Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr Robert Redfield on Friday cited a new study published by his agency as evidence that there is a way to safely open child care centers and schools despite the pandemic.
The study, cited by Redfield, looked at confirmed and probable Covid-19 infections associated with childcare centers in Rhode Island between June 1, when they were allowed to reopen with restrictions amid declining distribution, and June 31. By July 31, 666 child care facilities were allowed to reopen across the state with capacity for 18,945 children, the study said. However, the study did not say how many children and staff were actually in the facilities at the time.
Cases were found in 29 facilities, 20 of which had only one case without spread to the front, according to investigations by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The study attributed the low caseloads in Rhode Island child care centers to the low level of prevalence across the state, compared to other parts of the country, and adherence to state-issued protocol for public health. However, the study recognized the “substantial” impact caused by Covid-19 on child programs, resulting in 853 children and staff in quarantine.
“I think this is an inspiring article to tell individuals that there is a path that one can use as a partner with their public health authorities and get these child programs safely re-launched,” he said at a conference call with reporters. to discuss the research. “And as an extension, we are trying to rebuild these schools.”
Overall, the study found that 52 children and adults were infected and associated with one of the childcare facilities. However, the study acknowledged that “case control in children is challenging, given high rates of asymptomatic infection such as mild illness,” adding that “infections were probably not detected.”
All facilities where a symptomatic person was identified were required to close for 14 days or until the symptomatic person tested negative for Covid-19, according to the study. It adds that the state department of health contacts in quarantined and controlled at that time.
“It only provides data on that if things are done with vigilance, in collaboration with the public health community, that you can in fact … reopen childcare and not have significant secondary transmission,” Redfield said.
Some of the state protocols that CDC officials said helped reduce proliferation in Rhode Island facilities included masked wear by adults; daily screening for symptoms in children and adults; contact tracing when cases occurred and the separation of students into groups, which prohibited the mixing of students and staff between groups. The study identified four facilities that experienced secondary transmission, but the authors wrote that “epidemiological research identified lack of adherence” to state protocol in those facilities.
Redfield’s reactions come as many schools and universities across the country reopen to classes in person as a hybrid approach to personal and virtual learning. Some school districts have reported rapidly increasing Covid-19 cases among students. And at least three universities across the country have reversed course on their plans to hold staff classes for the semester amid outbreaks among students in the first weeks of class.
“I really strongly believe that it is in the public health interest to get the K through 12-year-olds back to face-to-face learning and we just need to work collectively to do that in a safe and sensible way,” he added. Redfield. “One school, one jurisdiction, one family at a time.”
Despite recent outbreaks on some campuses and cases associated with some school districts, Redfield said that if a “proactive” approach to public health is taken and schools are reopened in the appropriate context of low-spread, schools can safely reopen. He added that the “majority of our nation,” province by province, is in the “green zone”, which means that less than 5% of all tests on a given day return positive, which could indicate that the virus is under control is.
Erin Sauber-Schatz, who currently serves as the leader of the Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force (CDC), echoed Redfield’s point that there is a way for safe schooling. and child care centers.
“We have seen in the United States, as in other countries, that schools are able to open safely in low-transfer communities,” she said on the call. “It’s more of a challenge in communities that have widespread transmission.”
Both Redfield and Sauber-Schatz called on Americans to follow up on public health advocacy to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and enable communities to reopen schools.
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