Leveraging School Infection Data to Address Community COVID-19 Data Gaps

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Epidemiology
• Infectious Disease Data Management

Background:

• Widespread at-home COVID-19 testing in the USA (starting April 2021) lacked infrastructure for reporting to public health agencies, creating data gaps.
• Kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools tracked COVID-19 cases, presenting a potential data source to supplement public health information.
• The study addresses the critical need for robust data collection during public health emergencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of at-home COVID-19 testing on public health data completeness.
• To assess the potential of utilizing K-12 school-reported infection data to bridge community data gaps.
• To inform strategies for minimizing data gaps in future public health crises.

Main Methods:

• Compared infection rates reported by school districts to community rates from March 2021 to June 2022.
• Calculated weekly community-to-district infection rate ratios across three distinct study periods.
• Analyzed changes in these reporting ratios to quantify data discrepancies over time.

Main Results:

• In spring 2021, community rates exceeded school rates (ratio: 1.40) before widespread at-home test use.
• As at-home testing increased (fall 2021, spring 2022), school rates surpassed community rates (ratios: 0.82, 0.66).
• Significant decreases in reporting ratios were observed between spring 2021 and both fall 2021 and spring 2022.

Conclusions:

• At-home COVID-19 testing significantly contributed to public health data gaps.
• K-12 school data offers a valuable supplement for community surveillance during public health emergencies.
• Standardized reporting methods and dedicated resources are essential for effectively integrating school data in the future.