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Littlecott H, Krishnaratne S, Burns J, Rehfuess E, Sell K, Klinger C, Strahwald B, Movsisyan A, Metzendorf MI, Schoenweger P, Voss S, Coenen M, Müller-Eberstein R, Pfadenhauer LM. Measures implemented in the school setting to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2024; 5:CD015029. [PMID: 38695826 PMCID: PMC11064884 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd015029.pub2] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND More than 767 million coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 6.9 million deaths with COVID-19 have been recorded as of August 2023. Several public health and social measures were implemented in schools to contain the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and prevent onward transmission. We built upon methods from a previous Cochrane review to capture current empirical evidence relating to the effectiveness of school measures to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission. OBJECTIVES To provide an updated assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness of measures implemented in the school setting to keep schools open safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, Educational Resources Information Center, World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Global literature on coronavirus disease database, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs Evidence Synthesis Program COVID-19 Evidence Reviews on 18 February 2022. SELECTION CRITERIA Eligible studies focused on measures implemented in the school setting to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, among students (aged 4 to 18 years) or individuals relating to the school, or both. We categorized studies that reported quantitative measures of intervention effectiveness, and studies that assessed the performance of surveillance measures as either 'main' or 'supporting' studies based on design and approach to handling key confounders. We were interested in transmission-related outcomes and intended or unintended consequences. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors screened titles, abstracts and full texts. We extracted minimal data for supporting studies. For main studies, one review author extracted comprehensive data and assessed risk of bias, which a second author checked. We narratively synthesized findings for each intervention-comparator-outcome category (body of evidence). Two review authors assessed certainty of evidence. MAIN RESULTS The 15 main studies consisted of measures to reduce contacts (4 studies), make contacts safer (7 studies), surveillance and response measures (6 studies; 1 assessed transmission outcomes, 5 assessed performance of surveillance measures), and multicomponent measures (1 study). These main studies assessed outcomes in the school population (12), general population (2), and adults living with a school-attending child (1). Settings included K-12 (kindergarten to grade 12; 9 studies), secondary (3 studies), and K-8 (kindergarten to grade 8; 1 study) schools. Two studies did not clearly report settings. Studies measured transmission-related outcomes (10), performance of surveillance measures (5), and intended and unintended consequences (4). The 15 main studies were based in the WHO regions of the Americas (12), Europe (2), and Eastern Mediterranean (1). Comparators were more versus less intense measures, single versus multicomponent measures, and measures versus no measures. We organized results into relevant bodies of evidence, or groups of studies relating to the same 'intervention-comparator-outcome' categories. Across all bodies of evidence, certainty of evidence ratings limit our confidence in findings. Where we describe an effect as 'beneficial', the direction of the point estimate of the effect favours the intervention; a 'harmful' effect does not favour the intervention and 'null' shows no effect either way. Measures to reduce contact (4 studies) We grouped studies into 21 bodies of evidence: moderate- (10 bodies), low- (3 bodies), or very low-certainty evidence (8 bodies). The evidence was very low to moderate certainty for beneficial effects of remote versus in-person or hybrid teaching on transmission in the general population. For students and staff, mostly harmful effects were observed when more students participated in remote teaching. Moderate-certainty evidence showed that in the general population there was probably no effect on deaths and a beneficial effect on hospitalizations for remote versus in-person teaching, but no effect for remote versus hybrid teaching. The effects of hybrid teaching, a combination of in-person and remote teaching, were mixed. Very low-certainty evidence showed that there may have been a harmful effect on risk of infection among adults living with a school student for closing playgrounds and cafeterias, a null effect for keeping the same teacher, and a beneficial effect for cancelling extracurricular activities, keeping the same students together and restricting entry for parents and caregivers. Measures to make contact safer (7 studies) We grouped studies into eight bodies of evidence: moderate- (5 bodies), and low-certainty evidence (3 bodies). Low-certainty evidence showed that there may have been a beneficial effect of mask mandates on transmission-related outcomes. Moderate-certainty evidence showed full mandates were probably more beneficial than partial or no mandates. Evidence of a beneficial effect of physical distancing on risk of infection among staff and students was mixed. Moderate-certainty evidence showed that ventilation measures probably reduce cases among staff and students. One study (very low-certainty evidence) found that there may be a beneficial effect of not sharing supplies and increasing desk space on risk of infection for adults living with a school student, but showed there may be a harmful effect of desk shields. Surveillance and response measures (6 studies) We grouped studies into seven bodies of evidence: moderate- (3 bodies), low- (1 body), and very low-certainty evidence (3 bodies). Daily testing strategies to replace or reduce quarantine probably helped to reduce missed school days and decrease the proportion of asymptomatic school contacts testing positive (moderate-certainty evidence). For studies that assessed the performance of surveillance measures, the proportion of cases detected by rapid antigen detection testing ranged from 28.6% to 95.8%, positive predictive value ranged from 24.0% to 100.0% (very low-certainty evidence). There was probably no onward transmission from contacts of a positive case (moderate-certainty evidence) and replacing or shortening quarantine with testing may have reduced missed school days (low-certainty evidence). Multicomponent measures (1 study) Combining multiple measures may have led to a reduction in risk of infection among adults living with a student (very low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS A range of measures can have a beneficial effect on transmission-related outcomes, healthcare utilization and school attendance. We rated the current findings at a higher level of certainty than the original review. Further high-quality research into school measures to control SARS-CoV-2 in a wider variety of contexts is needed to develop a more evidence-based understanding of how to keep schools open safely during COVID-19 or a similar public health emergency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Littlecott
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Shari Krishnaratne
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jacob Burns
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Eva Rehfuess
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Kerstin Sell
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Carmen Klinger
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Brigitte Strahwald
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Ani Movsisyan
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria-Inti Metzendorf
- Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Petra Schoenweger
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Voss
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Michaela Coenen
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Roxana Müller-Eberstein
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa M Pfadenhauer
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Chair of Public Health and Health Services Research, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
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Dewald F, Steger G, Fish I, Torre-Lage I, Hellriegel C, Milz E, Kolb-Bastigkeit A, Heger E, Fries M, Buess M, Marizy N, Michaelis B, Suárez I, Rubio Quintanares GH, Pirkl M, Aigner A, Oberste M, Hellmich M, Wong A, Orduz JC, Fätkenheuer G, Dötsch J, Kossow A, Moench EM, Quade G, Neumann U, Kaiser R, Schranz M, Klein F. SARS-CoV-2 Test-to-Stay in Daycare. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023064668. [PMID: 38596855 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Test-to-stay concepts apply serial testing of children in daycare after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 without use of quarantine. This study aims to assess the safety of a test-to-stay screening in daycare facilities. METHODS 714 daycare facilities and approximately 50 000 children ≤6 years in Cologne, Germany participated in a SARS-CoV-2 Pool-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening from March 2021 to April 2022. The screening initially comprised post-exposure quarantine and was adapted to a test-to-stay approach during its course. To assess safety of the test-to-stay approach, we explored potential changes in frequencies of infections among children after the adaptation to the test-to-stay approach by applying regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) analyses. To this end, PCR-test data were linked with routinely collected data on reported infections in children and analyzed using ordinary least squares regressions. RESULTS 219 885 Pool-PCRs and 352 305 Single-PCRs were performed. 6440 (2.93%) Pool-PCRs tested positive, and 17 208 infections in children were reported. We estimated that during a period of 30 weeks, the test-to-stay concept avoided between 7 and 20 days of quarantine per eligible daycare child. RDiT revealed a 26% reduction (Exp. Coef: 0.74, confidence interval 0.52-1.06) in infection frequency among children and indicated no significant increase attributable to the test-to-stay approach. This result was not sensitive to adjustments for 7-day incidence, season, SARS-CoV-2 variant, and socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses provide evidence that suggest safety of the test-to-stay approach compared with quarantine measures. This approach offers a promising option to avoid use of quarantine after exposure to respiratory pathogens in daycare settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Dewald
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Public Health, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gertrud Steger
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | - Irina Fish
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | - Ivonne Torre-Lage
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | | | - Esther Milz
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | | | - Eva Heger
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | - Mira Fries
- Health department of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Isabelle Suárez
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
| | | | - Martin Pirkl
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
| | - Annette Aigner
- Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Max Oberste
- Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
| | - Martin Hellmich
- Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
| | - Anabelle Wong
- Institute of Public Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Gerd Fätkenheuer
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
| | - Jörg Dötsch
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Annelene Kossow
- Health department of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute for Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Gustav Quade
- MVZ Labor Dr. Quade and Kollegen GmbH, Cologne, Germany
| | - Udo Neumann
- Youth Welfare Office of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Rolf Kaiser
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Madlen Schranz
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Public Health, Berlin, Germany
- Robert Koch Institute, Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Klein
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Neil-Sztramko SE, Belita E, Traynor RL, Hagerman L, Akaraci S, Burnett P, Kostopoulos A, Dobbins M. What is the specific role of schools and daycares in COVID-19 transmission? A final report from a living rapid review. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2024; 8:290-300. [PMID: 38368895 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(23)00312-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Due to rapidly evolving conditions, the question of how to safely operate schools and daycares remained a top priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to growing and changing evidence, the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools in Canada maintained a living rapid review on the role of schools and daycares in COVID-19 transmission to guide evidence-informed decision making. This Review presents the final iteration of this living rapid review. 31 sources were searched until Oct 17, 2022. In the final version, eligible studies reported data from Jan 1, 2021 onward on transmission of COVID-19 in school or daycare settings, the effect of infection prevention and control measures on transmission, or the effect of operating schools or daycares on community-level COVID-19 rates. As a rapid review, titles and abstracts were screened by a single reviewer with artificial intelligence integrated into later versions. Full-text screening, data extraction, and critical appraisal were completed by one reviewer and checked by a second reviewer. The Johanna Briggs Institute tools were used for critical appraisal. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach, and results were synthesised narratively. Three citizen partners provided input for the final interpretation. This final update includes 73 primary studies. Secondary attack rates were low within school settings when infection prevention and control measures were in place (moderate certainty). Masks might reduce transmission, test-to-stay policies might not increase transmission risk compared with mandatory quarantine, cohorting and hybrid learning might make little to no difference in transmission (low certainty), and the effect of surveillance testing within schools remained inconclusive (very low certainty). Findings indicate that school settings do not substantially contribute to community incidence, hospitalisations, or mortality (low certainty). This living review provides a synthesis of global evidence for the role of schools and daycares during COVID-19, which might be helpful in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Neil-Sztramko
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Emily Belita
- School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Robyn L Traynor
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Leah Hagerman
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Selin Akaraci
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK; Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Patricia Burnett
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alyssa Kostopoulos
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Maureen Dobbins
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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Kao CM. Overview of COVID-19 Infection, Treatment, and Prevention in Children. J Clin Med 2024; 13:424. [PMID: 38256558 PMCID: PMC10817068 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13020424] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel respiratory virus-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Since then, substantial gains have been made in our understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology, disease presentation, and management. While children tend to have less severe disease courses compared to adults, children can still develop severe COVID-19 infections, particularly in those with underlying medical conditions such as obesity, chronic lung disease, or prematurity. In addition, children are at risk of severe complications of COVID-19 infection, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or long COVID. The case definitions of MIS-C and long COVID have continued to evolve with the increased understanding of these new entities; however, improved methods of diagnosis and determination of the optimal management are still needed. Furthermore, with the continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, there remains a need for clinicians to remain up-to-date on the latest treatment and prevention options. The purpose of this review is to provide an evidence-based review of what we have learned about COVID-19 in children since the start of the pandemic and how best to counsel children and their families on the best methods of prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol M Kao
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Chen CC, Lee MH, Chen SY, Lu SC, Bai CH, Ko YL, Wang CY, Wang YH. Assessment of the detection accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test in children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. J Chin Med Assoc 2023; 86:966-974. [PMID: 37683135 DOI: 10.1097/jcma.0000000000000987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Real-time and appropriate antigen tests play a pivotal role in preventing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, a previous meta-analysis reported that the antigen test had lower sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in children. To provide a comprehensive evaluation of diagnostic efficiency, we performed an updated meta-analysis to assess the detection accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests stratified by days after symptom onset and specimen type in children and adolescents. METHODS We comprehensively searched for appropriate studies in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Studies on the diagnostic accuracy of antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents were included. The relevant data of the included studies were extracted to construct a 2 × 2 table on a per-patient basis. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests were estimated using a bivariate random-effects model. RESULTS Seventeen studies enrolling 10 912 patients were included in the present meta-analysis. For the detection accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests, the meta-analysis generated a pooled sensitivity of 77.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 67.3%-85.8%) and a pooled specificity of 99.6% (95% CI: 98.9%-99.8%). The subgroup analysis of studies that examined antigen tests in symptomatic participants ≦7 days after symptom onset generated a pooled sensitivity of 79.4% (95% CI: 47.6%-94.2%) and a pooled specificity of 99.4% (95% CI: 98.2%-99.8%). Another subgroup analysis of studies that evaluated nasal swab specimens demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 80.1% (95% CI: 65.0%-89.7%) and a pooled specificity of 98.5% (95% CI: 97.3%-9.2%). CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that the antigen test performed using nasal swab specimens exhibited high sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 within 7 days after symptom onset. Therefore, antigen testing using nasal swabs may be effective in blocking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Chieh Chen
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Mei-Hui Lee
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shih-Yen Chen
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Pediatrics, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shou-Cheng Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chyi-Huey Bai
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yu-Ling Ko
- Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chien-Ying Wang
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Division of Trauma, Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yuan-Hung Wang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Department of Medical Research, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
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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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Nakgul L, Pasomsub E, Thongpradit S, Chanprasertyothin S, Prasongtanakij S, Thadanipon K, Jadmuang C, Kunanan D, Ongphiphadhanakul B, Phuphuakrat A. Saliva and wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 during school reopening amid COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand. Public Health Pract (Oxf) 2023; 5:100378. [PMID: 36937099 PMCID: PMC10010048 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2023.100378] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives School closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in a negative impact on children. Serial testing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been proposed as a measure for safety school reopening. We aimed to study the usefulness of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance by saliva testing and performing wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in a day school in a resource-limited setting. Methods We conducted a cluster randomized study to investigate the potential use of saliva antigen testing compared to saliva pooling for nucleic acid detection in a primary school in Thailand from December 2021 to March 2022. Wastewater surveillance in the school was also performed. Results A total of 484 participants attended the study. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in two participants from the tests provided by the study (one in the pool nucleic acid test arm, and another in the quantitative antigen test arm). Additional ten participants reported positive results on an additional rapid antigen test (RAT) performed by nasal swab when they had symptoms or household contact. There was no difference among arms in viral detection by intention-to-treat and per protocol analysis (p = 0.304 and 0.894, respectively). We also investigated the feasibility of wastewater surveillance to detect the virus in this setting. However, wastewater surveillance could not detect the virus. Conclusions In a low COVID-19 prevalence, serial saliva testing and wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 rarely detected the virus in a day school setting. Performing RAT on nasal swabs when students, teachers or staff have symptoms or household contact might be more reasonable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laor Nakgul
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ekawat Pasomsub
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Supranee Thongpradit
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Somsak Prasongtanakij
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kunlawat Thadanipon
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chokchai Jadmuang
- Anubansamsen School (the Government Lottery Office Support), Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Daranee Kunanan
- Anubansamsen School (the Government Lottery Office Support), Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Angsana Phuphuakrat
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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