Coronavirus may spread more easily in schools and summer camps than expected: Report

According to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asymptomatic cases can play an important role in community transmission of Covid-19. Coronavirus can be easily transmitted in school and summer camps after the emergence of new details. The emergence of these new details contradict the claims made by previous studies. 

'Problematic' revelation 

Reports suggest that this week 260 people in one of Georgia’s biggest school districts were stopped from entering their schools because they either had the virus or had been in contact with an infected individual. According to a report by Georgia health officials and the CDC, 260 out of 344 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus who had attended a YMCA summer camp. The report said, “The findings demonstrate that Sars-CoV-2 spreads efficiently in a youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups, despite efforts by camp officials to implement most recommended strategies to prevent transmission”.

Read: Districts Go Round And Round On School Bus Reopening Plans

Such events have highlighted that very little is known about the spread of coronavirus, especially in younger age groups as there has always been a focus on the older groups. The reports further said that, “Asymptomatic infection was common and potentially contributed to undetected transmission, as has been previously reported. This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to Sars-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to early reports, might play an important role in transmission”.

Read: COVID-19: UK Might Face Much Bigger Second Wave If Schools Reopened Without Proper Testing

William Hanage, an epidemiologist from Harvard reportedly said that there was no opportunity to study as to how the virus spread among children. This was because almost all the schools were shut during the early phase of the pandemic. He added that household studies showed that children are rarely infected but all these studies suffer from a bias as they first identify an affected person and then begin with the process of analysing. 

Read: US: Teachers Protest Against Reopening Of Schools As COVID-19 Cases Continue To Spike

Also Read: Mike Pence To Visit Raleigh In Push For Schools To Reopen

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