COVID-19 will most likely “continue to pose a risk to the safe and normal functioning of schools,” according to a study published Friday in the Lancet journal.
However, regular testing could be the key to keeping schools open as we continue to deal with the virus, the researchers from France said.
While COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have been trending down in recent weeks, there are concerns about the omicron BA.2 variant. This variant is apparently more transmissible than other versions of the omicron SARS CoV-2 variant and accounts for around 55% of cases in the U.S., per recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Omicron BA.2 “has demonstrated an increased growth rate,” compared to the initial omicron variant in the U.K., according to a report released last month. During late fall and winter, the original omicron variant caused a surge in cases around the globe.
“Our study provides the first estimate of SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility in different school settings, suggesting that contacts at school increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission potential compared with transmission in the community,” the recent Lancet study said.
Data from March 21 to March 27 in the U.K. showed that there “were increases in some COVID-19 indicators but others remained stable.”
According to the Lancet study, “extending vaccination coverage in students, complemented by regular testing with good adherence, are essential steps to keep schools open when highly transmissible variants are circulating.”
Researchers said part of the reason for the study was the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures in 2020 and 2021.
“School closures carry high social and economic costs for people across communities,” according to UNESCO.
However, “strategies to safely keep schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic are a matter of controversial debate, and knowledge from the field is scarce,” the study explained
To conduct the study, researchers used empirical contact data from 683 primary and secondary school pilot screenings while the alpha variant of SARS CoV-2 was circulating in France from March to June of last year.
“Under these conditions, weekly testing of 75% of unvaccinated students…in addition to symptom-based testing, would reduce cases by 34% in primary schools and 36% in secondary schools compared with symptom based-testing alone” said the study. PCR tests on saliva samples were listed for primary schools and lateral flow tests were listed for secondary schools.
Study findings indicated that “repeated contacts in dense classrooms, even with facemask mandates in place, except for during sport and at lunch,” may facilitate transmission if screening protocols are not in place.
“Regular testing would also reduce student-days lost up to 80% compared with reactive class closures,” researchers said. Even with “moderate vaccination coverage,” students – especially those who have not yet been vaccinated – would still benefit from regular testing, they added.
In the U.S., COVID-19 vaccines are available to children who are at least 5 years old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, around 27% percent of children age 5 to 11 in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated.
Results from the French study support the CDC’s recommendation that schools implement COVID-19 testing programs.
“It’s critical that K-12 schools implement safety measures to keep schools open and students and staff healthy and safe from COVID-19,” the centers said. “One key measure is regular COVID-19 testing in schools.”
According to the CDC, regular testing can: help reduce community spread of COVID-19, keep schools open, protect students and staff, serve an early warning for potential outbreaks and provide families access to testing.
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