Effectiveness of Isolation Policies in Schools: Evidence from a Mathematical Model of Influenza and COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, school closures and travel restrictions are often implemented to control outbreaks of infectious diseases. For influenza in schools, the Center of Disease Control (CDC) recommends that febrile students remain isolated at home until they have been fever-free for at least one day and a related policy is recommended for SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19). Other authors proposed using a school week of four or fewer days of in-person instruction for all students to reduce transmission. However, there is limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of these interventions. We introduced a mathematical model of school outbreaks that considers both intervention methods. Our model accounts for the school structure and schedule, as well as the time-progr

SUBMITTER: Burns AAC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7276029 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature