Incidence and Secondary Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Schools.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
BACKGROUND: In an effort to mitigate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), North Carolina closed prekindergarten through grade 12 public schools to in-person instruction on March 14, 2020. On July 15, 2020, North Carolina's governor announced schools could open via remote learning or a hybrid model that combined in-person and remote instruction. In August 2020, 56 of 115 North Carolina school districts joined The ABC Science Collaborative (ABCs) to implement public health measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission and share lessons learned. We describe secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within participating school districts during the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 academic year. METHODS: From August 15, 2020 to October 23, 2020, 11 of 56 school districts participating in ABCs were open for in-person instruction for all 9 weeks of the first quarter and agreed to track incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Local health department staff adjudicated secondary transmission. Superintendents met weekly with ABCs faculty to share lessons learned and develop prevention methods. RESULTS: Over 9 weeks, 11 participating school districts had >90 000 students and staff attend school in person. Among these students and staff, 773 community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections were documented by molecular testing. Through contact tracing, health department staff determined an additional 32 infections were acquired within schools. No instances of child-to-adult transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were reported within schools. CONCLUSIONS: In the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in North Carolina schools, we found extremely limited within-school secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2, as determined by contact tracing.
Full Text
Duke Authors
- Armstrong, Sarah Commisso
- Benjamin Jr., Daniel Kelly
- Brookhart, Maurice Alan
- Kalu, Ibukun Christine
- McGann, Kathleen Anne
- Smith, Michael Joseph
- Zimmerman, Kanecia Obie
Cited Authors
- Zimmerman, KO; Akinboyo, IC; Brookhart, MA; Boutzoukas, AE; McGann, KA; Smith, MJ; Maradiaga Panayotti, G; Armstrong, SC; Bristow, H; Parker, D; Zadrozny, S; Weber, DJ; Benjamin, DK; ABC SCIENCE COLLABORATIVE,
Published Date
- April 2021
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 147 / 4
PubMed ID
- 33419869
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC8015158
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1098-4275
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1542/peds.2020-048090
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States