The disparities in COVID-19 prevention strategies across public schools in the US CDC_NCEZID covid COVID19 SARSCoV2 strategies childhealth childrenshealth publichealth research covidprevention
By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaApr 4 2023Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers in the United States evaluated the prevalence of adopting coronavirus disease 2019 prevention strategies for the 2021 to 2022 schooling period.
Strategies recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included home stay during illness, optimizing ventilation, practicing proper respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene, performing disinfection and cleaning, and improving COVID-19 vaccination uptake. The study was conducted between June 2021 and May 2022, during SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern predominance, using survey data obtained from 12th-grade public-type schools.
NSCPS survey data and MDR database records were linked. Data on the student count permitted to receive lower-priced or complimentary meals in the 2019 to 2020 schooling year was used to assess school poverty, and the school locale was classified using the NCES scheme. Only nine percent of schools screened staff and students for COVID-19, 27% utilized high-efficiency particulate air filters, and 31% provided on-site SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.