COVID-19 testing, incidence, and positivity trends among school age children during the academic years 2020-2022 in the State of Qatar: special focus on using CDC indicators for community transmission to evaluate school attendance policies and public health response.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100967804 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2431 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712431 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Pediatr Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-
    • Subject Terms:
      COVID-19*/transmission ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/prevention & control ; COVID-19*/diagnosis ; COVID-19 Testing* ; Schools*; Humans ; Qatar/epidemiology ; Child ; Adolescent ; Incidence ; Child, Preschool ; Male ; United States/epidemiology ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. ; Female ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Physical Distancing
    • Abstract:
      Background: There exists a gap in our understanding of the age-dependent epidemiological dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 among school-age children in comparison to adults within the State of Qatar. Additionally, there has been limited assessment of the timely implementation of physical distancing interventions, notably national school closures, and their impact on infection trends.
      Methods: We used the national database to capture all records of polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) testing, and rapid antigen tests (RAT) conducted at all health care venues in Qatar and administered between August 26, 2020, and August 21, 2022, across all age groups (≥ 5 years old). Study participants under 18 years old were categorized into two age brackets: (5-11) and (12-17), aligning with the Primary and Preparatory/Secondary grade levels in Qatar, respectively. We assessed age group testing rates, incidence rates, and positivity rates in relation to adults. These epidemiological metrics were compared with the CDC's thresholds for COVID-19 community transmission.
      Results: Throughout the school years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, a total of 5,063,405 and 6,130,531 tests were respectively conducted. In the 2020-2021 school year, 89.6% of the tests were administered to adults, while 13.7% were conducted on children in the following year. The overall test positivity rates for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years were 5.8% and 8.1%, respectively. Adolescents underwent the fewest tests during the full study period compared to both adults and young children. Using the CDC indicators, we found that children and adolescents can significantly contribute to elevated infection rates, potentially driving community transmission upon relaxation of social restrictions.
      Conclusion: It is crucial to acknowledge the potential for higher transmission among youth and adolescents when formulating transmission control strategies and making decisions regarding school closures. Employing data-driven indicators and thresholds to monitor COVID-19 community levels is important for informing decision-making. These approaches also enable the prompt implementation of infection control transmission mitigation measures in future pandemics.
      (© 2024. The Author(s).)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: CDC; COVID-19; Children; Epidemiology; Schools
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240529 Date Completed: 20240530 Latest Revision: 20240601
    • Publication Date:
      20240601
    • Accession Number:
      PMC11137921
    • Accession Number:
      10.1186/s12887-024-04833-9
    • Accession Number:
      38811909