Staff-pupil SARS-CoV-2 infection pathways in schools in Wales: a population-level linked data approach

Abstract

Background: Better understanding of the role that children and school staff play in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is essential to guide policy development on controlling infection while minimising disruption to children's education and well-being.

Methods: Our national e-cohort (n=464531) study used anonymised linked data for pupils, staff and associated households linked via educational settings in Wales. We estimated the odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection for staff and pupils over the period August- December 2020, dependent on measures of recent exposure to known cases linked to their educational settings.

Results: The total number of cases in a school was not associated with a subsequent increase in the odds of testing positive (staff OR per case: 0.92, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.00; pupil OR per case: 0.98, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.02). Among pupils, the number of recent cases within the same year group was significantly associated with subsequent increased odds of testing positive (OR per case: 1.12, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.15). These effects were adjusted for a range of demographic covariates, and in particular any known cases within the same household, which had the strongest association with testing positive (staff OR: 39.86, 95% CI 35.01 to 45.38; pupil OR: 9.39, 95% CI 8.94 to 9.88).

Conclusions: In a national school cohort, the odds of staff testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were not significantly increased in the 14-day period after case detection in the school. However, pupils were found to be at increased odds, following cases appearing within their own year group, where most of their contacts occur. Strong mitigation measures over the whole of the study period may have reduced wider spread within the school environment.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; disease transmission; public health; schools.

Figure 1

Health and administrative education data linkages. Four data sources are used to create our e-cohort: the Welsh COVID-19 e-cohort, SWAC, PLASC and COVID-19 antigen testing data. We linked SWAC and PLASC to the Welsh COVID-19 e-cohort. We also linked staff and pupils via educational settings using a SALF. Furthermore, we linked staff and pupils to their household members using the Welsh COVID-19 e-cohort. Missing variables of staff and pupils (in the Welsh COVID-19 e-cohort) before being confirmed eligible are reported in online supplemental table S3. PLASC, Pupil Level Annual School Census; SALF, School Anonymised Linking Field; SWAC, School Workforce Annual Census.