Iolanda Jordan1,2,3, Mariona Fernandez de Sevilla4, Victoria Fumado5, Quique Bassat3,4,6,7,8, Elisenda Bonet-Carne9,10,11, Claudia Fortuny6, Aleix Garcia-Miquel9, Cristina Jou2,12,13, Cristina Adroher14, María Melé Casas4, Mònica Girona-Alarcon1,2, María Hernández Garcia4, Gemma Pons Tomas4, Sara Ajanovic15, Sara Arias15, Núria Balanza15, Bárbara Baro15, Pere Millat-Martinez15, Rosauro Varo15, Sergio Alonso16, Enric Álvarez-Lacalle16, Daniel López16, Joana Claverol2,17, Marta Cubells2,17, Pedro Brotons2,3,18, Anna Codina2,12, Daniel Cuadras19, Patricia Bruijning-Verhagen20, Saul Faust21, Alasdair Munro21, Carmen Muñoz-Almagro2,3,18, Martí Català22, Clara Prats16, Juan José Garcia-Garcia2,3,4, Eduard Gratacós9,10,23. 1. Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 3. Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain. 4. Pediatric Service, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 5. Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. 6. ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 7. Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, Maputo, Mozambique. 8. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain. 9. BCNatal, Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 10. Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain. 11. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech, Barcelona, Spain. 12. Department of Pathology and Biobank Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras, Spain. 13. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Raras, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain. 14. Strategic Planning and Management Control, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. 15. Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 16. Computational Biology and Complex Systems; Department of Physics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Castelldefels, Spain. 17. Fundació Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. 18. Department of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. 19. Statistics Department, Fundació Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. 20. Julius Centre for Health Sciences, Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. 21. National Institute for Health Research Southampton Clinical Research Facility and Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, and Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom. 22. Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Badalona, Spain. 23. Center for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Understanding the role of children in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is critical to guide decision-making for schools in the pandemic. We aimed to describe the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and adult staff in summer schools. METHODS: During July 2020, we prospectively recruited children and adult staff attending summer schools in Barcelona who had SARS-CoV-2 infection. Primary SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified through (1) a surveillance program in 22 summer schools of 1905 participants, involving weekly saliva sampling for SARS-CoV-2 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during 2-5 weeks; and (2) cases identified through the Catalonian Health Surveillance System of children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. All centers followed prevention protocols: bubble groups, handwashing, face masks, and conducting activities mostly outdoors. Contacts of a primary case within the same bubble were evaluated by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Secondary attack rates and the effective reproduction number in summer schools (Re*) were calculated. RESULTS: Among the >2000 repeatedly screened participants, 30 children and 9 adults were identified as primary cases. A total of 253 close contacts of these primary cases were studied (median, 9 [interquartile range, 5-10] for each primary case), among which 12 new cases (4.7%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Re* was 0.3, whereas the contemporary rate in the general population from the same areas in Barcelona was 1.9. CONCLUSIONS: The transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children attending school-like facilities under strict prevention measures was lower than that reported for the general population. This suggests that under preventive measures schools are unlikely amplifiers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, supporting current recommendations for school opening.
BACKGROUND: Understanding the role of children in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is critical to guide decision-making for schools in the pandemic. We aimed to describe the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and adult staff in summer schools. METHODS: During July 2020, we prospectively recruited children and adult staff attending summer schools in Barcelona who had SARS-CoV-2 infection. Primary SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified through (1) a surveillance program in 22 summer schools of 1905 participants, involving weekly saliva sampling for SARS-CoV-2 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during 2-5 weeks; and (2) cases identified through the Catalonian Health Surveillance System of children diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. All centers followed prevention protocols: bubble groups, handwashing, face masks, and conducting activities mostly outdoors. Contacts of a primary case within the same bubble were evaluated by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Secondary attack rates and the effective reproduction number in summer schools (Re*) were calculated. RESULTS: Among the >2000 repeatedly screened participants, 30 children and 9 adults were identified as primary cases. A total of 253 close contacts of these primary cases were studied (median, 9 [interquartile range, 5-10] for each primary case), among which 12 new cases (4.7%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Re* was 0.3, whereas the contemporary rate in the general population from the same areas in Barcelona was 1.9. CONCLUSIONS: The transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children attending school-like facilities under strict prevention measures was lower than that reported for the general population. This suggests that under preventive measures schools are unlikely amplifiers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, supporting current recommendations for school opening.
Authors: Saverio Caini; Chiara Martinoli; Carlo La Vecchia; Sara Raimondi; Federica Bellerba; Oriana D'Ecclesiis; Clementina Sasso; Alessandra Basso; Giulio Cammarata; Sara Gandini Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-04-28 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Carlota Dobaño; Selena Alonso; Marta Vidal; Alfons Jiménez; Rocío Rubio; Rebeca Santano; Diana Barrios; Gemma Pons Tomas; María Melé Casas; María Hernández García; Mònica Girona-Alarcón; Laura Puyol; Barbara Baro; Pere Millat-Martínez; Sara Ajanovic; Núria Balanza; Sara Arias; Natalia Rodrigo Melero; Carlo Carolis; Aleix García-Miquel; Elisenda Bonet-Carné; Joana Claverol; Marta Cubells; Claudia Fortuny; Victoria Fumadó; Anna Codina; Quique Bassat; Carmen Muñoz-Almagro; Mariona Fernández de Sevilla; Eduard Gratacós; Luis Izquierdo; Juan José García-García; Ruth Aguilar; Iolanda Jordan; Gemma Moncunill Journal: Front Immunol Date: 2022-01-27 Impact factor: 7.561
Authors: Sergio Alonso; Martí Català; Daniel López; Enric Álvarez-Lacalle; Iolanda Jordan; Juan José García-García; Victoria Fumadó; Carmen Muñoz-Almagro; Eduard Gratacós; Núria Balanza; Rosauro Varo; Pere Millat; Bàrbara Baro; Sara Ajanovic; Sara Arias; Joana Claverol; Mariona Fernández de Sevilla; Elisenda Bonet-Carne; Aleix Garcia-Miquel; Ermengol Coma; Manuel Medina-Peralta; Francesc Fina; Clara Prats; Quique Bassat Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-02-16 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Sarah L Silverberg; Bei Yuan Zhang; Shu Nan Jessica Li; Conrad Burgert; Hennady P Shulha; Vanessa Kitchin; Laura Sauvé; Manish Sadarangani Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2022-04-02 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Sara Ajanovic; Jon Garrido-Aguirre; Bàrbara Baro; Núria Balanza; Rosauro Varo; Pere Millat-Martínez; Sara Arias; Jordi Fonollosa; Alexandre Perera-Lluna; Iolanda Jordan; Carmen Muñoz-Almagro; Elisenda Bonet-Carne; Aina Crosas-Soler; Esther Via; Begonya Nafria; Juan José García-García; Quique Bassat Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2021-11-25
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
Authors: Russell Viner; Claire Waddington; Oliver Mytton; Robert Booy; Joana Cruz; Joseph Ward; Shamez Ladhani; Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths; Chris Bonell; G J Melendez-Torres Journal: J Infect Date: 2021-12-22 Impact factor: 38.637