Why haven’t schools in Spain become outbreak hotspots?
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Why haven’t schools in Spain become hotbeds of the epidemic?
At the start of the school year in Spain, there was much debate about the advisability of reopening schools. Experts, teachers and parents of students expressed concerns that schools could become sources of the epidemic, which in turn would lead to multiple outbreaks in different regions of the country. But now that only about 1.7% of classes have been closed for quarantine since the start of the school year, scientists are trying to understand why the pessimistic forecasts have fortunately not come true.
After studying the data published by the Spanish Ministry of Education on the state of the epidemic in schools, doctors came to the conclusion that Spanish schools have successfully managed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. At a time when the country is experiencing a significant increase in cases, only 6,469 classes have been quarantined. This is only 1.67% of the total number of classes operating in the Spanish education system today.
According to pediatricians and epidemiologists, the spread of coronavirus among children is slower than among adults. This is confirmed by information obtained during the 9 months of the epidemic. Statistics show that children rarely become sources of outbreaks of infection. For example, in Catalonia, in 87% of cases where the virus was detected in schools, secondary infections were not detected.
A study conducted by the Kids Corona platform confirmed that the transmission rate of the virus among children is six times lower than among adults. The study followed more than 2,000 children and caregivers in summer camps in Catalonia.
At the beginning of the epidemic, there were concerns that children were at high risk of contracting the coronavirus. Therefore, the opening of schools in the new academic year caused a lot of controversy. However, it turned out that children not only tolerate the disease better, but also transmit it to each other less often than adults.
The success of Spanish schools in containing the spread of the virus is due to the implementation of strict operating protocols. Limiting interaction within a single group-class, different entrances and exits, social distancing and the installation of protective screens have helped to reduce the rate of infection.
Schools and educational centres are the third leading cause of coronavirus outbreaks, followed by social contacts within family and friends, and second place goes to social centres, mainly nursing homes.
Schools and educational centres are the third leading cause of coronavirus outbreaks, followed by social contacts within family and friends, and second place goes to social centres, mainly nursing homes.
It should not be forgotten that the proportion of asymptomatic carriers of the virus among children is higher than among adults. Studies conducted in different countries confirm this. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to observe preventive measures to prevent the spread of the infection.
