When schools were open for in-person teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic - the nordic experience on control measures and transmission in schools during the delta wave

• Published in: BMC Public Health
• Main Authors: Torill Alise Rotevatn, Karin Nygård, Laura Espenhain, Rebecca Legarth, Karina Lauenborg Møller, Emmi Sarvikivi, Otto Helve, Guðrún Aspelund, Annika Ersson, Marie Nordahl, Margrethe Greve-Isdahl, Elisabeth Astrup, Tone Bjordal Johansen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2023
• Subjects: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Schools; Incidence trends; Vaccination; Mitigation measures; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14906-y; https://doaj.org/article/e9fe2e00820044dc905e6ad983f18aed

Abstract Background Extensive measures to control spread of SARS-CoV-2 have led to limited access to education for millions of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education and access to schools is vital for children and adolescents’ learning, health, and wellbeing. Based on high vaccine uptake and low incidence levels, the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) decided to start the academic year 2021/22 with schools open for in-person teaching and moderate mitigation measures. We describe trends in SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccination coverage among students during the first 12 weeks of the fall semester. Methods In this multinational, retrospective, observational study, we have used surveillance and registry data from each of the Nordic countries to describe vaccine uptake (≥12 years), infection incidence (whole population) and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among students. The study period, week 30 to 41 (Jul 26th – Oct 17th), represents the autumn semester from immediately before school started until fall break. In addition, we collected information on mitigation measures applied by the respective countries. Results There were slight variations between the countries regarding existing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, testing strategies and vaccination start-up among adolescents. All countries had high vaccine uptake in the adult population, while uptake varied more in the younger age groups. Incidence in the school-aged population differed between countries and seemed to be influenced by both vaccine uptake and test activity. Infection clusters among school-aged children were described for Denmark and Norway, and the number of clusters per week reflected the incidence trend of the country. Most events consisted of only 1–2 cases. Larger clusters appeared more frequently in the higher grades in Norway and in lower grades in Denmark. Conclusion Data from the Nordic countries indicate that vaccination of adults and adolescents, in addition to mitigation ...