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Zimmerman KO, Benjamin DK. Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic in K-12 Education. Pediatrics 2023; 152:e2023060352O. [PMID: 37394505 PMCID: PMC10312278 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-060352o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kanecia O. Zimmerman
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
- The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Daniel K. Benjamin
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
- The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina
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Kalu IC, Zimmerman KO, Goldman JL, Keener Mast D, Blakemore AM, Moorthy G, Boutzoukas AE, Campbell MM, Uthappa D, DeLaRosa J, Potts JM, Edwards LJ, Selvarangan R, Benjamin DK, Mann TK, Schuster JE. SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Programs for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2023; 12:64-72. [PMID: 36412278 PMCID: PMC9969331 DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piac119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) screening testing is a recommended mitigation strategy for schools, although few descriptions of program implementation are available. METHODS Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff practicing universal masking during the delta and omicron variant waves from five schools in Durham, North Carolina and eight schools in Kansas City, Missouri participated; Durham's program was structured as a public health initiative facilitated by school staff, and Kansas City's as a research study facilitated by a research team. Tests included school-based rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction testing, at-home rapid antigen testing, and off-site nucleic acid amplification testing. RESULTS We performed nearly 5700 screening tests on more than 1600 K-12 school students and staff members. The total cost for the Durham testing program in 5 public charter K-12 schools, each with 500-1000 students, was $246 587 and approximately 752 h per semester; cost per test was $70 and cost per positive result was $7076. The total cost for the Kansas City program in eight public K-12 schools was $292 591 and required approximately 537 h in personnel time for school-based testing; cost per test was $132 and cost per positive result was $4818. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were generally lower (0-16.16%) than rates in the community (2.7-36.47%) throughout all testing weeks. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT04831866.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibukunoluwa C Kalu
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kanecia O Zimmerman
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Dana Keener Mast
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Ashley M Blakemore
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ganga Moorthy
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Angelique E Boutzoukas
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melissa M Campbell
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Diya Uthappa
- Duke University School of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine Program, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jesse DeLaRosa
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Laura J Edwards
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rangaraj Selvarangan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Daniel K Benjamin
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tara K Mann
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer E Schuster
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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Heinsohn T, Lange B, Vanella P, Rodiah I, Glöckner S, Joachim A, Becker D, Brändle T, Dhein S, Ehehalt S, Fries M, Galante-Gottschalk A, Jehnichen S, Kolkmann S, Kossow A, Hellmich M, Dötsch J, Krause G. Infection and transmission risks of COVID-19 in schools and their contribution to population infections in Germany: A retrospective observational study using nationwide and regional health and education agency notification data. PLoS Med 2022; 19:e1003913. [PMID: 36538517 PMCID: PMC9767368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND School-level infection control measures in Germany during the early Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic differed across the 16 federal states and lacked a dependable evidence base, with available evidence limited to regional data restricted to short phases of the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the (a) infection risks in students and staff; (b) transmission risks and routes in schools; (c) effects of school-level infection control measures on school and population infection dynamics; and (d) contribution of contacts in schools to population cases. METHODS AND FINDINGS For this retrospective observational study, we used German federal state (NUTS-2) and county (NUTS-3) data from public health and education agencies from March 2020 to April 2022. We assessed (a) infection risk as cumulative risk and crude risk ratios and (b) secondary attack rates (SARs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). We used (c) multiple regression analysis for the effects of infection control measures such as reduced attendance, mask mandates, and vaccination coverage as absolute reduction in case incidence per 100,000 inhabitants per 14 days and in percentage relative to the population, and (d) infection dynamic modelling to determine the percentage contribution of school contacts to population cases. We included (a) nationwide NUTS-2 data from calendar weeks (W) 46-50/2020 and W08/2021-W15/2022 with 3,521,964 cases in students and 329,283 in teachers; (b) NUTS-3 data from W09-25/2021 with 85,788 student and 9,427 teacher cases; and (c) detailed data from 5 NUTS-3 regions from W09/2020 to W27/2021 with 12,814 cases (39% male, 37% female; median age 14, range 5 to 63), 43,238 contacts and 4,165 secondary cases for students (for teachers, 14,801 [22% male, 50% female; median age 39, range 16 to 75], 5,893 and 472). Infection risk (a) for students and teachers was higher than the population risk in all phases of normal presence class and highest in the early 2022 omicron wave with 30.6% (95% CI 30.5% to 32.6%) of students and 32.7% (95% CI 32.6% to 32.8%) of teachers infected in Germany. SARs (b) for students and staff were below 5% in schools throughout the study period, while SARs in households more than doubled from 13.8% (95% CI 10.6% to 17.6%) W21-39/2020 to 28.7% (95% CI 27% to 30.4%) in W08-23/2021 for students and 10.9% (95% CI 7% to 16.5%) to 32.7% (95% CI 28.2% to 37.6%) for staff. Most contacts were reported for schools, yet most secondary cases originated in households. In schools, staff predominantly infected staff. Mandatory surgical mask wearing during class in all schools was associated with a reduction in the case incidence of students and teachers (c), by 56/100,000 persons per 14 days (students: 95% CI 47.7 to 63.4; teachers: 95% CI 39.6 to 71.6; p < 0.001) and by 29.8% (95% CI 25% to 35%, p < 0.001) and 24.3% (95% CI 13% to 36%, p < 0.001) relative to the population, respectively, as were reduced attendance and higher vaccination coverage. The contribution of contacts in schools to population cases (d) was 2% to 20%, lowest during school closures/vacation and peaked during normal presence class intervals, with the overall peak early during the omicron wave. Limitations include underdetection, misclassification of contacts, interviewer/interviewee dependence of contact-tracing, and lack of individual-level confounding factors in aggregate data regression analysis. CONCLUSION In this study, we observed that open schools under hygiene measures and testing strategies contributed up to 20% of population infections during the omicron wave early 2022, and as little as 2% during vacations/school closures; about a third of students and teachers were infected during the omicron wave in early 2022 in Germany. Mandatory mask wearing during class in all school types and reduced attendance models were associated with a reduced infection risk in schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Heinsohn
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Berit Lange
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Patrizio Vanella
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- Chair of Empirical Methods in Social Science and Demography, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany
| | - Isti Rodiah
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephan Glöckner
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alexander Joachim
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Dennis Becker
- Public Health Department Konstanz, Gottmadingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Brändle
- Institute of Educational Monitoring and Quality Development, Agency for Schools and Vocational Training, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Dhein
- Public Health Department Altenburger Land, Altenburg, Germany
| | | | - Mira Fries
- Public Health Department Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | | | | | - Sarah Kolkmann
- Public Health Department Altenburger Land, Altenburg, Germany
| | - Annelene Kossow
- Public Health Department Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Martin Hellmich
- Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jörg Dötsch
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gérard Krause
- Department of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Braunschweig, Germany
- TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
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Gorgels KMF, van Alphen LB, van der Veer BMJW, Hackert VH, Hensels AYJ, Heijer CDJD, Dingemans J, Savelkoul PHM, Hoebe CJPA. Increased transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant (B.1.1.7) in children: three large primary school outbreaks revealed by whole genome sequencing in the Netherlands. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:713. [PMID: 36038845 PMCID: PMC9421630 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07623-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Variant of concern (VOC) SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was the dominant strain in the Netherlands between March 2021–June 2021. We describe three primary school outbreaks due to the alpha variant using whole genome sequencing with evidence of large-scale transmission among children, teachers and their household contacts. Method All outbreaks described were investigated by the South Limburg Public Health Service, the Netherlands. A case was defined as an individual with a real-time polymerase chain reaction test or antigen test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Whole genome sequencing was performed on random samples from at least one child and one teacher of each affected class. Results Peak attack rates in classes were 53%, 33% and 39%, respectively. Specific genotypes were identified for each school across a majority of affected classes. Attack rates were high among staff members, likely to promote staff-to-children transmission. Cases in some classes were limited to children, indicating child-to-child transmission. At 39%, the secondary attack rate (SAR) in household contacts of infected children was remarkably high, similar to SAR in household contacts of staff members (42%). SAR of household contacts of asymptomatic children was only 9%. Conclusion Our findings suggest increased transmissibility of the alpha variant in children compared to preceding non-VOC variants, consistent with a substantial rise in the incidence of cases observed in primary schools and children aged 5–12 since the alpha variant became dominant in March 2021. Lack of mandatory masking, insufficient ventilation and lack of physical distancing also probably contributed to the school outbreaks. The rise of the delta variant (B.1.617.2) since July 2021 which is estimated to be 55% more transmissible than the alpha variant, provides additional urgency to adequate infection prevention in school settings. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07623-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen M F Gorgels
- Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, PO Box 33, 6400 AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
| | - Lieke B van Alphen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Brian M J W van der Veer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Volker H Hackert
- Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, PO Box 33, 6400 AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Social Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Audrey Y J Hensels
- Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, PO Box 33, 6400 AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands
| | - Casper D J den Heijer
- Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, PO Box 33, 6400 AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands.,Department of Social Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jozef Dingemans
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Paul H M Savelkoul
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christian J P A Hoebe
- Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, PO Box 33, 6400 AA, Heerlen, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Social Medicine, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Zhang Y, Mayorga ME, Ivy J, Hassmiller Lich K, Swann JL. Modeling the Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Transmission in K-12 Schools. MDM Policy Pract 2022; 7:23814683221140866. [PMID: 36479414 PMCID: PMC9720473 DOI: 10.1177/23814683221140866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 spread across the world causing many waves of COVID-19. Children were at high risk of being exposed to the disease because they were not eligible for vaccination during the first 20 mo of the pandemic in the United States. While children 5 y and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, vaccination rates remain low despite most schools returning to in-person instruction. Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are important for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in K-12 schools. US school districts used varied and layered mitigation strategies during the pandemic. The goal of this article is to analyze the impact of different NPIs on COVID-19 transmission within K-12 schools. Methods. We developed a deterministic stratified SEIR model that captures the role of social contacts between cohorts in disease transmission to estimate COVID-19 incidence under different NPIs including masks, random screening, contact reduction, school closures, and test-to-stay. We designed contact matrices to simulate the contact patterns between students and teachers within schools. We estimated the proportion of susceptible infected associated with each intervention over 1 semester under the Omicron variant. Results. We find that masks and reducing contacts can greatly reduce new infections among students. Weekly screening tests also have a positive impact on disease mitigation. While self-quarantining symptomatic infections and school closures are effective measures for decreasing semester-end infections, they increase absenteeism. Conclusion. The model provides a useful tool for evaluating the impact of a variety of NPIs on disease transmission in K-12 schools. While the model is tested under Omicron variant parameters in US K-12 schools, it can be adapted to study other populations under different disease settings. Highlights A stratified SEIR model was developed that captures the role of social contacts in K-12 schools to estimate COVID-19 transmission under different nonpharmaceutical interventions.While masks, random screening, contact reduction, school closures, and test-to-stay are all beneficial interventions, masks and contact reduction resulted in the greatest reduction in new infections among students from the tested scenarios.Layered interventions provide more benefits than implementing interventions independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Zhang
- Operations Research Program, North Carolina
State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Maria E Mayorga
- Maria E. Mayorga, Department of Industrial
and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University, 915 Partners Way,
Raleigh, NC 27695-7906, USA; ()
| | - Julie Ivy
- Department of Industrial and Systems
Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Kristen Hassmiller Lich
- Gillings School of Global Public Health,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Julie L. Swann
- Department of Industrial and Systems
Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Boutzoukas AE, Zimmerman KO, Inkelas M, Brookhart MA, Benjamin DK, Butteris S, Koval S, DeMuri GP, Manuel VG, Smith MJ, McGann KA, Kalu IC, Weber DJ, Falk A, Shane AL, Schuster JE, Goldman JL, Hickerson J, Benjamin V, Edwards L, Erickson TR, Benjamin DK. School Masking Policies and Secondary SARS-CoV-2 Transmission. Pediatrics 2022; 149:e2022056687. [PMID: 35260896 PMCID: PMC9647584 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-056687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, masking has been a widely used mitigation practice in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school districts to limit within-school transmission. Prior studies attempting to quantify the impact of masking have assessed total cases within schools; however, the metric that more optimally defines effectiveness of mitigation practices is within-school transmission, or secondary cases. We estimated the impact of various masking practices on secondary transmission in a cohort of K-12 schools. METHODS We performed a multistate, prospective, observational, open cohort study from July 26, 2021 to December 13, 2021. Districts reported mitigation practices and weekly infection data. Districts that were able to perform contact tracing and adjudicate primary and secondary infections were eligible for inclusion. To estimate the impact of masking on secondary transmission, we used a quasi-Poisson regression model. RESULTS A total of 1 112 899 students and 157 069 staff attended 61 K-12 districts across 9 states that met inclusion criteria. The districts reported 40 601 primary and 3085 secondary infections. Six districts had optional masking policies, 9 had partial masking policies, and 46 had universal masking. In unadjusted analysis, districts that optionally masked throughout the study period had 3.6 times the rate of secondary transmission as universally masked districts; and for every 100 community-acquired cases, universally masked districts had 7.3 predicted secondary infections, whereas optionally masked districts had 26.4. CONCLUSIONS Secondary transmission across the cohort was modest (<10% of total infections) and universal masking was associated with reduced secondary transmission compared with optional masking.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kanecia O. Zimmerman
- Duke Clinical Research Institute
- Departments of Pediatrics
- Co-Chair, The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Moira Inkelas
- Fielding School of Public Health
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - M. Alan Brookhart
- Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Sabrina Butteris
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Maddison, Wisconsin
| | - Shawn Koval
- University of Wisconsin Health, Healthy Kids Collaborative, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Gregory P. DeMuri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Maddison, Wisconsin
| | - Vladimir G. Manuel
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
- University of California David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
| | | | | | | | - David J. Weber
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Amy Falk
- Department of Pediatrics, Aspirus Doctors Clinic, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
| | - Andi L. Shane
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer E. Schuster
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Jennifer L. Goldman
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
| | | | | | | | | | - Daniel K. Benjamin
- Duke Clinical Research Institute
- Departments of Pediatrics
- Co-Chair, The ABC Science Collaborative, Durham, North Carolina
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D’Agostino EM, Haroz EE, Linde S, Layer M, Green M, Ko LK. School-Academic Partnerships in Support of Safe Return to Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pediatrics 2022; 149:e2021054268C. [PMID: 34737180 PMCID: PMC9647737 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-054268c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Safely returning underserved youth to school during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through diagnostic testing and health education is imperative to mitigate the ongoing negative impact of COVID-19 and reduce health inequalities in underserved communities. The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations program is a consortium of research projects across the United States funded by the National Institutes of Health to understand the factors associated with the disproportionate burden of the pandemic among underserved populations and to leverage mitigation strategies, including diagnostic testing, with a focus on reducing health disparities. In this article, we provide an overview and introduce the articles from 8 Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations projects featured in the supplement "Navigating a Pandemic in the K-12 Setting: Keeping Our School Communities Safe" published in Pediatrics. These projects funded in the program's first phase focus on COVID-19 diagnostic testing approaches for youth and employees at schools in underserved communities to support safe in-person learning. In the articles comprising the supplement, researchers present barriers and facilitators of the community engagement process necessary to establish school-academic partnerships. These efforts showcase school-based implementation testing strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic but are translatable to tackling other challenges related to reducing health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. D’Agostino
- Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Emily E. Haroz
- Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sandra Linde
- Astria Sunnyside Hospital, Sunnyside, Washington
| | - Marcus Layer
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Melissa Green
- Center for Health Equity Research, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Linda K. Ko
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
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