From the Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
Department of Active Aging, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2021 Nov 1;40(11):e418-e423. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003292.
School closures are a subject of debate during the present coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because children are not the main driver of COVID-19 transmission in the community, school education must be prioritized in conjunction with appropriate infection prevention and control measures, as determined by local COVID-19 incidence.
We investigated the causes and transmission routes of a primary school cluster of COVID-19 that occurred during November and December 2020 in Niigata, Japan.
In the cluster, the virus spread among teachers, then from teachers to students, and then to their family members. This primary school cluster comprised 26 infected patients and included teachers (13/33, 39%), students (9/211, 4%), and family members (4/65, 6%). The secondary attack rate from the 3 index teachers to the remaining 30 teachers was 33%; however, the rate to students was only 4%. Factors contributing to cluster formation include the fact that 2 of the index teachers continued working while symptomatic and that the environment and infection prevention measures in the teachers' room were inadequate.
To open schools safely and without interruption, adequate measures to prevent COVID-19 infection in schools should be emphasized not only for children but also for teachers and their environment.
在当前 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，学校关闭是一个备受争议的话题。由于儿童不是社区 COVID-19 传播的主要驱动因素，因此必须根据当地 COVID-19 的发病率，优先考虑学校教育，并结合适当的感染预防和控制措施。
我们调查了 2020 年 11 月至 12 月在日本新潟县发生的一所小学 COVID-19 聚集性病例的原因和传播途径。
在该聚集性病例中，病毒在教师之间传播，然后从教师传播到学生，再传播到学生的家庭成员。该小学聚集性病例共有 26 名感染者，包括教师（33 人中的 13 人，39%）、学生（211 人中的 9 人，4%）和家庭成员（65 人中的 4 人，6%）。3 名指标教师对其余 30 名教师的二级攻击率为 33%；然而，对学生的比率仅为 4%。导致聚集形成的因素包括 2 名指标教师在出现症状时继续工作，以及教师室的环境和感染预防措施不足。
为了安全且不间断地开放学校，不仅应强调针对儿童，还应强调针对教师及其环境的 COVID-19 感染预防措施。
