tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc
. 2022 Nov 22;piac119.
doi: 10.1093/jpids/piac119. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Program for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools
Ibukunoluwa C Kalu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kanecia O Zimmerman[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Jennifer L Goldman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dana Keener Mast[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ashley M Blakemore[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ganga Moorthy[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Angelique E Boutzoukas[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Melissa M Campbell[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Diya Uthappa[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Jesse DeLaRosa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jessica M Potts[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Laura J Edwards[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rangaraj Selvarangan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel K Benjamin[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Tara K Mann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer E Schuster[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) screening testing is a recommended mitigation strategy for schools, although few descriptions of program implementation are available.
Methods: Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff practicing universal masking during the delta and omicron variant waves from 5 schools in Durham, North Carolina and 8 in Kansas City, Missouri participated; Durham's program was structured as a public health initiative facilitated by school staff, and Kansas City's as a research study facilitated by a research team. Tests included school-based rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction testing, at-home rapid antigen testing, and off-site nucleic acid amplification testing.
Results: We performed nearly 5,700 screening tests on more than 1,600 K-12 school students and staff members. The total cost for the Durham testing program in 5 public charter K-12 schools, each with 500-1000 students, was $246,587 and approximately 752 hours per semester; cost per test was $70 and cost per positive result was $7,076. The total cost for the Kansas City program in 8 public K-12 schools was $292,591 and required approximately 537 hours in personnel time for school-based testing; cost per test was $132 and cost per positive result was $4,818. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were generally lower (0-16.16%) than rates in the community (2.7-36.47%) throughout all testing weeks.
Conclusions and relevance: Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings.
Keywords: K–12 school communities; SARS-CoV-2; screening testing.
. 2022 Nov 22;piac119.
doi: 10.1093/jpids/piac119. Online ahead of print.
SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Program for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools
Ibukunoluwa C Kalu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kanecia O Zimmerman[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Jennifer L Goldman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Dana Keener Mast[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Ashley M Blakemore[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ganga Moorthy[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Angelique E Boutzoukas[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Melissa M Campbell[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Diya Uthappa[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Jesse DeLaRosa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jessica M Potts[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Laura J Edwards[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rangaraj Selvarangan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel K Benjamin[SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Tara K Mann[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jennifer E Schuster[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36412278
- DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piac119
Abstract
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) screening testing is a recommended mitigation strategy for schools, although few descriptions of program implementation are available.
Methods: Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff practicing universal masking during the delta and omicron variant waves from 5 schools in Durham, North Carolina and 8 in Kansas City, Missouri participated; Durham's program was structured as a public health initiative facilitated by school staff, and Kansas City's as a research study facilitated by a research team. Tests included school-based rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction testing, at-home rapid antigen testing, and off-site nucleic acid amplification testing.
Results: We performed nearly 5,700 screening tests on more than 1,600 K-12 school students and staff members. The total cost for the Durham testing program in 5 public charter K-12 schools, each with 500-1000 students, was $246,587 and approximately 752 hours per semester; cost per test was $70 and cost per positive result was $7,076. The total cost for the Kansas City program in 8 public K-12 schools was $292,591 and required approximately 537 hours in personnel time for school-based testing; cost per test was $132 and cost per positive result was $4,818. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were generally lower (0-16.16%) than rates in the community (2.7-36.47%) throughout all testing weeks.
Conclusions and relevance: Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings.
Keywords: K–12 school communities; SARS-CoV-2; screening testing.