SARS-CoV-2 infections in Italian schools: preliminary findings after one month of school opening during the second wave of the pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACTIntroductionThe impact of school opening on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still unknown. This study aims to provide preliminary information about the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases among students attending Italian schools.MethodsData are extracted and analysed from an open access, online dataset that monitor, on a daily basis, media news about SARS-CoV-2 infections of students attending Italian schoolsResultsAs of 5 October 2020, a total of 1350 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections have been registered in the Italian territory schools (involving 1059 students, 145 teachers and 146 other school members), for a total of 1212 out of 65104 (1.8%) Italian schools involved. National schools reported only 1 case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in more than 90% of cases, and only in one high school a cluster of more than 10 cases have been described (P 0.015). The detection of one or more SARS-CoV-2 infections leaded to the closure of 192 (14.2%) entire schools, more frequently nursery/kindergartens (P<0.0005).DiscussionOur preliminary data support low transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within schools, at least among younger students. However, entire schools are frequently closed in the fear of larger outbreaks. Continuous monitoring of school settings, hopefully through daily updated open access datasets, are needed to better understand the impact of schools on the pandemic, and provide guidelines that better consider different risks within different age groups.