According to a study conducted in the US, hybrid learning for children using alternating school days leads to a significant reduction in community spread of COVID-19. Research published in the journal BMC Public Health suggests that a total shutdown in favor of remote learning, however, offers little additional advantage over the hybrid option.
The researchers said the finding would help decision-makers in the event of another COVID-19 wave or similar infectious disease. “At the start of the pandemic when school closures were becoming the norm, many debated the pros and cons of the measure,” said Pinar Keskinok, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, US, and the study’s principal investigator.
“Do we get enough benefits to offset the social costs and impacts on education? This research suggests that there is a benefit in infection reduction, particularly in the absence of effective drug intervention, and that most of the benefit can be achieved with a hybrid approach,” Keskinok said in a statement. One is relevant to the early days of an infectious disease outbreak when policymakers are faced with the difficult decision to close schools in their respective districts.
Using an agent-based simulation model of COVID-19 spread, the researchers estimated the impact of various school reopening strategies: complete closures, changing school days where a group was twice a week individually is regularly present, and the second group on opposite days, small children only, and regular. The results showed that compared to schools reopening with regular attendance, the percentage of the infected population decreased by 13, 11, 9 and 6 percent with each respective strategy, the researchers said.
They concluded that some levels of closure – young children only, alternating days, and entirely remote – provide a significant reduction in community-wide infections. However, the advantage of a complete shutdown over the hybrid approach was minimal. In all cases, the assumption was that the virus-infected person would stay at home, the researchers said.
“The added benefit of full school closures compared to hybrids was relatively small, Kestinok said. Implementation of an alternate day model may be challenging, but may have public health benefits in a pandemic or during a new wave, as well as social And may also provide learning benefits,” said the scientist.
Researchers said reopening schools following a routine reopening strategy could lead to higher deaths, hospitalizations and infections. Hybrid in-person and online reopening strategies, especially if offered as an option for families and teachers who prefer to opt-in, require regular reopening strategies, while ensuring access to in-person education Comparisons provide a fine balance in reducing the spread of infection. , he added.
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