Quantifying pupil-to-pupil SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the impact of lateral flow testing in English secondary schools

Author:

Leng TrystanORCID,Hill Edward M.ORCID,Holmes AlexORCID,Southall Emma,Thompson Robin N.ORCID,Tildesley Michael J.ORCID,Keeling Matt J.ORCID,Dyson LouiseORCID

Abstract

AbstractA range of measures have been implemented to control within-school SARS-CoV-2 transmission in England, including the self-isolation of close contacts and twice weekly mass testing of secondary school pupils using lateral flow device tests (LFTs). Despite reducing transmission, isolating close contacts can lead to high levels of absences, negatively impacting pupils. To quantify pupil-to-pupil SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the impact of implemented control measures, we fit a stochastic individual-based model of secondary school infection to both swab testing data and secondary school absences data from England, and then simulate outbreaks from 31st August 2020 until 23rd May 2021. We find that the pupil-to-pupil reproduction number, Rschool, has remained below 1 on average across the study period, and that twice weekly mass testing using LFTs has helped to control pupil-to-pupil transmission. We also explore the potential benefits of alternative containment strategies, finding that a strategy of repeat testing of close contacts rather than isolation, alongside mass testing, substantially reduces absences with only a marginal increase in pupil-to-pupil transmission.

Funder

RCUK | Medical Research Council

RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Subject

General Physics and Astronomy,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Chemistry,Multidisciplinary

Reference62 articles.

1. Gottfried, M. A. The detrimental effects of missing school: Evidence from urban siblings. Am. J. Educ. 117, 147–182 (2011).

2. Burgess, S. & Sievertsen, H. H. Schools, skills, and learning: the impact of COVID-19 on education. VoxEu. org, 1 (2020).

3. DELVE. Balancing the Risks of Pupils Returning to Schools, 2021. Available from: https://rs-delve.github.io/reports/2020/07/24/balancing-the-risk-of-pupils-returning-to-schools.html.

4. Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities. Briefing Note: School Absences and Pupil Achievement, 2021. Available from: https://repec-cepeo.ucl.ac.uk/cepeob/cepeobn1.pdf.

5. Education Endowment Fund. School Closures Rapid Evidence Assessment, 2020. Available from: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/evidence-reviews/school-closures-rapid-evidence-assessment/.

Cited by 19 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3