{"title":"SARS-CoV-2 Infection in School Settings, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 2021–2022","authors":"Yoshihiro Takayama, Yusuke Shimakawa, Ryota Matsuyama, Gerardo Chowell, Ryosuke Omori, Tetsuharu Nagamoto, Taro Yamamoto, Kenji Mizumoto","doi":"10.3201/eid3011.240638","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread school closures were implemented globally based on the assumption that transmission among children in the school environment is common. However, evidence regarding secondary infection rates by school type and level of contact is lacking. Our study estimated the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection in school settings by examining the positivity rate according to school type and level of contact by using data from a large-scale school-based PCR project conducted in Okinawa, Japan, during 2021–2022. Our results indicate that, despite detection of numerous positive cases, the average number of secondary infections remained relatively low at ≈0.5 cases across all types of schools. Considering the profound effects of prolonged closures on educational access, balancing public health benefits against potential long-term effects on children is crucial.</p>","PeriodicalId":11595,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Infectious Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Emerging Infectious Diseases","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3011.240638","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread school closures were implemented globally based on the assumption that transmission among children in the school environment is common. However, evidence regarding secondary infection rates by school type and level of contact is lacking. Our study estimated the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection in school settings by examining the positivity rate according to school type and level of contact by using data from a large-scale school-based PCR project conducted in Okinawa, Japan, during 2021–2022. Our results indicate that, despite detection of numerous positive cases, the average number of secondary infections remained relatively low at ≈0.5 cases across all types of schools. Considering the profound effects of prolonged closures on educational access, balancing public health benefits against potential long-term effects on children is crucial.
期刊介绍：
Emerging Infectious Diseases is a monthly open access journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The primary goal of this peer-reviewed journal is to advance the global recognition of both new and reemerging infectious diseases, while also enhancing our understanding of the underlying factors that contribute to disease emergence, prevention, and elimination.
Targeted towards professionals in the field of infectious diseases and related sciences, the journal encourages diverse contributions from experts in academic research, industry, clinical practice, public health, as well as specialists in economics, social sciences, and other relevant disciplines. By fostering a collaborative approach, Emerging Infectious Diseases aims to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue and address the multifaceted challenges posed by infectious diseases.
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