The researchers, from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati and the Ohio Pediatric Research Network in Inpatient Settings, wrote in the study that “the analyzes presented here suggest that the time of school closure plays a role in the magnitude of changes associated with school closure. “
Extrapolating their findings to the US population, the researchers wrote in the study that “school closure may have been associated with approximately 1.37 million fewer cases of COVID-19 in a 26-day period and 40,600 fewer deaths in a period of 16 days. “
However, the researchers note that their findings may not necessarily apply to current debates about reopening schools, since conditions in the spring, when fewer people may have worn masks and social distancing, differ from now.
For example, “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 researchers wrote in the study. “School-related spread may be mitigated with infection control interventions recommended by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, including frequent hand washing, universal mask policies, physical distancing measures, and sanitation procedures. improved. “
Reopening of schools ‘among the greatest challenges the United States has faced’
The new study included examining the cumulative incidence of Covid-19 in each state per 100,000 people at the time of school closure. Those cumulative incidences for each state were separated into quartiles. The researchers used models to estimate the differences in Covid-19 incidence and death between the areas where schools closed and where schools remained open.
The model suggests that closing schools when the cumulative incidence of Covid-19 was in the lowest quartile compared to the highest quartile was associated with 128.7 fewer Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in 26 days and 1.5 fewer Covid deaths. 19 per 100,000 people in excess 16 days
The study had some limitations, including the fact that as schools closed, other measures were also taken to reduce the spread of Covid-19, such as closing nonessential businesses and increasing the use of hand sanitizers and handwashing. . More research is needed to determine the role that some of those other interventions may have played in reducing Covid-19 diseases and deaths.
“The decision to reopen schools for in-person educational instruction in the fall of 2020 is one of the biggest challenges the United States has faced in generations. The decision will have life-long implications for millions of children and their families,” said Donohue. and Miller. wrote
“In many parts of the country, this has become a contentious issue, with children, their families and teachers expressing strong opinions about what is best for them,” wrote Donohue and Miller. “There has rarely been a more important time for open discussion and collaboration with the goal of reaching consensus on the reopening of schools, while protecting the health and well-being of students and educators during the COVID pandemic. -19 “.
Expert committee recommends ‘prioritizing reopening’
“As school districts weigh these risks, the committee recommended that school districts do their utmost to prioritize reopening with an emphasis on providing in-person instruction for kindergarten through fifth grade students, as well as those students with special needs they could be better served by in-person instruction, “Kenne Dibner and Heidi Schweingruber, both national academies of science, engineering and medicine, and Dr. Dimitri Christakis of the University of Washington in Seattle, wrote in the document.
The committee also “called for partnerships between school districts and public health officials so that reopening decisions, plans to mitigate the spread of the virus when buildings are opened, and decisions about future closings are informed by the best data and Available epidemiological and public health evidence, “Dibner, Schweingruber, and Christakis wrote in the newspaper.
“Just as the ability of public schools to meet the needs of their communities depends on the resources available, so too is the ability of a community to respond to the COVID-19 crisis based on infrastructure and access to care medical, “wrote Dibner, Schweingruber, and Christakis. .
“These challenges have the potential to complicate each other in ways that could be catastrophic for the most vulnerable communities. Within any response to the reopening question, decision makers will need to put equity at the center of their response by ensuring that voices traditionally marginalized are involved in the decision-making process, the necessary services are accessible and the resources are equitably distributed, “they wrote. “This moment is an opportunity to reopen schools in ways that better serve the students, families, and communities that depend on them.”
Fauci: schools will be ‘part of the reopening experiment’
The country’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that even with every precaution taken, schools will be “part of the experiment” when it comes to learning how the virus affects children and the spread of the community, during a discussion Tuesday night with the American Federation. from teacher president Randi Weingarten on the safety of returning to schools.
“We don’t know the full impact,” Fauci continued, noting that the schools have not reopened since the country initially closed. “We don’t have the full database of what to expect.”
Delving into what is known about how the virus affects children, Fauci said studies have shown that children ages 10 to 19 can transmit infections to adults as easily as adults can transmit the infection to adults. She said that what is not so clear is how babies through 10-year-old children transmit the virus.
“There are some statements, some data about it, but it is not as solid as the data we would like to see and about it,” Fauci said, referring to what science says about children ages 0-10. NIH is currently conducting the HEROES study to learn more about this specific age group.
Although Fauci stated that there is no “one-dimensional answer” on how schools should reopen, he reiterated that “the default position should be that we should try our best to get children back to school.”
After pointing out the benefits of returning to in-person instruction, Fauci turned to say that schools should only reopen for any kind of in-person instruction if it is safe for those children, teachers, school staff, and family. .
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