Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Jun 13;22(1):1177. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13577-z.
Since March 2020, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color within the United States. As schools have shifted from virtual to in-person learning, continual guidance is necessary to understand appropriate interventions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Weekly testing of students and staff for SARS-CoV-2 within K-12 school setting could provide an additional barrier to school-based transmission, especially within schools unable to implement additional mitigation strategies and/or are in areas of high transmission. This study seeks to understand the role that weekly SARS-CoV-2 testing could play in K-12 schools. In addition, through qualitative interviews and listening sessions, this research hopes to understand community concerns and barriers regarding COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 vaccine, and return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS/DESIGN: Sixteen middle and high schools from five school districts have been randomized into one of the following categories: (1) Weekly screening + symptomatic testing or (2) Symptomatic testing only. The primary outcome for this study will be the average of the secondary attack rate of school-based transmission per case. School-based transmission will also be assessed through qualitative contact interviews with positive contacts identified by the school contact tracers. Lastly, new total numbers of weekly cases and contacts within a school-based quarantine will provide guidance on transmission rates. Qualitative focus groups and interviews have been conducted to provide additional understanding to the acceptance of the intervention and barriers faced by the community regarding SARS-CoV-2 testing and vaccination.
This study will provide greater understanding of the benefit that weekly screening testing can provide in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission within K-12 schools. Close collaboration with community partners and school districts will be necessary for the success of this and similar studies.
NCT04875520 . Registered May 6, 2021.
自 2020 年 3 月以来，COVID-19 在美国有色人种社区造成了不成比例的影响。随着学校从虚拟教学转为面对面教学，有必要持续提供指导，以了解预防 SARS-CoV-2 传播的适当干预措施。在 K-12 学校环境中每周对学生和教职员工进行 SARS-CoV-2 检测，可以为学校内传播提供额外的屏障，特别是在无法实施额外缓解策略和/或处于高传播地区的学校。本研究旨在了解每周 SARS-CoV-2 检测在 K-12 学校中可能发挥的作用。此外，通过定性访谈和听力会议，本研究希望了解社区对 COVID-19 检测、COVID-19 疫苗以及在 COVID-19 大流行期间重返学校的关注和障碍。
方法/设计：来自五个学区的 16 所中学和高中被随机分为以下两类之一：（1）每周筛查+症状检测或（2）仅症状检测。本研究的主要结果将是每例病例的基于学校的传播的二次攻击率的平均值。通过与学校接触追踪者确定的阳性接触者进行定性接触访谈，也将评估基于学校的传播。最后，学校隔离区内每周新增病例和接触者的总数将为传播率提供指导。已经进行了定性焦点小组和访谈，以提供对干预措施的接受程度以及社区在 SARS-CoV-2 检测和疫苗接种方面面临的障碍的额外了解。
本研究将更深入地了解每周筛查检测在降低 K-12 学校内 SARS-CoV-2 传播方面的益处。与社区合作伙伴和学区的密切合作对于这项研究和类似研究的成功至关重要。
NCT04875520。注册于 2021 年 5 月 6 日。
