bed capacity.

NS Second study Released at MMWR As of the end of July 2021, less than one in three adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 had been fully vaccinated with COVID. About 42% received a single dose.

In the outbreak at an elementary school in Northern California, half of the students in the classroom (12 out of 24) were positive. This includes all five people sitting in the front row of the classroom closest to the desk. Three of the five students sitting in the second row were positive. There was one positive on the 3rd and 4th lines and 2 positive cases on the last line.

In addition to the cases in this class, there were six cases in different grades at school. Genetic testing revealed that the strains infecting children in these two grades were identical, suggesting that they were part of the same outbreak. The authors of the study say they don’t know how the virus was transmitted from one grade to another, but believe it was transmitted through children interacting at school.

The study also found that some of the children who were too young to be vaccinated brought their infection home. In addition to the two-grade case, four other students who were siblings of the child in the original classroom and four parents were positive. All infected adults experienced symptoms even though three had been vaccinated. No one was hospitalized for the outbreak.

NS Third study Published last week MMWR Covered 80 public school districts in Los Angeles County. School-related cases of children during the winter surge were found to be 3.4 times lower than those of children due to community expansion, with precautions such as masking, physical distance, cohorting and contact tracing. It has been suggested to help reduce infections in schools.

Only 463 school-related cases were reported among students attending public kindergarten to high school in Los Angeles County during the last school year, which means that many students are at home in online classes. It was a time to choose. The duration of the study covers September 2020 to March 2021 and does not reflect the effects of delta variants, the study authors write.

“We know how to protect children at school,” Warensky said at a press conference. “We have the tools.”

Walensky said the CDC has recognized and closely followed the increase in the number of cases in schools.

“In our outbreak survey, large-scale quarantine or large numbers of cases commonly occur in schools because schools do not follow our guidance,” she said. She says the guidance emphasizes vaccination and universal masking for all qualified teachers and students.

However, it relies on and follows the CDC guidelines, especially the guidance that it is safe for children to be at least 3 feet away to reduce infection, and claims that an increase in cases is occurring despite following it. There are also people.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Diseases Research Policy, said: In his weekly podcast.

“When we talk about a distance of 3 feet, it’s acceptable at school when you have a face cloth that covers against gravity,” he said.

Osterholm said the CDC should provide more information about better masks for children.

“Who believes aerosols can only reach 3 feet or less, or plexiglass makes a difference? It’s wrong to keep pushing it. The CDC guidelines do that, so educators are confident. I can safely reopen school. ” “We misunderstood them.”

Osterholm said the children shared the feeling of wanting them to go back to school, but “I don’t think it’s possible today.” “I know it will be hard for people to hear.”