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Assessing COVID-19 Testing Strategies in K-12 Schools in Underserved Populations
Tyler Walsh1, Samantha Hayes, Jingxia Liu
1Author Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio (Walsh); St. Jude Global Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee (Hayes and Malone); Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (Liu); Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (Malone and Xu); Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (Fritz, Bonty, Butler-Barnes, Evans, Montgomery, Mueller, Reyes, Reyes, Vestal, Wilcher-Roberts, and Williams); Department of Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (Harris); and Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio (Newland).
Weekly screening for SARS-CoV-2 did not significantly reduce infection rates in schools compared to symptomatic testing alone. Low participation limited findings, suggesting further research is needed on school testing strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Control
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated new strategies for school operations, including testing for SARS-CoV-2.
- Weekly testing was recommended as an additional mitigation strategy during high transmission periods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of weekly screening testing versus symptomatic-only testing for SARS-CoV-2 in public middle and high schools.
- Focus on schools serving predominantly underrepresented minority populations.
Main Methods:
- A cluster randomized trial involving 16 schools in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 2021-2022 school year.
- Schools were assigned to either weekly screening plus symptomatic testing (S + S) or symptomatic testing only.
- Participants included students, staff, and household members.
Main Results:
- A total of 1,390 individuals participated across both intervention groups.
- No significant difference in positivity rates was observed between the weekly screening group and the symptomatic-only group (P = .25).
- Low participation rates were noted across all schools.
Conclusions:
- Weekly screening testing for SARS-CoV-2 did not demonstrate a significant benefit in reducing infection rates in this school setting.
- Potential factors influencing the results include differences in case identification and low study participation.
- Further investigation into school-based testing strategies is warranted.
