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Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from paediatric COVID-19 cases in primary schools, Norway, August to November 2020
- Lin T Brandal1,2 , Trine S Ofitserova1 , Hinta Meijerink1 , Rikard Rykkvin1 , Hilde M Lund1 , Olav Hungnes1 , Margrethe Greve-Isdahl1 , Karoline Bragstad1 , Karin Nygård1 , Brita A Winje1
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway 2 European Programme for Public Health Microbiology Training (EUPHEM), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, (ECDC), Stockholm, SwedenLin T Brandallin.thorstensen.brandal fhi.no
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Citation style for this article: Brandal Lin T, Ofitserova Trine S, Meijerink Hinta, Rykkvin Rikard, Lund Hilde M, Hungnes Olav, Greve-Isdahl Margrethe, Bragstad Karoline, Nygård Karin, Winje Brita A. Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from paediatric COVID-19 cases in primary schools, Norway, August to November 2020. Euro Surveill. 2021;26(1):pii=2002011. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011 Received: 27 Nov 2020; Accepted: 15 Dec 2020
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Abstract
An intense debate on school closures to control the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing in Europe. We prospectively examined transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from confirmed paediatric cases in Norwegian primary schools between August and November 2020. All in-school contacts were systematically tested twice during their quarantine period. With preventive measures implemented in schools, we found minimal child-to-child (0.9%, 2/234) and child-to-adult (1.7%, 1/58) transmission, supporting that under 14 year olds are not the drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

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