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COVID-19 related scientific monitoring of school opening in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – study protocol of the project schugi-MV
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Veröffentlicht: | 27. September 2021 |
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Background and status of international research: Since the emergence of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent global COVID-19 pandemic, the role of children and adolescents, and in particular the role of schools in the infection process remains unclear. Several studies investigated the role of schools in this pandemic crisis and showed that child-to-child transmission in schools is rather uncommon and not the primary cause of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children. Furthermore, COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are frequently observed to be few in number and often affect older age groups. It should be noted that existing studies that investigated the incidence of infections in schools were conducted at different time points and thus, data collection was carried out under different conditions (schools open versus closed). As a result, the findings are often not comparable. Despite many efforts, the question of the general role of children and adolescents in transmission of the virus and its impact on schools remains uncertain.
Objectives and aim: The primary objective of this study is to investigate COVID-19-related infections in schools in order to identify patterns, highlight effective interventions and derive recommendations for governmental authorities. Another aim is to obtain the opinion and experience of the groups mainly affected (students, parents, teachers and school administrators) regarding the implementation and acceptance of the pandemic-related measures.
Methods: The project is divided into different modules. One module includes surveys on acceptance and needs regarding infection control measures as well as resources and motivation for learning and teaching under pandemic conditions. The surveys address students, parents, teachers, and school administrators and will be conducted at least twice. Another module includes structured inspections of schools with registered infections using a structured protocol. Data on hygiene and infection control management as well as other factors, such as school-specific conditions are collected. Protocol Part A contains general information about the school and the number of index- and subsequent cases. Part B includes, for example, information on the number of staff and students, structural conditions at the school, use of rooms, and information on student transportation. Part C is completed during the structured inspections of schools by the study staff. Information on infection patterns, the number, grade level, and gender of index- and subsequent cases is queried. Teachers' rooms, classrooms and specialist rooms are inspected and information e.g. on cleaning and ventilation behavior is collected. Adherence to general hygiene measures e.g. compulsory wearing of mouth-nose protection is recorded. Part D contains a corresponding photo documentation. Due to complex infection patterns and the dynamic pandemic situation, the evaluation plan of the study continues to evolve.