Updates to COVID Resource Library

The COVID-19 School and Community Resource Library received a major update over the weekend. The document is an invaluable resource for people advising schools and community groups about prevention and mitigation measures.  It does not issue guidelines, but collects studies and other scientific data that advisors can use.  Some of the additions that caught my eye include:

• A study from Germany indicating that children under 10 ”do not play a key role” in spreading the virus.

• A study of 10 million people in the U.S. finding that the vast majority of cases were spread by people aged 20-49.

• Two studies showing lowered transmission rates in schools compared to community, where school mitigation policies included masks and social distancing of less than 6 feet.

• A German study showing a few cases of transmission from students to teachers where masks were not required nor was there no minimum distance.  

• A recent U.S. study showing no transmission where schools required masks, disinfecting classrooms, and minimum 6 feet of social distancing.

• A study in Scotland comparing severity of COVID cases and finding that after school reopened, teachers and their families had no difference in hospitalization risks and lowered risk of serious cases.

• A study of North Carolina YMCA camps finding extremely low transmission at camps during time of high community transmission.  “These findings suggest that the benefit of in-person programming in recreation settings with appropriate mitigation may outweigh the risk of viral transmission.”

Finally, the document notes some of the criticism of the recent CDC guidelines from numerous perspectives.  

Although the document does not issue guidelines, it is an invaluable and easy-to-review repository of the emerging science on important policy issues and decisions about our children’s physical and mental health.