A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that in-person tuition in K-12 schools does not appear to lead to an increase in COVID-19 compared to areas where online-only learning is offered.
The CDC study noted that in the week beginning Dec. 6, cases of coronavirus among the general population in counties where K-12 schools opened for face-to-face learning were similar to the numbers in online-only counties.
“CDC recommends that K-12 schools be the last institutions to close after all other restrictive measures have been taken and the first to reopen when they can safely do so,” the report’s authors wrote.
On Dec. 7, about 62 percent of K-12 school districts offered full or partial face-to-face learning, but reports of outbreaks in schools were limited, according to the CDC.
Between March 1 and December 12, nearly 3 million cases of COVID-19 in children, adolescents and young adults were reported in the US, the report said.
The analysis found that the number of COVID-19 positive cases was lower in children 10 years of age and younger than in older children and young adults.
According to the CDC, nearly 60 percent of the cases were in young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, while 16 percent of the cases were in children between the ages of 14 and 17.
Children between the ages of 11 and 13 accounted for 8 percent of the cases, and children ages 5 to 10 made up 11 percent of the cases. Children age 4 and under accounted for 7.4 percent of the cases.
The smaller number of cases among younger children suggests that the risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in daycare centers and primary schools “may be lower” than reopening high schools and higher education institutions, the authors wrote.
The data does not indicate that the higher number of cases in adults was preceded by increases in children or adolescents, the report found.
“Schools provide a structured environment that can support compliance with critical mitigation measures to help prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19,” the authors wrote.
“When community transmission is higher, cases in schools can be expected, and as with any group setting, schools can contribute to the transmission of COVID-19, especially when mitigation measures such as universal and proper masking are not implemented or followed”, they added.
However, the report found that the rate of cases among young adults during the fall and summer was higher than that in other age groups, ahead of increases among other age groups, “suggesting that young adults may contribute more to community transmission than younger children. “