Research Round-up: New Studies on Kids, COVID, Higher Risks for In-Person School Households, and How to Reduce Risks
by SmartRestartAPS | Mar 6, 2021 | Research
Recent studies have a deluge of new information about kids, COVID, and schools. Here we go on a quick round-up of some major research:
….

Reviewed serologic testing of blood specimens from MayβSeptember 2020, from 1,603 persons aged <18 years.

Found that 113,842 (16.3%!!!!) of 698,420 kids in Mississippi were likely infected with SARS-CoV-2 by mid-September 2020. (That was before schools reopened in fall.)

But wait…. ONLY 8,993 kiddos <18 years old were ever confirmed via the standard COVID tests at that time.

Findings suggest

12 TIMES MORE cases in kids than has been known.
Adults with…

Any children

5% higher risk of getting COVID.

2 young kids

13% higher risk

3+ young kids

42% higher risk

Just kids over age 6

31% higher risk

“The association could be a result of a higher number of social contacts … or due to infection brought into the household by the young children.”
…

Top scholars (mostly from Johns Hopkinsβ Bloomberg School of Public Health) published a report (preprint), that adults living with children attending full-time in-person school are more likely to become COVID-19+ in the USA.
Adults with a kid in full-time in-person school

38% higher odds of reporting a “COVID-like illness.”

Older students higher risk for adults than younger kids if in full-time in-person school. (Not as much age variation for hybrid students.)

Outcomes better the more mitigations your school system puts in place (down to almost zero risk possible). Each measure implemented decreases odds of illness by about 9%.
Plastic plexiglass cubbies β pandemic “safety theater” item that we have now in our local schools β are associated with MORE COVID-like illness. Yep. More.
Unfortunately, no data was collected on ventilation, which has been the norm for so many studies (and extremely aggravating). Survey covered masking, restricted entry, extra space, reduced class size, daily symptom screens, cohorts, moving activities outdoors, + other mitigations.
CDC MMWR featured study resorts to messaging with arrows about masks and dining:LINK:
(Side note from Smart Restart: School cafeterias are maskless, indoor dining venues that will make contact tracing difficult.)
French data shows B.1.1.7 is now dominant form of COVID-19 for kids ages 0-9.
Spanish (preprint) data study suggests that children may be drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the general population at the same level as adults. They have the same viral load, even if they are asymptomatic. (Asymptomatic adults have lower viral loads.)