1887
Rapid communication Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

An intense debate on school closures to control the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing in Europe. We prospectively examined transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from confirmed paediatric cases in Norwegian primary schools between August and November 2020. All in-school contacts were systematically tested twice during their quarantine period. With preventive measures implemented in schools, we found minimal child-to-child (0.9%, 2/234) and child-to-adult (1.7%, 1/58) transmission, supporting that under 14 year olds are not the drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011
2021-01-07
2024-12-26
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/26/1/eurosurv-26-1-1.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Increased transmission of COVID-19 in the EU/EEA and the UK – thirteenth update. Stockholm: ECDC; 23 Oct 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/covid-19-risk-assessment-increased-transmission-thirteenth-update
  2. Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). Daily report and statistics about coronavirus and COVID-19. Oslo: NIPH. [Accessed 20 Nov 2020]. Available from: https://www.fhi.no/en/id/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/daily-reports/daily-reports-COVID19/
  3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in COVID-19 transmission. Stockholm: ECDC; 6 Aug 2020. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/children-and-school-settings-covid-19-transmission
  4. Heavey L, Casey G, Kelly C, Kelly D, McDarby G. No evidence of secondary transmission of COVID-19 from children attending school in Ireland, 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(21):2000903.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.21.2000903  PMID: 32489179 
  5. Otte Im Kampe E, Lehfeld AS, Buda S, Buchholz U, Haas W. Surveillance of COVID-19 school outbreaks, Germany, March to August 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(38):2001645.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.38.2001645  PMID: 32975186 
  6. Ehrhardt J, Ekinci A, Krehl H, Meincke M, Finci I, Klein J, et al. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in children aged 0 to 19 years in childcare facilities and schools after their reopening in May 2020, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(36):2001587.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.36.2001587  PMID: 32914746 
  7. Ismail SA, Saliba V, Lopez Bernal J, Ramsay ME, Ladhani SN. SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in educational settings: a prospective, cross-sectional analysis of infection clusters and outbreaks in England. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;S1473-3099(20)30882-3. PMID: 33306981 
  8. World Health Organization (WHO). Protocol: Real-time RT-PCR assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 Institut Pasteur, Paris. Geneva: WHO. [Accessed 20 Nov 2020]. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/real-time-rt-pcr-assays-for-the-detection-of-sars-cov-2-institut-pasteur-paris.pdf?sfvrsn=3662fcb6
  9. Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). Håndbok for oppdaging, vurdering og håndtering av covid-19-utbrudd i kommunen. Kapittel 4: Risikovurdering. [Manual for detection, evaluation and handling of COVID-19 outbreak in the municipality. Chapter 4: Risk assessment]. Oslo: NIPH; 2020. Norwegian. Available from: https://www.fhi.no/nettpub/overvaking-vurdering-og-handtering-av-covid-19-epidemien-i-kommunen/
  10. Parri N, Lenge M, Buonsenso D, Coronavirus Infection in Pediatric Emergency Departments (CONFIDENCE) Research Group. Children with Covid-19 in Pediatric Emergency Departments in Italy. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(2):187-90.  https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2007617  PMID: 32356945 
  11. Folkhälsomyndigheten (Public Health Agency of Sweden). Forekomst av covid-19 i olika yrkesgrupper. Bekraftade covid-19 fall i Sverige 13 mars - 27 maj 2020. [Prevalence of COVID-19 in different occupational groups. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sweden 13 March - 27 May 2020]. Stockholm: Folkhälsomyndigheten; 2020. Swedish. Available from: https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/contentassets/7ff1da2c3d7140809558ddae46735aa1/forekomst-covid-19-olika-yrkesgrupper-skolan.pdf
  12. Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). COVID-19. Ukerapport – uke 44. [COVID-19. Weekly report - week 44]. Oslo: NIPH; 4 Nov 2020. Norwegian. Available from: https://www.fhi.no/contentassets/8a971e7b0a3c4a06bdbf381ab52e6157/vedlegg/andre-halvar-2020/2020.11.04-ukerapport-uke-44-covid-19.pdf
  13. de Gier B, de Oliveira Bressane Lima P, van Gaalen R, de Boer PT, Alblas J, Ruijten M, et al. Occupation- and age-associated risk of SARS-CoV-2 test positivity, the Netherlands, June to October 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(50):2001884.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.50.2001884 
  14. Folkhälsomyndigheten (Public Health Agency of Sweden). Provtagning vid PCR-påvisning av SARS-CoV-2 i de övre luftvägarna. [Sampling for PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract]. Stockholm: Folkhälsomyndigheten; 2020. Swedish. Available from: https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/contentassets/370e0816bc0a4f179613d6ef74e903d9/provtagning-pcr-pavisning-sars-cov-2-luftvagarna.pdf
  15. Chong CY, Kam KQ, Li J, Maiwald M, Loo LH, Nadua KD, et al. Saliva is not a useful diagnostic specimen in children with Coronavirus Disease 2019. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;ciaa1376.  PMID: 32927475 
  16. Han MS, Seong MW, Kim N, Shin S, Cho SI, Park H, et al. Viral RNA Load in Mildly Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Children with COVID-19, Seoul, South Korea. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(10):2497-9.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2610.202449  PMID: 32497001 
  17. Johansen TB, Astrup E, Jore S, Nilssen H, Dahlberg BB, Klingenberg C, et al. Infection prevention guidelines and considerations for paediatric risk groups when reopening primary schools during COVID-19 pandemic, Norway, April 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(22):2000921.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.22.2000921  PMID: 32524956 
  18. The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. Veileder om smittevern for skoletrinn 1.–7. trinn under covid-19 utbruddet 2020. [Guidance on infection control for school grades 1-7 during the COVID-19 outbreak]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. [Accessed 20 Nov 2020]. Norwegian. Available from: https://www.udir.no/kvalitet-og-kompetanse/sikkerhet-og-beredskap/informasjon-om-koronaviruset/smittevernveileder/skoletrinn-1-7/
  19. Stein-Zamir C, Abramson N, Shoob H, Libal E, Bitan M, Cardash T, et al. A large COVID-19 outbreak in a high school 10 days after schools’ reopening, Israel, May 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020;25(29):2001352.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.29.2001352  PMID: 32720636 
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error