BACKGROUND: In an effort to mitigate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), North Carolina closed prekindergarten through grade 12 public schools to in-person instruction on March 14, 2020. On July 15, 2020, North Carolina's governor announced schools could open via remote learning or a hybrid model that combined in-person and remote instruction. In August 2020, 56 of 115 North Carolina school districts joined The ABC Science Collaborative (ABCs) to implement public health measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission and share lessons learned. We describe secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within participating school districts during the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 academic year. METHODS: From August 15, 2020 to October 23, 2020, 11 of 56 school districts participating in ABCs were open for in-person instruction for all 9 weeks of the first quarter and agreed to track incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Local health department staff adjudicated secondary transmission. Superintendents met weekly with ABCs faculty to share lessons learned and develop prevention methods. RESULTS: Over 9 weeks, 11 participating school districts had >90 000 students and staff attend school in person. Among these students and staff, 773 community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections were documented by molecular testing. Through contact tracing, health department staff determined an additional 32 infections were acquired within schools. No instances of child-to-adult transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were reported within schools. CONCLUSIONS: In the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in North Carolina schools, we found extremely limited within-school secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2, as determined by contact tracing.
BACKGROUND: In an effort to mitigate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), North Carolina closed prekindergarten through grade 12 public schools to in-person instruction on March 14, 2020. On July 15, 2020, North Carolina's governor announced schools could open via remote learning or a hybrid model that combined in-person and remote instruction. In August 2020, 56 of 115 North Carolina school districts joined The ABC Science Collaborative (ABCs) to implement public health measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission and share lessons learned. We describe secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within participating school districts during the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 academic year. METHODS: From August 15, 2020 to October 23, 2020, 11 of 56 school districts participating in ABCs were open for in-person instruction for all 9 weeks of the first quarter and agreed to track incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Local health department staff adjudicated secondary transmission. Superintendents met weekly with ABCs faculty to share lessons learned and develop prevention methods. RESULTS: Over 9 weeks, 11 participating school districts had >90 000 students and staff attend school in person. Among these students and staff, 773 community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections were documented by molecular testing. Through contact tracing, health department staff determined an additional 32 infections were acquired within schools. No instances of child-to-adult transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were reported within schools. CONCLUSIONS: In the first 9 weeks of in-person instruction in North Carolina schools, we found extremely limited within-school secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2, as determined by contact tracing.
Authors: James W Antoon; Derek J Williams; Cary Thurm; Michael Bendel-Stenzel; Alicen B Spaulding; Ronald J Teufel; Mario A Reyes; Samir S Shah; Chén C Kenyon; Adam L Hersh; Todd A Florin; Carlos G Grijalva Journal: J Hosp Med Date: 2021-05 Impact factor: 2.960
Authors: Qing Yang; Tassa K Saldi; Patrick K Gonzales; Erika Lasda; Carolyn J Decker; Kimngan L Tat; Morgan R Fink; Cole R Hager; Jack C Davis; Christopher D Ozeroff; Denise Muhlrad; Stephen K Clark; Will T Fattor; Nicholas R Meyerson; Camille L Paige; Alison R Gilchrist; Arturo Barbachano-Guerrero; Emma R Worden-Sapper; Sharon S Wu; Gloria R Brisson; Matthew B McQueen; Robin D Dowell; Leslie Leinwand; Roy Parker; Sara L Sawyer Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2021-05-25 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: Daniel A Thompson; Hoda Abbasizanjani; Richard Fry; Emily Marchant; Lucy Griffiths; Ashley Akbari; Joe Hollinghurst; Laura North; Jane Lyons; Fatemeh Torabi; Gareth Davies; Mike B Gravenor; Ronan A Lyons Journal: BMJ Paediatr Open Date: 2021-05-10
Authors: Mario Tagliabue; Anna Lisa Ridolfo; Paolo Pina; Giuseppe Rizzolo; Sonia Belbusti; Spinello Antinori; Martina Beltrami; Dario Cattaneo; Cristina Gervasoni Journal: Prev Med Rep Date: 2021-06-26