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There are more than 700 schools in which at least one case of coronavirus has been registered since the start of the new school year. Precisely 738, while those that have been forced to close are 116. These are the data that arise from the database prepared by two researchers, Vittorio Nicoletta and Lorenzo Ruffino, who have crossed the different news and ordinances of the mayors issued since the reopening. from schools. It also turns out that in 75.8% of the cases it was the students who contracted the infection and being sick, compared to 11.4% of the teachers. The highest number of infections, 31%, was recorded in secondary schools. As for the Regions, the most affected are Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Tuscany, Lombardy and Veneto.
In most cases schools have not been closed. The Ministry of Education has invited the directors to communicate data related to the spread of the infection in their institutes, to have an updated panorama and thus be able to intervene if the situation becomes more critical. “Too many quarantines in Italy, there is a risk of stopping the country“said Deputy Minister of Health Pierpaolo Sileri, commenting on the news about the spread of the virus in schools. At the same time he admitted:”There will surely be outbreaks, in fact there already are, but this is the new normal. I’m more concerned with the controls of these outbreaks.“Then he added:”I’m even more concerned about quarantines, because we run the risk that when you find a positive guy, a good number of people end up isolated. And then it may happen that with the concomitance of the flu syndrome, Italy may stop not because of the blockade but because of the multiplication of quarantines.“.
Meanwhile, yesterday the Scientific Technical Committee gave the green light to the use of rapid tests in schools for screening activities. This type of test, already used in airports, does not ensure 100% reliability, but allows results to be obtained in just twenty minutes. That is why the health authorities have decided to use them in the most sensitive environments that require higher alert levels. In the case of a positive result, it will still be necessary to proceed with the swab to ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis, but considering the speed with which the results arrive, the possibility of testing a large number of subjects practically anywhere (without having to send the test to the laboratory) and to repeat the test frequently at low cost, this type of tool can be useful in a context such as school.
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