Reducing contacts to stop SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the second pandemic wave in Brussels, Belgium, August to November 2020

Ingelbeen, Brecht; Peckeu, Laurène; Laga, Marie; Hendrix, Ilona; Neven, Inge; Sande, Marianne A. B. van der; Kleef, Esther van

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2021.26.7.2100065

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…At baseline, contact with suspected or confirmed cases, especially at home, was positively associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, as observed in a study that found that physical distancing measures, including limited close contacts while school remained open, controlled SARS-CoV-2 transmission [ 40 ]. However, school contacts had a negative association with this outcome, showing how well-implemented sanitary protocols make the safe opening of schools possible, consistent with other studies that found an association between low transmission and, sanitary recommendations and preventive measures [ 6 , 41 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

The COVID-19 Sentinel Schools Network of Catalonia (CSSNC) project: Associated factors to prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in educational settings during the 2020–2021 academic year

Ganem

Bordas²,

Folch³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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The Sentinel Schools project was designed to monitor and evaluate the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Catalonia, gathering evidence for health and education policies to inform the development of health protocols and public health interventions to control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in schools. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and to identify their determinants among students and staff during February to June in the academic year 2020–2021. We performed two complementary studies, a cross-sectional and a longitudinal component, using a questionnaire to collect nominal data and testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection. We describe the results and perform a univariate and multivariate analysis. The initial crude seroprevalence was 14.8% (95% CI: 13.1–16.5) and 22% (95% CI: 18.3–25.8) for students and staff respectively, and the active infection prevalence was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.3–1) and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.1–2). The overall incidence for persons at risk was 2.73 per 100 person-month and 2.89 and 2.34 per 100 person-month for students and staff, respectively. Socioeconomic, self-reported knowledge, risk perceptions and contact pattern variables were positively associated with the outcome while sanitary measure compliance was negatively associated, the same significance trend was observed in multivariate analysis. In the longitudinal component, epidemiological close contact with SARS-CoV-2 infection was a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection while the highest socioeconomic status level was protective as was compliance with sanitary measures. The small number of active cases detected in these schools suggests a low transmission among children in school and the efficacy of public health measures implemented, at least in the epidemiological scenario of the study period. The major contribution of this study was to provide results and evidence that help analyze the transmission dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 and evaluate the associations between sanitary protocols implemented, and measures to avoid SARS-CoV-2 spread in schools.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

The COVID-19 Sentinel Schools Network of Catalonia (CSSNC) project: Associated factors to prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in educational settings during the 2020–2021 academic year

Ganem

Bordas²,

Folch³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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“…Our results agree with the study of Ingelbeen et al . who showed that the proportion of cases among 10–19-year-olds in Brussels did not significantly change after school reopening [ 34 ]. If children were equally susceptible, one might expect even higher ratios of carriership, since they were less restricted in the number of contacts (i.e., due to attendance of summer camps, and given that schools were open as of 1 September 2020 onward).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 positivity ratio and upper respiratory tract viral load among asymptomatic individuals screened before hospitalization or surgery in Flanders, Belgium

et al. 2021

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Introduction The incidence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in the Belgian community is mainly estimated based on test results of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-like symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity ratio and distribution of viral loads within a cohort of asymptomatic patients screened prior hospitalization or surgery, stratified by age category. Materials/Methods We retrospectively studied data on SARS-CoV-2 real-time RT-PCR detection in respiratory tract samples of asymptomatic patients screened pre-hospitalization or pre-surgery in nine Belgian hospitals located in Flanders over a 12-month period (1 April 2020–31 March 2021). Results In total, 255925 SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results and 2421 positive results for which a viral load was reported, were included in this study. An unweighted overall SARS-CoV-2 real-time RT-PCR positivity ratio of 1.27% was observed with strong spatiotemporal differences. SARS-CoV-2 circulated predominantly in 80+ year old individuals across all time periods except between the first and second COVID-19 wave and in 20–30 year old individuals before the second COVID-19 wave. In contrast to the first wave, a significantly higher positivity ratio was observed for the 20–40 age group in addition to the 80+ age group compared to the other age groups during the second wave. The median viral load follows a similar temporal evolution as the positivity rate with an increase ahead of the second wave and highest viral loads observed for 80+ year old individuals. Conclusion There was a high SARS-CoV-2 circulation among asymptomatic patients with a predominance and highest viral loads observed in the elderly. Moreover, ahead of the second COVID-19 wave an increase in median viral load was noted with the highest overall positivity ratio observed in 20–30 year old individuals, indicating they could have been the hidden drivers of this wave.

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“…We estimated 2 sets of ordinary least square (OLS) regressions for each city using a 10- or 20-day delay since COVID-19 incidence changes from school-related NPIs take effect 10 [27] or more days [17, 28, 29] after closures or reopening. Daily new COVID-19 cases were taken for equally spaced time frames with 10- and 20-day delay after the actual school closures and reopening dates.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of school closures and reopening on COVID-19 caseload in 6 cities of Pakistan: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Mueed¹,

Ahmad²,

Abdullah³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Schools were closed all over Pakistan on November 26, 2020 to reduce community transmission of COVID-19 and reopened between January 18 and February 1, 2021. However, these closures were associated with significant economic and social costs, prompting a review of effectiveness of school closures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections in a developing country like Pakistan. A single-group interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) was used to measure the impact of school closures, as well as reopening schools on daily new COVID-19 cases in 6 major cities across Pakistan: Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar, and Muzaffarabad. We found that closing schools reduced COVID-19 incidence in the community by approximately a third of all cases nationwide. However, any benefits were contingent on continued closure of schools, as cases bounced back once schools reopened. School closures are associated with a clear and statistically significant reduction in COVID-19 cases by 0.07 to 0.63 cases per 100,000 population, while reopening schools is associated with a statistically significant increase. Lahore is an exception to the effect of school closures, but it too saw an increase in COVID-19 cases after schools reopened in early 2021. We show that closing schools was a viable policy option, especially before vaccines became available. However, its social and economic costs must also be considered.

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Reducing contacts to stop SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the second pandemic wave in Brussels, Belgium, August to November 2020

Cited by 12 publications

References 11 publications

The COVID-19 Sentinel Schools Network of Catalonia (CSSNC) project: Associated factors to prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in educational settings during the 2020–2021 academic year

The COVID-19 Sentinel Schools Network of Catalonia (CSSNC) project: Associated factors to prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in educational settings during the 2020–2021 academic year

Evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 positivity ratio and upper respiratory tract viral load among asymptomatic individuals screened before hospitalization or surgery in Flanders, Belgium

Impact of school closures and reopening on COVID-19 caseload in 6 cities of Pakistan: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

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