A study published Wednesday associates the widespread closure of schools in the spring with fewer cases of COVID-19 and deaths in the following days and weeks.
School closings may have been associated with 1.37 million fewer COVID-19 cases over a 26-day period and 40,600 fewer deaths over a 16-day period, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA).
The study comes amid a debate in the US about when and how schools should reopen in the fall. The Trump administration has lobbied for schools to reopen completely, arguing that children are less likely to experience the serious illness of COVID-19. The administration is also interested in getting the economy moving again and views the opening of schools as a key factor.
However, it is unclear what role children play in spreading the virus to adults.
The study was conducted by pediatric researchers, led by Dr. Katherine Auger, an associate professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
The study found that states that closed schools at the beginning of the pandemic when the confirmed number of COVID-19 cases and deaths saw fewer total cases and deaths after closure, compared to states that closed schools later when confirmed cases and deaths were highest.
The authors cautioned that the study results should not necessarily be applied to making decisions about reopening in the fall, noting that the infection control practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) such as spacing desks 6 feet away and requiring the use of masks were not in place in the spring.
“It is not clear how the spread of COVID-19 would be affected if schools remained open while states enacted other policies to restrict movement,” the authors wrote.
“It is possible that school-related spread can be mitigated with infection control interventions recommended by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.”
The authors note that spring school closings occurred at the same time as orders to stay home, the closure of nonessential businesses, and a ban on large gatherings that also had an effect on the drop in COVID cases and deaths. -19.
The authors wrote that it is not possible to fully separate the effects of those measures on decreasing COVID-19 cases and deaths.
It is also unclear whether the closure of schools resulted in a decrease in cases because children were not spreading the virus between themselves and adults, or because parents stayed more at home to care for the children.
Both the CDC and other health experts have strongly emphasized reopening schools in the fall with safety precautions because the closings have had a negative impact on student learning and health.
“Although the study findings … suggest a role for school closings in virus mitigation, school and health officials must balance this with the academic, health and economic consequences,” an editorial read about the study published in JAMA and written by two experts who were not involved in it.
“A key challenge is that these other results are probably more diffuse, accumulate over a longer time horizon, may have decades-long consequences, and are more difficult to count than the COVID-19 results, including cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, they are measured in real time and widely reported, “write Julie Donohue and Dr. Elizabeth Miller, both from the University of Pittsburgh.
They added that school districts should consider the level of COVID-19 prevalence in their communities, policies and practices on mask use, and the risk of transmission among children of different ages.
Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciTrump doubles his hydroxychloroquine consumption, praises the doctor in a viral video Trump questions how Fauci has a high approval rating “but nobody liked it” United | Senate GOP COVID-19 Response Sets Up Battle for Medicaid | Virginia imposes new restrictions in part of the state MORE, the country’s leading infectious disease doctor, said whether a school can safely reopen in the fall depends on the level of transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
“In hot areas, you have to take it on a case-by-case basis and make a decision based on the well-being of the children as well as the feasibility of being able to open up,” Fauci said on MSNBC Wednesday.
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