Most countries introduced school closures in the spring of 2020 despite much uncertainty about the effectiveness of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2. In Sweden, high schools moved online while low high schools remained open. A comparison of parents with children in the final year of secondary school and the first year of secondary school shows that keeping the former open for full distribution had little effect. virus. However, the level of infectivity among secondary teachers doubled compared to secondary. The infectivity rate among high school teacher participants was 30 percent higher than among their high school peers.
On 18 March 2020, Swedish high schools moved to online tutoring while low high schools remained open. This enables comparison of diseases and infections between groups compared to other cases. In the study, all PCR-diagnosed cases of SARS-CoV-2 and all healthcare-recorded cases of COVID-19 to the summer holidays are linked to data recorded on families and teachers in secondary and secondary schools.
As the age of the student tends to be related to the severity of symptoms, student infectivity and different types of risk behaviors, it is essential to compare parents and children who are close to age. According to the study, the risk of infection was 17 percent higher among parents who examined their youngest child in the final year of high school than in the first year of high school. If high schools had moved online, the estimates correspond to 500 fewer cases found among 450,000 high school parents (4.5 percent of the population). This compares with 53,000 PCR-confirmed cases in the total population until the summer break in mid-June.
When comparing lower and secondary teachers, we found that the risk for both PCR-confirmed infection and COVID-19-induced health care treatment has doubled by keeping schools open. Among 124 posts, secondary teachers were at medium risk and secondary school was the 7th most influential. This comparison excludes health care workers who had a very different access to a PCR test. By the end of June, 79 out of 39 500 high school teachers were hospitalized due to COVID-19, and one of them had died. According to the study, this number would have dropped to 46 if low secondary schools had closed.
SARS-CoV-2 is known to be domesticated. The study finds that the risk for advanced PCR testing was 30 percent higher among high school teacher participants than among their secondary school peers. The estimates for more dangerous cases of COVID-19 are slightly lower than for PCR tests but – just as they are for parents – these estimates are inaccurate.
Closing the schools is a costly measure with potentially negative consequences for students. The results for parents are in line with theoretical models that predict a limited effect of school closure on the general prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. In international comparison, it is better to describe the precautionary measures taken in Swedish schools. Therefore, strict measures within open schools cannot explain the small-scale impact on the overall distribution rate. The findings for teachers suggest that further protective measures may be considered.
The study does not examine the impact of school closures for the spread of viruses among students. We note, however, that there are few cases of serious illness among adolescents. Notably, zero deaths from COVID-19 were recorded among children aged 2-19 in Sweden until mid-summer 2020.
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Materials provided by Uppsala University. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.