Are schools a breeding ground for COVID-19? Scientists point to seven ways to prevent this
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In May, students of all primary and secondary school grades are to return to full-time education. Could this increase new COVID-19 cases? According to research – yes. But there is also good news. The risk can be minimized relatively easily.

  1. Last week, the Polish government announced that it was defrosting education – on May 4, students of grades I – III will return to full-time education. On May 17, the older classes will start learning in hybrid mode
  2. On May 31, children and young people from the fourth grade of primary school to secondary school will return to school
  3. Based on the latest research, the result could be an increase in the number of coronavirus infections
  4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

The school could be a hotbed of new coronavirus infections, the study shows

Returning children and teens to school in May could be a risky decision, as a new study by researchers at John Hopkins University shows. Experts analyzed data for the period between the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 on 500. households. It turned out that when at least one of the children studied stationary, the risk of infection of the other household members with COVID-19 increased by 38%. According to the researchers, the study proves that learning at school may be associated with infections among teachers, education staff and family members.

‘Even though transmission in the classroom is rare, classroom activities (…) can lead to an increased number of infections,’ write the researchers, highlighting behaviors such as fetching and dropping off children and teacher interactions.

  1. Check also: Long COVID-19 also in children. Unusual symptoms even after several months

The results of the research do not, however, exclude full-time education. On the contrary – although the risk of coronavirus infection at school is high, it can be significantly mitigated. Scientists point to ways that the study showed effectiveness in inhibiting viral transmission.

7 ways to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus in school

Research by scientists from John Hopkins University shows that adding one of the measures to reduce the risk of infection brings measurable results. Each subsequent step reduces COVID-19 transmission by 9%. This means, according to scientists, that the use of at least seven such preventive measures is enough to eliminate the risk of coronavirus infection.

Which measures are the most effective? The research shows that these are:

  1. wearing of face masks by students
  2. wearing masks by teachers
  3. restriction of entry to the school premises
  4. extra space (increasing the distance between students)
  5. no shared school supplies
  6. learning within one group of students
  7. smaller class sizes

The next methods on the list are:

  1. monitoring disease symptoms
  2. one teacher
  3. no extra-curricular activities
  4. closed canteens
  5. desk covers

Asymptomatic children can suffer from long COVID. What does it mean?

In children and adolescents, COVID-19 infection is often asymptomatic or associated with only mild symptoms. However, weeks or months after infection, they may develop a condition known as “long COVID”. This is the whole list of symptoms that indicate that the child’s body has not returned to normal after the illness.

A report by the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the youngest children (between 2 and 11 years of age) are the least exposed to long COVID. Symptoms occurred in 12,9% of infected. In the age range of 12-16 years, symptoms were reported in 14,5% of respondents. In young people between 17 and 24 years of age long COVID was found in 17,1 percent. people.

Children and adolescents after COVID-19 infection may develop multiple systemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) or pediatric multiple system inflammatory syndrome (PIMS). Their most common symptoms include:

  1. persistent fever
  2. gastrointestinal complaints
  3. rash or conjunctivitis
  4. headaches

In turn, the independent research of the Long Covid Kids Study shows that the symptoms of long COVID may also include:

  1. sore throat
  2. arthralgia
  3. fatigue
  4. pain in the chest
  5. nausea
  6. Wahania Nastroju
  7. dizziness

Also read:

  1. Moderna is working on a vaccine against COVID-19 variants. It may be ready soon
  2. What side effects are most common depending on the type of COVID-19 vaccine you receive
  3. How many Poles get vaccinated against COVID-19? [POLL]
  4. A new “unexpectedly common” complication after COVID-19. It’s an ATM
  5. Coronavirus in retreat? Surprising data about the R indicator

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