Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and staff in German daycare centres
Julika Loss1, Juliane Wurm1, Gianni Varnaccia1
1Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
Daycare centres saw a 9.6% transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2, with the Alpha variant increasing risk. Containment measures are crucial to prevent spread to households, which had a 53.3% attack rate.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Transmission
Background:
- Daycare centres facilitate close contact, increasing infection transmission risk among children and staff.
- The role of German daycare centres in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remained unclear despite high attendance.
- Understanding transmission dynamics is vital for implementing effective control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 within daycare centres.
- To assess the secondary spread of SARS-CoV-2 from daycare centres to associated households.
- To compare infection rates between children and employees in daycare settings.
Main Methods:
- Study included 30 daycare groups with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases (Oct 2020-Jun 2021).
- Close contacts in daycare and households were monitored for 12 days with PCR tests and symptom diaries.
- Genetic sequencing identified SARS-CoV-2 variants, and household interviews provided outbreak details.
Main Results:
- The overall secondary attack rate (SAR) in daycare centres was 9.6%.
- SAR was higher with the Alpha variant (15.9%) compared to wild-type (5.1%).
- Household SAR reached 53.3%, and children (7.7%) were less frequently infected than employees (15.5%).
Conclusions:
- Daycare centres are significant sites for SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
- Effective containment measures in daycare settings are essential to reduce virus spread.
- Preventing transmission in daycare is critical to limit onward spread into households.
Abstract:
In daycare centres, the close contact of children with other children and employees favours the transmission of infections. The majority of children <6 years attend daycare programmes in Germany, but the role of daycare centres in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is unclear. We investigated the transmission risk in daycare centres and the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to associated households. 30 daycare groups with at least one recent laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case were enrolled in the study (10/2020-06/2021). Close contact persons within daycare and households were examined over a 12-day period (repeated SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests, genetic sequencing of viruses, symptom diary). Households were interviewed to gain comprehensive information on each outbreak. We determined primary cases for all daycare groups. The number of secondary cases varied considerably between daycare groups. The pooled secondary attack rate (SAR) across all 30 daycare centres was 9.6%. The SAR tended to be higher when the Alpha variant was detected (15.9% vs. 5.1% with evidence of wild type). The household SAR was 53.3%. Exposed daycare children were less likely to get infected with SARS-CoV-2 than employees (7.7% vs. 15.5%). Containment measures in daycare programmes are critical to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially to avoid spread to associated households.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
01:29Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
01:03Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...