TY - JOUR
T1 - Utilization and Impact of Symptomatic and Exposure SARS-CoV-2 Testing in K-12 Schools
AU - Schuster, Jennifer E.
AU - Erickson, Tyler R.
AU - Goldman, Jennifer L.
AU - Benjamin, Daniel K.
AU - Alan Brookhart, M.
AU - Dewhurst, Stephen
AU - Fist, Alex
AU - Foxe, John
AU - Godambe, Maya
AU - Gwynn, Lisa
AU - Kiene, Susan M.
AU - Mast, Dana Keener
AU - McDaniels-Davidson, Corinne
AU - Newland, Jason G.
AU - Oren, Eyal
AU - Selvarangan, Rangaraj
AU - Shinde, Nidhi
AU - Walsh, Tyler
AU - Watterson, Treymayne
AU - Zand, Martin
AU - Zimmerman, Kanecia O.
AU - Kalu, Ibukunoluwa C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - OBJECTIVES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that schools can offer severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostic (on-demand) testing for students and staff with coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms or exposures. Data related to the uptake, implementation, and effect of school-associated on-demand diagnostic testing have not been described. METHODS: The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations Return to School program provided resources to researchers to implement on-demand SARS-CoV-2 testing in schools. This study describes the strategies used and uptake among the different testing programs. Risk of positivity was compared for symptomatic and exposure testing during the d and o variant periods. We estimated the number of school absence days saved with school-based diagnostic testing. RESULTS: Of the 16 eligible programs, 7 provided school-based on-demand testing. The number of persons that participated in these testing programs is 8281, with 4134 (49.9%) receiving >1 test during the school year. Risk of positivity was higher for symptomatic testing compared with exposure testing and higher during the o variant predominant period compared with the d variant predominant period. Overall, access to testing saved an estimated 13 806 absent school days. CONCLUSIONS: School-based on-demand SARS-CoV-2 testing was used throughout the school year, and nearly half the participants accessed testing on more than 1 occasion. Future studies should work to understand participant preferences around school-based testing and how these strategies can be used both during and outside of pandemics.
AB - OBJECTIVES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that schools can offer severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostic (on-demand) testing for students and staff with coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms or exposures. Data related to the uptake, implementation, and effect of school-associated on-demand diagnostic testing have not been described. METHODS: The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations Return to School program provided resources to researchers to implement on-demand SARS-CoV-2 testing in schools. This study describes the strategies used and uptake among the different testing programs. Risk of positivity was compared for symptomatic and exposure testing during the d and o variant periods. We estimated the number of school absence days saved with school-based diagnostic testing. RESULTS: Of the 16 eligible programs, 7 provided school-based on-demand testing. The number of persons that participated in these testing programs is 8281, with 4134 (49.9%) receiving >1 test during the school year. Risk of positivity was higher for symptomatic testing compared with exposure testing and higher during the o variant predominant period compared with the d variant predominant period. Overall, access to testing saved an estimated 13 806 absent school days. CONCLUSIONS: School-based on-demand SARS-CoV-2 testing was used throughout the school year, and nearly half the participants accessed testing on more than 1 occasion. Future studies should work to understand participant preferences around school-based testing and how these strategies can be used both during and outside of pandemics.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163623490&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1542/peds.2022-060352I
DO - 10.1542/peds.2022-060352I
M3 - Article
C2 - 37394504
AN - SCOPUS:85163623490
SN - 0031-4005
VL - 152
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
M1 - e2022060352I
ER -