Schools can safely reopen in the U.S. in the fall with moderate mitigation strategies to protect against coronavirus, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of Maryland, Harvard University, Stanford University and Massachusetts General Hospital created a model looking at the risk of COVID-19 transmission in classrooms. For the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the team built a simulation model to asses risk of Covid-19 transmission in schools, accounting for classroom sizes, in-school and out-of-school interactions, and other factors. Elementary schools could potentially see a five-fold reduction in Covid transmission when using these strategies, while high schools could see a ten-fold reduction. Mitigation strategies schools could also perform to reduce case rates included isolating symptomatic individuals, reducing class sizes, alternative schedules that limit interaction.

Source: Daily Mail June 07, 2021 21:51 UTC