Investigation of a Limited but Explosive COVID-19 Outbreak in a German Secondary School.

ABSTRACT: The role of schools as a source of infection and driver in the coronavirus-pandemic has been controversial and is still not completely clarified. To prevent harm and disadvantages for children and adolescents, but also adults, detailed data on school outbreaks is needed, especially when talking about open schools employing evidence-based safety concepts. Here, we investigated the first significant COVID-19 school outbreak in Hamburg, Germany, after the re-opening of schools in 2020. Using clinical, laboratory, and contact data and spatial measures for epidemiological and environmental studies combined with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis, we examined the causes and the course of the secondary school outbreak. The potential index case was identified by epidemiological tracking and th

SUBMITTER: Baumgarte S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8780098 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature