The study authors collected nasopharyngeal swabs from the Sidra Medicine pediatric emergency department (PED) before school closure (February 13-March 14) and after (March 15-April 11). They tested the swabs for common respiratory viruses and compared relative risk (RR) for before and after the school closures.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Due to the novelty of COVID-19, many researchers have applied influenza pandemic preparedness plans of school closures to SARS-CoV-2 transmission prevention. In this study, the authors evaluate the impact of the COVID-19-related school closures on influenza A infection in Qatar. The study assesses the presence of respiratory viruses from nasopharyngeal swabs collected from Sidra Medicine, the main pediatric referral center in Qatar, before and after the first school closure on March 10.

Dramatic decrease of laboratory‐confirmed influenza A after school closure in response to COVID‐19

Perez‐Lopez A, Hasan M, Iqbal M, Janahi M, Roscoe D, Tang P. Dramatic decrease of laboratory‐confirmed influenza A after school closure in response to COVID‐19. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2020;1–2.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.24933

Dramatic decrease of laboratory‐confirmed influenza A after school closure in response to COVID‐19: Methods

Influenza A infections decreased most significantly, by more than 30-fold following school closures (RR 0.03, 95% CI 0.004 ,0.2). The infection rates of other respiratory viruses, including common human coronaviruses (HCoVs), varied slightly. The authors argue that annual and periodic antigenic drift give influenza A access to populations without pre-existing immunity, comparable to that of SARS-CoV-2.

Dramatic decrease of laboratory‐confirmed influenza A after school closure in response to COVID‐19: Results

Since school transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 have been greatly limited by global school closures, the authors suggest we may be underestimating transmission risk among school-aged children when we reopen schools. They propose influenza A could be a potential surrogate marker to estimate the impact of school closure and other prevention strategies for transmission reduction of SARS-CoV-2 among children. They reference Israel, South Korea, and France as examples where officials have closed schools shortly after re-opening due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Learn Before

Related