SARS-CoV-2 transmission in students of public schools of Catalonia (Spain) after a month of reopening

Llupià, Anna; Borràs-Santos, Alícia; Guinovart, Caterina; Utzet, Mireia; Moriña, David; Puig, Joaquim

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251593

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…Our study considered propagation inside bubble groups between 15 and 30 individuals. The extension to larger groups like whole schools with more than 500 individuals, may give rise to fictitious higher propagation because the high probability of simultaneous appearance of independent index cases, especially during high incidences outside the schools [ 35 ]. In general, the values of R*, smaller than 1, obtained here, were related with low propagation [ 19 ] and confirmed that in Catalonia, return to face-to-face activities did not appear to trigger transmission or outbreaks, with schools facilitating epidemiological surveillance [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual prevention and containment measures in schools in Catalonia, Spain, and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 after school re-opening

et al. 2022

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Background Despite their clear lesser vulnerability to COVID-19, the extent by which children are susceptible to getting infected by SARS-CoV-2 and their capacity to transmit the infection to other people remains inadequately characterized. We aimed to evaluate the role of school reopening and the preventive strategies in place at schools in terms of overall risk for children and community transmission, by comparing transmission rates in children as detected by a COVID-19 surveillance platform in place in Catalonian Schools to the incidence at the community level. Methods and findings Infections detected in Catalan schools during the entire first trimester of classes (September-December 2020) were analysed and compared with the ongoing community transmission and with the modelled predicted number of infections. There were 30.486 infections (2.12%) documented among the circa 1.5M pupils, with cases detected in 54.0% and 97.5% of the primary and secondary centres, respectively. During the entire first term, the proportion of “bubble groups” (stable groups of children doing activities together) that were forced to undergo confinement ranged between 1 and 5%, with scarce evidence of substantial intraschool transmission in the form of chains of infections, and with ~75% of all detected infections not leading to secondary cases. Mathematical models were also used to evaluate the effect of different parameters related to the defined preventive strategies (size of the bubble group, number of days of confinement required by contacts of an index case). The effective reproduction number inside the bubble groups in schools (R*), defined as the average number of schoolmates infected by each primary case within the bubble, was calculated, yielding a value of 0.35 for primary schools and 0.55 for secondary schools, and compared with the outcomes of the mathematical model, implying decreased transmissibility for children in the context of the applied measures. Relative homogenized monthly cumulative incidence (rCIhom,j) was assessed to compare the epidemiological dynamics among different age groups and this analysis suggested the limited impact of infections in school-aged children in the context of the overall community incidence. Conclusions During the fall of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases detected in Catalan schools closely mirrored the underlying community transmission from the neighbourhoods where they were set and maintaining schools open appeared to be safe irrespective of underlying community transmission. Preventive measures in place in those schools appeared to be working for the early detection and rapid containment of transmission and should be maintained for the adequate and safe functioning of normal academic and face-to-face school activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual prevention and containment measures in schools in Catalonia, Spain, and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 after school re-opening

et al. 2022

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“…The prevalence of active SARS-CoV-2 infections detected by the project was low considering the overall prevalence and incidence from Catalonia during the same period [ 3 , 20 , 30 , 31 ]. This suggests that public health strategies such as testing of symptomatic individuals and contact tracing efforts were effective at identifying an active infection at school, even the asymptomatic population [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering detected and self-reported infections in our longitudinal study we found a low incidence of COVID-19 infections, consistent with other studies that have very similar results to ours [ 28 , 32 – 34 ]. Also, there are studies suggesting that higher community incidence, diagnostic issues [ 30 ], demographic and economic aspects are determinants in the variation of different rates detected, as showed in these studies [ 16 , 35 , 36 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Since the beginning of the pandemic, education has rotated between remote and in-person learning. However, even when in-person learning was offered quarantine and isolation periods for COVID-19 infections and exposures affected as many as 20% of students during pandemic waves in both Spain and China ( 3 , 88 , 89 ). Shifts between modes of learning have led to negative social, emotional, educational, and physical consequences not only through reduced physical presence in school buildings, but also through loss of essential services for children provided by schools ( 90 – 92 ).…”

Section: Impact Of School Closures Remote or Hybrid Learning And Quarantine Periodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations for the Safe Operation of Schools During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Lordan

Prior

Hennessy

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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During the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, providing safe in-person schooling has been a dynamic process balancing evolving community disease burden, scientific information, and local regulatory requirements with the mandate for education. Considerations include the health risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its post-acute sequelae, the impact of remote learning or periods of quarantine on education and well-being of children, and the contribution of schools to viral circulation in the community. The risk for infections that may occur within schools is related to the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections within the local community. Thus, persistent suppression of viral circulation in the community through effective public health measures including vaccination is critical to in-person schooling. Evidence suggests that the likelihood of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within schools can be minimized if mitigation strategies are rationally combined. This article reviews evidence-based approaches and practices for the continual operation of in-person schooling.

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SARS-CoV-2 transmission in students of public schools of Catalonia (Spain) after a month of reopening

Cited by 8 publications

References 30 publications

Individual prevention and containment measures in schools in Catalonia, Spain, and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 after school re-opening

Individual prevention and containment measures in schools in Catalonia, Spain, and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 after school re-opening

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

Considerations for the Safe Operation of Schools During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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