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. 2020 Dec;25(49):2001911.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.49.2001911.

Secondary transmission of COVID-19 in preschool and school settings in northern Italy after their reopening in September 2020: a population-based study

Elisabetta Larosa  1 , Olivera Djuric  2   3 , Mariateresa Cassinadri  1 , Silvia Cilloni  1 , Eufemia Bisaccia  1 , Massimo Vicentini  2 , Francesco Venturelli  1   4 , Paolo Giorgi Rossi  2 , Patrizio Pezzotti  5 , Emanuela Bedeschi  1 ; Reggio Emilia Covid-19 Working Group  6
Collaborators, Affiliations

Secondary transmission of COVID-19 in preschool and school settings in northern Italy after their reopening in September 2020: a population-based study

Elisabetta Larosa et al. Euro Surveill. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

We report epidemiological investigations of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 41 classes of 36 schools in Reggio Emilia province, northern Italy, from their reopening on 1 September to 15 October 2020. The overall secondary case attack rate was 3.2%, reaching 6.6% in middle and high schools. More timely isolation and testing of classmates could be effective in reducing virus transmission in this setting.

Keywords: Covid-19; SARS-CoV-2; Schools; outbreaks; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure
Figure
Daily number of notified COVID-19 cases and deaths since the start of the epidemic in Italy, Reggio Emilia province, 27 February–10 November 2020 (n = 11,878 cases, n = 658 deaths)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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