Students walk to a school bus with a teacher after attending school in-person in Wheeling, Ill., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Several Illinois schools will go to virtual remote learning after Thanksgiving weekend as COVID-19 cases soar. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Virus Outbreak Illinois
ATLANTA (AP) — A new study finds that teachers may be more important drivers of COVID-19 transmission in schools than students.
The paper released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied nine COVID-19 transmission clusters in elementary schools in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta in December and January. In only one of the nine clusters was a student clearly the first documented case, while a teacher was the first documented case in four clusters.
In another four, the first case was unclear. Of the nine clusters, eight involved probable teacher-to-student transmission. Two clusters saw teachers infect each other during in-person meetings or lunches, with a teacher then infecting other students.
These findings suggest that educators can play an important role in in-school transmission and that in-school transmission can occur when physical distancing and mask compliance are not optimal. Previous investigations in other U.S. school districts found that low transmission rates in schools can be maintained in the setting of high community incidence.
To ensure safer in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, schools should implement multi component mitigation strategies, including efforts to prevent infection among educators, and promoting consistent, correct mask use and physical distancing wherever possible, especially during mealtime when masks are not being worn.
A new @CDCMMWR looks at #COVID19 in Georgia elementary schools. The study highlights that preventing infections in educators is an important part of stopping the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Learn more: https://t.co/UcpGxv5GYz. pic.twitter.com/2nA4YChmNO
— CDC (@CDCgov) February 22, 2021
