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Surveillance of Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 Infections at School in the Veneto Region: Methods and Results of the Public Health Response during the Second and Third Waves of the Pandemic between January and June 2021

Author

Listed:
  • Michele Tonon

    (Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health—Regione del Veneto, 30123 Venice, Italy)

  • Filippo Da Re

    (Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health—Regione del Veneto, 30123 Venice, Italy)

  • Chiara Zampieri

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Michele Nicoletti

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Riccardo Caberlotto

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Francesco Paolo De Siena

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Gaia Lattavo

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Anil Minnicelli

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Alberto Zardetto

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Benedetta Sforzi

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Elisa Ros

    (Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health—Regione del Veneto, 30123 Venice, Italy)

  • Michele Mongillo

    (Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health—Regione del Veneto, 30123 Venice, Italy)

  • Alessandro Scatto

    (Informative Systems Unit, Azienda Zero—Regione del Veneto, 35131 Padova, Italy)

  • Elena Vecchiato

    (Informative Systems Unit, Azienda Zero—Regione del Veneto, 35131 Padova, Italy)

  • Vincenzo Baldo

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Silvia Cocchio

    (Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35122 Padova, Italy)

  • Francesca Russo

    (Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, Veterinary Public Health—Regione del Veneto, 30123 Venice, Italy)

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries adopted various non-pharmacological interventions to contain the number of infections. The most often used policy was school closures. We describe the strategy adopted by the Veneto Regional Authority to contain transmission in school settings. This included a detailed school surveillance system, strict contact tracing, and maintaining school attendance with self-monitoring for symptoms whenever possible. All analyzed COVID-19 cases among children, adolescents (0–19 years old), and school staff were registered using a web-based application between 4 January 2021 and 13 June 2021. During the study period, 6272 episodes of infection in schools were identified; 87% were linked to a student index case and 13% to school staff; 69% generated no secondary cases; 24% generated one or two; and only 7% caused more than two. Our data may help to clarify the role of school closures, providing useful input for decisions in the months to come. Good practice in public health management needs tools that provide a real-time interpretation of phenomena like COVID-19 outbreaks. The proposed measures should be easy to adopt and accessible to policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • Michele Tonon & Filippo Da Re & Chiara Zampieri & Michele Nicoletti & Riccardo Caberlotto & Francesco Paolo De Siena & Gaia Lattavo & Anil Minnicelli & Alberto Zardetto & Benedetta Sforzi & Elisa Ros , 2021. "Surveillance of Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 Infections at School in the Veneto Region: Methods and Results of the Public Health Response during the Second and Third Waves of the Pandemic between January a," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-11, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:12165-:d:683214
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