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Analysis of COVID-19 Infection Chains in a School Setting: Data From a School-Based rRT-PCR–Gargle Pool Test System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2023

Magdalena Gruendl Open the ORCID record for Magdalena Gruendl [Opens in a new window] ,
Parastoo Kheiroddin ,
Michael Althammer ,
Patricia Schöberl ,
René Rohrmanstorfer ,
Daniel Wallerstorfer ,
Andreas Ambrosch  and
Michael Kabesch
Magdalena Gruendl
Affiliation:
Public Health Office, Cham, Germany Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John and the University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Parastoo Kheiroddin
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John and the University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Michael Althammer
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John and the University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Patricia Schöberl
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John and the University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany Member of the Science and Innovation Campus Regensburg (WECARE) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, Regensburg, Germany
René Rohrmanstorfer
Affiliation:
NOVOGENIA Limited, Eugendorf, Austria
Daniel Wallerstorfer
Affiliation:
NOVOGENIA Limited, Eugendorf, Austria
Andreas Ambrosch
Affiliation:
Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology and Hygiene, Hospital of the Order of St. John, Regensburg, Germany
Michael Kabesch*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergy, University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John and the University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany Member of the Science and Innovation Campus Regensburg (WECARE) at the Hospital St. Hedwig of the Order of St. John, Regensburg, Germany
*
Corresponding author: Michael Kabesch, Email: michael.kabesch@barmherzige-regensburg.de.
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Abstract

Background:

School testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was implemented in some countries to monitor and prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmissions. Here, we analyze infection chains in primary schools and household members of infected students based on systematic real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (rRT-PCR)–gargle pool testing.

Methods:

Students and school staff (N = 4300) of all 38 primary schools in the rural county of Cham, Germany, were tested twice per week with a gargle pool rRT-PCR system from April to July of 2021. Infection chains of all 8 positive cases identified by school testing were followed up.

Results:

In total, 8 positive cases were found by gargle pool PCR testing based on 96,764 school tests. While no transmissions occurred in the school setting, 20 of 27 household members of the 8 cases tested positive. The overall attack rate was 74.1% in families.

Conclusions:

No school outbreaks occurred during the study period. All cases but 1 were initially picked up by school testing. No transmission from school to families was observed.

Keywords

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2school-testingpool-PCRgarglechildrenruralurbanimplementationevaluationtransmission
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e312
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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References

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