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Why In-Person Schooling Would Be One of the Safest Activities to Reopen
Kevin Pham
July 10, 2020
Most students around the country haven’t been to school since March,
when large parts of the country began to lock down in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the data increasingly suggests that reopening
schools entails the least risks and should be a goal of every level of
government.
The early hope was that the closures would be temporary, such as
Michigan’s school-closure order that was originally meant to end in
April—but that was extended for the rest of the school year.
Now, with the 2020-2021 school year fast approaching, what do we do about schools?
School closures have been a particular burden on families during the
pandemic, but new information increasingly shows that school-age
children are at the lowest risk of mortality, of severe disease, and
possibly of even contracting the virus.
Reopening the schools may be one of the safest activities the nation
can restart with tremendous benefit for Americans, and governments
should make it their goal to do so.
There are several studies that suggest children are less likely to be
infected by the virus. A pediatric organization, Don’t Forget the
Bubbles, compiled some of those and found that children were
consistently less likely than adults to contract the virus.
For instance, a study from Japan found that the COVID-19 attack rate
among those younger than 20—that is to say, the rate at which those
exposed become infected—was 5.5%.
Compare that to the attack rate among adults ages 50 to 59, which was
22.1%. The relative risk of children contracting the disease after an
exposure was about one-fourth that of adults ages 50 to 59.
A study in Australia looked at the behavior of COVID-19 directly in the
school environment. The study included 15 schools, both primary schools
and high schools, and found that 863 exposures to confirmed cases,
including nine students and nine staffers, resulted in two possible
transmissions of the virus.
Notably, those two possible additional cases were found by antibody tests, and the two students never exhibited symptoms.
The risk to school-aged children is low enough that several health and
medical organizations around the world have endorsed a resumption of
in-person schooling for children, such as the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health of the
U.K., and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
of the Netherlands.
But what of teachers and other staff?
Most of the mortality due to COVID-19 has been in the 65 and over age
group. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
report, mortality among persons under 19 years of age was statistically
zero.
Furthermore, more than half of intensive care unit admissions were in
that oldest age group, compared with those between 45 and 64, who made
up 36% of ICU admissions. Those under 45 years old represented only 12%
of ICU admissions.
The average age of schoolteachers in America is about 42 years old,
with 81% of them below 55 years of age. That means that most of
America’s teachers are outside of the high-risk group for both
mortality and for ICU admission.
Those figures should be at least somewhat reassuring to teachers, but
regardless, it’s reasonable to implement precautions to prevent the
spread of disease. After all, teachers still interact with other
adults, and students are resistant—but not impervious—to the virus.
Most medical organizations endorsing school reopenings also recommend
masking and social distancing where possible. Schools should also
designate foot-traffic flow to minimize congestion and reduce contacts.
Outdoor activities or outdoor use should be maximized, as COVID-19
seems to be less transmissible in open air.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more in-depth guidelines.
As state and local governments try to resume classroom learning in the
fall, it’s important not to let the “perfect” be the enemy of the
“good.”
If a school has difficulty meeting all of the guidelines, it should not
be forced to reopen, but also should not be prevented from resuming
classes. Children are notoriously uncompliant with following procedural
rules, and ultimately, it may be futile asking adolescents, much less
kindergarteners, to walk in certain directions or to keep masks on
their faces for hours a day.
Children are at low risk themselves and present low risk to others,
even if they have trouble following all the mitigation rules. At the
same time, keeping children at home might expose them to considerable
risks to their educational progress, their mental health, their
nutrition, and alarmingly, even their safety and welfare.
One of the most important goals of reopening the country is resuming
some degree of regular school life for the nation’s children.
Considering the low risks of COVID-19 for schoolchildren, in-person
schooling this fall may be one of the safest activities we can restart.
Considering the risks of isolating children at home, it may be
negligent of us not to.
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