Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

March 2, 2021

Household COVID-19 Risk and in-Person Schooling

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  • [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] School-based mitigation measures reduced the odds of reporting COVID-19 like illness (CLI) and/or a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result among household members living with a child attending in-person learning, according to an online survey of over 2 million US respondents conducted between November 2020 to January 2021. While the risk of reporting a CLI or a positive test was two-fold higher among household members of children attending schools full- or part-time without mitigation measures, risks largely disappeared with 7 or more measures, and were completely absent among those reporting 10 or measures.
  • Among those reporting 7 or more mitigation measures, over 80% reported student and teacher mask mandates, restricted entry, extra space between desks and no supply sharing, and over 50% reported student cohorting, reduced class size, and daily symptom screening.
  • A separate analysis found that while Pre-K to high school teachers working outside the home were 1.8 times as likely to report COVID-19 outcomes compared to those working from home, this increased risk was similar among respondents working in healthcare (1.7 times) and office work (1.6 times).

Lessler et al. (Mar 1, 2021). Household COVID-19 Risk and in-Person Schooling. Pre-print downloaded Mar 2 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.27.21252597