Coronavirus: Schools “No More Risk than Home” for Students and Staff

Going to primary school does not put children and staff at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus than at home, studies from 131 schools suggest.

A test to find out who was already infected with the virus found the same level of antibodies in students and teachers.

However, a study of 12,000 adults and children in the United Kingdom was conducted in June and early July with very few cases.

Experts say more research is needed when all children are in school.

The study tested students and staff who were able to return their children to the school during the last six weeks of the summer semester at reception, the first year, and the sixth year.

Since then, millions of children across the UK I returned to the classroom Lessons have resumed in England and Wales in the last few days. Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were reopened last month.

Schools now look very different from what students once used, students are told to stay in “bubble” groups and follow one-way systems and social distances when needed. We introduced them with staggered start times, and installed a hand washing station and a screen.

Led public health England scientists the study, Only 3 (1 child and 2 staff) were found to be virus-positive-0.02% of those wiped.

There was no evidence that any of these three people had infected the virus with others living together or working together. This reflects Previous study with PHE showing a few cases and outbreaks in school..

Antibody level

In another sample of 2,100 staff and children tested for antibodies, it was found that 10.6% and 12.7% of students were previously infected with coronavirus.

This suggests that children are as likely to be infected as adults, rather than less susceptible to illness.

However, previous studies have confirmed that mild symptoms may occur or none at all, as few positive cases of children are detected.

The study found that children who were in school and staff were less likely to test positive for antibodies than children who were or were not in school.

This may indicate that the school’s infection level is simply a reflection of the virus level in the communities in which people live.

However, some groups were more likely to have the antibody-they were not Caucasian, lived in the same house as the health care worker, and were experiencing symptoms.

Secondary school was not included in the survey, so no conclusions can be drawn about older children.

“relief”

Dr. Shamez Ladani, a consultant epidemiologist at the UK Department of Public Health, said: “This is the largest survey in the country and attending kindergarten or elementary school does not pose a risk to staff or students.

“These results are preliminary, but should be very reassuring to parents who may be concerned about their child returning to school.”

Dr. Liz Whitaker, a clinical instructor and pediatrician at Imperial College in London, said it was a “quality study,” but because the coronavirus transmission during the study period was very low, “the timing is limited. “.

“It’s imperative that studies like these continue for the next few months, and importantly, they’re also being done in a secondary school or college setting,” she added.

Rabindra Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, warned that the school is currently dealing with twice to six times as many children, and that the results may change.

“We are less capable of socializing than we could have achieved in school in June. We must not be content with self-satisfaction and falsely reassured. Appropriate surveillance to pick up infections at school before they spread. “We need to have a test strategy,” he said.

Regarding the finding that children are often asymptomatic, Gupta said, “If you don’t test your virus regularly at school, your children may continue to go to school.”

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