School Closure Versus Targeted Control Measures for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• School closures were implemented globally during the COVID-19 pandemic to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
• The impact of school closures versus targeted infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in open schools on student infection rates remains a critical public health question.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of school closures with targeted IPC measures in open schools on SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among students.
• To evaluate the impact of different school operation strategies on student infection trends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Interrupted time-series analyses were used to compare SARS-CoV-2 infection rate trends in students across different grade levels in Oslo, Norway.
• Data from nationwide registries were analyzed for students in grades 1-10 between February 15 and April 18, 2021, a period dominated by the alpha variant.
• Comparisons were made between younger students (grades 1-4) who remained in school and older students (grades 5-10) who experienced partial school closures.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant reduction in infection trends was observed for younger students (grades 1-4) who attended school throughout the study period.
• No significant differences in post-intervention trends were found when comparing younger students with older students who experienced school closures.
• The study involved over 1.5 million students, with 616,452, 452, and 446 students testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in grades 1-4, 5-7, and 8-10, respectively.

Conclusions:

• School closures were not found to be more effective than targeted IPC measures in open schools for reducing student SARS-CoV-2 infection rates.
• Keeping schools open with robust IPC measures is suggested as a preferable strategy over school closures, considering the detrimental effects of closures on students.
• Findings support the implementation of comprehensive IPC strategies in schools to maintain educational continuity while mitigating viral transmission.