{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Kalu IC"],"funding":["Trial Innovation Network","NCATS NIH HHS","NICHD NIH HHS","National Institutes of Health","National Institute of Child Health and Human Development","NIH HHS"],"pagination":["64-72"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9969331"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["12(2)"],"pubmed_abstract":["<h4>Background</h4>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.<h4>Methods</h4>Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff practicing universal masking during the delta and omicron variant waves from five schools in Durham, North Carolina and eight schools 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.<h4>Results</h4>We performed nearly 5700 screening tests on more than 1600 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 h per semester; cost per test was $70 and cost per positive result was $7076. The total cost for the Kansas City program in eight public K-12 schools was $292 591 and required approximately 537 h in personnel time for school-based testing; cost per test was $132 and cost per positive result was $4818. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were generally lower (0-16.16%) than rates in the community (2.7-36.47%) throughout all testing weeks.<h4>Conclusions and relevance</h4>Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings.<h4>Clinical trial registration</h4>NCT04831866."],"journal":["Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society"],"pubmed_title":["SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Programs for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools."],"pmcid":["PMC9969331"],"funding_grant_id":["U24 TR001608","U24TR001608","HHSN275201000003C","HD107559-01","HD107555-01","OT2 HD107555","OT2 HD107559","HHSN275201000003I","T32 HD094671"],"pubmed_authors":["Moorthy G","Uthappa D","Mann TK","Keener Mast D","Campbell MM","Selvarangan R","Goldman JL","Edwards LJ","Boutzoukas AE","Potts JM","Blakemore AM","Schuster JE","Zimmerman KO","Kalu IC","DeLaRosa J","Benjamin DK"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Programs for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools.","description":"<h4>Background</h4>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.<h4>Methods</h4>Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students and staff practicing universal masking during the delta and omicron variant waves from five schools in Durham, North Carolina and eight schools 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.<h4>Results</h4>We performed nearly 5700 screening tests on more than 1600 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 h per semester; cost per test was $70 and cost per positive result was $7076. The total cost for the Kansas City program in eight public K-12 schools was $292 591 and required approximately 537 h in personnel time for school-based testing; cost per test was $132 and cost per positive result was $4818. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates were generally lower (0-16.16%) than rates in the community (2.7-36.47%) throughout all testing weeks.<h4>Conclusions and relevance</h4>Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings.<h4>Clinical trial registration</h4>NCT04831866.","dates":{"release":"2023-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2023 Feb","modification":"2026-05-28T21:34:48.089Z","creation":"2025-04-04T07:44:24.873Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC9969331","cross_references":{"pubmed":["36412278"],"doi":["10.1093/jpids/piac119"]}}