SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Programs for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools.
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2023-02
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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 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.Results
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.Conclusions and relevance
Voluntary screening testing programs in K-12 schools are costly and rarely detect asymptomatic positive persons, particularly in universally masked settings.Clinical trial registration
NCT04831866.Type
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Publication Info
Kalu, Ibukunoluwa C, Kanecia O Zimmerman, Jennifer L Goldman, Dana Keener Mast, Ashley M Blakemore, Ganga Moorthy, Angelique E Boutzoukas, Melissa M Campbell, et al. (2023). SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing Programs for Safe In-person Learning in K-12 Schools. Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 12(2). pp. 64–72. 10.1093/jpids/piac119 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/33960.
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Scholars@Duke
Kanecia Obie Zimmerman
Ganga Moorthy
Angelique Boutzoukas
I am a pediatric infectious disease specialist and pediatric clinical researcher. My research interests are centered around finding the optimal ways to manage infections and minimize harms to patients. Recognizing the growing global threat of antibiotic resistance, I am particularly interested in finding the right dose and duration of antibiotics that children should receive to treat their infections, and studying the epidemiology and prevention of antibiotic resistant infections.
Jesse Delarosa
Daniel Kelly Benjamin
Dr. Danny Benjamin is the Principal Investigator and Chair of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Pediatric Trials Network. The Network is responsible for designing and leading clinical trials of off-patent medicines in children of all ages across all therapeutic areas. The team has established, or is actively studying, the correct dosing and safety of more than 100 of the most commonly used medicines in children. These trials are conducted under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with guidance from the Food and Drug Administration for labeling.
The Pediatric Trials Network has directly impacted the healthcare of over 90% of American children.
Signature programs of the Network include clinical trials in premature, term infants, breast feeding mothers, and obese children. Over the past 10 years, Danny’s group has enrolled more premature infants, at more sites, in more clinical trials of off-patent anti-infectives under an IND than all other academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies in the world, combined.
Danny is recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a premiere mentor and educator. His research program serves as a platform to train students and early career investigators. Danny’s group has a clinical research summer program for high school, college graduate school, and medical students that recruits and mentors ~30 students each academic year. He has been the primary or secondary mentor for 10 faculty who have received career development awards and who have then gone on to establish their own independent research programs; six of whom are now Distinguished Professors.
Danny's service to the community is expressed through his passion for coaching baseball. He has coached over 1,000 recreation league, travel league, and scholastic baseball games. He is the head coach for Smith Middle School Baseball, perennially southern conference champions. Danny and his wife own a charitable non-profit that provides athletic and fitness opportunities for disadvantaged and special-needs school-aged boys and girls.
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