Lifestyle News | Reopening Schools with In-person Learning in United States During Pandemic Associated with Increased COVID-19 Case Rates: Study

Washington [US], October 13 (ANI): A study has found that reopening schools with in-person learning in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased case and death rates from the disease, particularly in counties that do not require staff to wear masks at school.

Through a study published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), Hiroyuki Kasahara and colleagues examined county-level panel data from the United States between April 1 and December 2, 2020, correlating weekly COVID-19 case and death rates with in-person school openings and mitigation measures in 14,703 school districts.

Also Read | Apple 'Unleashed' Event Set for October 18, 2021; M1X MacBooks Likely To Be Launched.

The authors reported that increased visits to both K-12 schools and colleges, measured by SafeGraph foot traffic data, were associated with a subsequent rise in case and death rates, with fully-open K-12 learning associated with a five percentage-point increase in the growth rate of cases.

The link was pronounced for districts that did not require staff to wear masks at school. According to the authors, the findings support masking and other mitigation measures in schools, as well as the prioritization of individuals in the education sector for vaccination. (ANI)

Also Read | Navratri 2021 Day 7 Colour Is Royal Blue: Look Your Regal Best on Seventh Day of Durga Festival.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)