SALT LAKE CITY: Research conducted by the University of Utah on 20 elementary schools in the Granite District and a private school provides “one of the strongest evidence to date” that COVID-19 transmission to elementary schools has been very low , the researcher said Friday.
“Face-to-face schooling can be done safely through multi-layered prevention measures. It really implements and reinforces the governor’s recommendation to continue masking all Utah schools at least until the end of the school year and provides this reassurance. I know how to protect schools, “said Dr. Adam Hersh, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and lead researcher on the study.
The findings of the Utah Health and Economic Recovery (HERO) project, a collaboration between the University of Utah Health and the David Eccles School of Business, discussed at a news conference on Friday, helped inform new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the so-called universal masking guide, students should keep a distance of at least 3 feet in classrooms.
The new guidelines still provide for a 6-foot distance between adults and students, as well as in common areas and when masks are off while eating.
In middle and high schools, the CDC recommends that students be at least 3 feet apart in classrooms where everyone is masked and community risk is low, moderate, or substantial. High school students should be at least 6 feet apart in communities where the risk of COVID-19 is high unless they can gather in small groups.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said Friday during a White House briefing that safe and face-to-face instruction allows children to access critical educational, social and mental health services they need to succeed.
Recent research states that “K-12 schools that implement strong, layered prevention strategies can function safely by protecting teachers, staff, and students. We’ve seen data that shows this is safe, even in areas with large community outreach, ”Walensky said.
In the hive state, where 1 in 5 Utahns is a school-age child, 6-foot social distance recommendations have posed challenges for educators. In some respects, Utah’s unique features provided researchers with an insight into social distancing when it was not possible to accurately meet the 6-foot recommendation and the importance of other mitigation layers.
“It’s a testament to the fact that the protocols we’re using and the protection of the masks that are being complied with are quite effective,” said Ben Horsley, communications director for the Granite School District. He explained that some schools studied had classes above the national averages, while others were closer to the national averages because some students from the schools chose for e-learning.
“Obviously, there were limitations (to 6-foot social distance recommendations) from the start.”
Dr. Andrew Pavia, head of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Utah, said the conditions in Utah’s classrooms probably meant that “our teachers in our schools really worked very hard to ensure the security. It can be a paradoxical advantage to know that they were facing a bigger challenge. They have done an even better job. “
Among 21 elementary schools, researchers found five secondary cases of COVID-19 that were likely due to school exposure at a secondary attack rate of 0.7 percent, or seven per 1,000 contacts, Hersh said.
“In 4 out of 5 of these cases, there were obvious breakdowns in prevention strategies, including the misuse of masks, which helped us understand why it might have been transmitted in these cases,” Hersh said.
“We also found that in most cases where the infection was presumed to come from school, there was secondary transmission in their home, which reinforces the importance of limiting school spread,” he added.
In three circumstances, the researchers performed genetic sequencing to determine if the infections were associated with the school or the community.
“Genetic testing for the viruses was limited, but extremely insightful,” Hersh said.
“In all three cases, it was clear that the viruses were of a completely different lineage, which told us that the second case we detected was unrelated to the first case and came from somewhere outside of school. “, he said. dit.
A statement from the CDC said in part that the Utah study was one of many across the country that “stated the CDC’s recommendations that schools should return to face-to-face learning and that doing so can be done with security for the protection of student teachers in the communities “. “
Since face-to-face learning resumed in Utah schools last fall, COVID-19 transmission rates have been higher in secondary and middle schools than in elementary schools, but are typically lower in schools. than in communities.
“Given the size of Utah’s classrooms, it has always been a challenge to keep 6 feet. However, our educators have done their best to create a safe space. These efforts have allowed us to start and hope to finish. the school year in person, ”state superintendent of public Instruction Sydnee Dickson said Friday.
Larry Madden, interim superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District, said CDC’s new guidelines on how to safely distance students were timely as the district prepares to welcome high school students to learn in person four days a week from Monday.
“We will continue to follow closely the safety guidelines we have received and leave additional measures in place, such as plexiglass barriers. We are committed to doing everything we can to protect our students and staff.”
Madden continued, “We thank the many health and epidemiology experts, including the Salt Lake County Department of Health, who work to keep our schools and communities safe. Our experience working with the HERO Project at our three high schools has been incredibly positive and we are grateful for the additional support that helps us keep the transmission of COVID-19 at bay in our schools. “
According to the CDC, the evidence suggests that “many K-12 schools that have strictly implemented prevention strategies have been able to open safely for face-to-face instruction and remain open.”
The agency’s operational strategy presents “a way for schools to provide face-to-face instruction safely,” which includes “universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing.”
Testing remains an important strategy for identifying people who have COVID-19 infections. Vaccinations of teachers and staff provide additional layers of protection, according to the agency.
The new recommendations come as the state of Utah appears to be heading to lift a state mask mandate on April 10 as instructed by HB294, recently approved by state lawmakers.
The bill states that the mask requirement will continue for meetings of 50 or more people and in schools. Nor does it restrict companies that require masks.
The bill has not yet been signed by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Meanwhile, National Education Association President Becky Pringle expressed concern “that the CDC has changed one of the ground rules on how to ensure school safety without proving the certainty that the change is justified by science and that it can be implemented in a way that does not underestimate the greater needs of long-term students. “
NEA welcomes the effort to provide widespread testing, vaccination, and sufficient funding for mitigation measures.
“We are very close to ensuring that all our schools can be much safer. But, as public health officials have rightly warned, in the face of new variants and a race to make vaccines widely available, this is not the time. of lowering the guard, “Pringle said in a statement.
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Marjorie Cortez