- An unvaccinated elementary school teacher spread the coronavirus to at least 26 people.
- 12 students were infected.
- The teacher did not take the Covid-19 test when the symptoms appeared, and believed that these symptoms were caused by allergies.
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday claimed that an unvaccinated teacher in an elementary school in California transmitted the Delta variant of the coronavirus to at least 26 people, including those in the classroom. 12 students.
The health agency said the case highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff to protect young children who are not yet eligible for vaccinations, because the highly contagious Delta variant has caused a new surge across the country. Reopened.
The CDC said the incident occurred in Marin County, a suburb of San Francisco.
The teacher claimed to have participated in social activities from May 13th to 16th, and developed symptoms on May 19th, but did not receive the Covid-19 test until May 21st. It was initially believed that these symptoms were caused by allergies.
The study stated: “Sometimes, even though the school requires masks to be worn indoors, teachers still read aloud to the class without wearing masks.”
In the next few days, among the 24 students of the teacher, all of them were not eligible for vaccination because they were under 12 years old, 22 of them were tested and 12 were found to be positive.
Eight of the 10 students in the first two rows tested positive — the attack rate was 80% — and 3 of the 14 students in the bottom three rows tested positive.
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The school requires students to wear masks. Each student’s desk is six feet away from the adjacent desk. There are windows on both sides of the classroom, and a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter is placed in front of the classroom whiteboard.
Six students in a single grade also tested positive.
It is not yet clear how the virus spread between the two classes, and the researchers speculated that there was an interaction at the school.
However, genetic sequencing of the available samples confirmed that they were all part of the same outbreak and identified the super-infectious Delta variant.
Eight other cases were found among the parents and siblings of children in two grades. Of the four parents who were infected, three have been fully vaccinated.
Of the 27 infected people, 22 (81%) reported symptoms, with fever being the most common report, followed by cough, headache, and sore throat.
None of the people involved in the epidemic were hospitalized.
The CDC stated that the epidemic may be underestimated because all tests are voluntary.
The authors of the report said: “The incidence of the outbreak highlights the increased infectivity and rapid spread of Delta variants, especially among unvaccinated people, such as schoolchildren who are too young to be vaccinated.”
In addition to vaccinating eligible people, they also emphasized the need to adopt a multi-pronged mitigation strategy, including wearing masks, maintaining distance and ventilation, and staying at home when sick.
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