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The Istituto Superiore di Sanità has published the focus on the reopening of schools and the cases of Covid-19.
The reopening of schools coincided with the start of a new acute phase of the SARS-CoV-2 virus epidemic, which has seen an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases since the end of September until it reaches its peak in mid-November.
THE FULL REPORT
The report analyzes the national and regional epidemiological trend of COVID-19 cases in school age (3-18 years) in the period between August 24 and December 27, 2020 and describes the evidence currently available on the impact of closing / reopening schools on the transmission of COVID-19 throughout the community.
In the period from August 31 to December 27, 2020 “There were 3,173 outbreaks in the school setting in Italy, representing 2% of the total outbreaks reported nationally.”
If we take into account the weekly trend, there has been a progressive increase in outbreaks with a peak in the weeks from October 5 to 25, a gradual decrease until November 22 and a further increase until December 13 followed by a stabilization in the second semester of the month “, underlines the document.
The report highlights “A considerable variability in the number of outbreaks reported on a weekly basis, attributable both to the different classification criteria for school outbreaks adopted at the regional level and to the lower capacity to trace contacts in relation to the difficult situation created after the increase in cases that
limited ability of healthcare professionals to conduct accurate research – continues ISS – ITherefore, the number of school outbreaks is underestimated and some regions (Basilicata, Campania, Liguria, Molise, Sardinia, Valle d’Aosta) have not been able to communicate information regarding the environment in which the outbreaks occurred. “
The report says: “The decision to reopen schools involves a difficult compromise between epidemiological consequences and the educational and developmental needs of children. Returning to school in the presence, following restrictive measures in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, requires balancing teaching needs with safety needs. Schools must be part of an effective and timely system of testing, contact tracing, isolation and support with measures to minimize the risk of virus transmission, including personal protective equipment and adequate ventilation of the facilities ”.
Then: “In the current state of knowledge, schools appear to be relatively safe environments, as long as they are continue to take a series of well-established precautions, such as wearing a mask, washing hands, ventilate classrooms, and their role in accelerating the transmission of coronavirus to Europe is believed be limited. The experience of other countries also shows that maintaining a school education in The presence depends on the success of the preventive measures taken in the community in general. When I’m in mitigation measures implemented and widely followed at both the school and community levels, the reopening while helping to increase the incidence of COVID-19, they cause small increases that do not cause widespread epidemic growth. “
Data on infections attributable to the school area
Between August 24 and December 27, there were 2 1,783,418 cases nationwide, of which 203,350 (11%) were of school age (3-18 years).
The percentage of cases in children and adolescents increased from September 21 to October 26 (with a peak of 16% in the week of October 12 to 18) and then go back to previous levels. The percentages of school-age cases in relation to the number of non-school-age cases range from 8.6% in Valle d’Aosta to 15.0% in Bolzano.
The majority (40%) occurred in adolescents aged 14 to 18, followed by elementary school children aged 6 to 10 (27%), middle school children aged 11 to 13 (23%), and children aged 3- 5 years of preschool (10%).
The peak of daily incidence in the period analyzed It was approximately 43 / 100,000 inhabitants in the 3-18 age group, clearly lower than that found in the other age groups (> 18 years: 60 / 100,000 inhabitants). In school age, there is an increase in incidence with increasing age, the highest values are observed for children aged 14-18 years (57 / 100,000) and 11-13 years (53 / 100,000), followed by children 6 to 10 years (37 / 100,000) and 3-5 years (24 / 100,000)
The highest incidence peaks were found in Valle d’Aosta (around 200 / 100,000) in the age group 14-18 and in Lombardy, Liguria, Bolzano (around 100 / 100,000) in the age group 14- 18 and 11-13.
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