Special Focus*
“Of all COVID-19 cases reported by countries, children and adolescents under 18 have represented only around 8% of cases in 2020, despite comprising 29% of the global population. Mild infections may have been under- reported.”
“Children and adolescents are more likely to present with a mild or asymptomatic infection and are much less likely than adults to be hospitalised or have fatal outcomes. Only 0.2% of deaths were reported in people under the age of 20 years.”
“Studies suggest that children under 10 years are less susceptible and less infectious than older ones. A study in Norway from August to November 2020 found very low child-to-child and child-to-adult transmission in primary schools (children aged 5-13 years) that had infection prevention and control measures in place. Viral load studies suggest that children with symptoms carry as much virus in the nose, mouth and throat as adults, but for shorter periods with peak respiratory viral load early after symptom onset, followed by a rapid decline.”
“Adolescents, 16-18 years of age transmit the virus as often as adults and more readily than younger children and more outbreaks were reported in secondary/high schools than in primary/elementary schools.”
“Data from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland suggest that staff-to-staff transmission in schools was most common; among staff and students less common; and that student-to-student transmission was even less frequent.”
“However, little evidence exists suggesting school staff are at a higher risk of infection when they are at school than the general adult population. In fact, national surveillance data from the United Kingdom found that school staff are at lower risk of infection in school settings when compared to the general adult population. Another study, focusing on 57 000 caregivers at childcare facilities in the United States of America, found that there was no increased risk of infection for the caregivers.”
“The evidence for closing schools to reduce community transmission was mixed. The arrival in late in 2020 of new more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 requires additional analysis by sex and age to measure how and if the new variants impact children differently. If it is found that children are more affected, public health social measures may need to be adapted.”
“Several studies showed that school re-openings have not been associated with significant increases in community transmission or spikes.”
“The return to school of many children in mid-August, following periods of lower community transmission in many countries, appears to have contributed toward the rises seen in October. However, a United Kingdom government report found that when schools reopened in England and Wales in the summer, the infection rates among students did not increase over the existing population rate. A study in the Republic of Korea found that there was not an increase in COVID-19 cases in the two months following the resumption of classes in May, and that in most COVID-19 cases in children, the infection had been acquired from family members, not at school.”
“Schools have not been identified as super-spreading settings except in a few examples where mitigation measures were not well enforced. An outbreak occurred at a high school in Israel in May where teenagers sat in airconditioned rooms with over 30 classmates and without wearing masks. This led to 153 students and 25 staff infected.”
“The longer vulnerable children are out of school, the less likely they are to return. Children from the poorest households are already almost five times more likely to be out of primary school than those from the richest. Being out of school also increases the risk of teenage pregnancy, sexual exploitation, child marriage, violence and other threats . Further, prolonged closures disrupt essential school-based services such as immunisation, school feeding, and mental health and psychosocial support, and can cause stress and anxiety due to the loss of peer interaction and disrupted routines. These negative impacts will be significantly higher for vulnerable children, such as those living in countries affected by conflict and other protracted crises, migrants, refugees and the forcibly displaced, minorities, children living with disabilities, and children in institutions.”
“School closures affect children negatively in many ways besides their education, including equity, child health (both physical and mental health) and development and can affect the ability of parents to work, introducing other risks. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, has warned that “The longer schools remain closed, the more damaging the consequences, especially for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds …therefore, supporting safe schools must be a priority for us all”.”
“Henrietta Fore, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director stated, “As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as cases continue to soar around the world, no effort should be spared to keep schools open or prioritise them in reopening plans….[c]losing schools must be a measure of last resort, after all other options have been considered.””
*(Sourced from: WHO COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, January 17, 2021)
– global bihari bureau
