Italian scientists have suggested that COVID-19 spreads much more easily in schools than elsewhere. And here, its uncontrolled transmission can disrupt the classroom.
A large-scale study by scientists from Italy showed that children in schools are the main source of transmission of coronavirus, and at home this infection is only getting worse. The authors of the study analyzed transmission patterns associated with 976 infections involving 460 people who tested positive for coronavirus. Observations were carried out in the Italian region of Lombardy in 2021.
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All data taken from routine observation and testing of students, school staff and their families in a small municipality with a population of just over 6 000 people. The analysis shows that both younger and older groups were actively involved in the spread of the infection, although it is generally accepted that the likelihood of infection is lower at school. Approximately 50% of infections occurred at home, 21% at school and 29% in other public places.
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However, in terms of the transmission chain of the virus, the study showed that it was in schools between students that the largest clusters of infections occurred, and here there was a significant average the number of generations in the chain of transmission, that is, the spread of the virus between children and adults. Therefore, the authorities need to develop a new school safety strategy. (READ MORE)