Pediatric Infection and Vaccine

The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (대한소아감염학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Children with COVID-19 after Reopening of Schools, South Korea

  • Received : 2020.10.28
  • Accepted : 2020.11.01
  • Published : 2020.12.25
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Purpose: To describe pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases after the reopening of schools in the Republic of Korea and their transmission routes. Methods: All case report forms and epidemiologic investigation forms for children aged 3-18 years reported as COVID-19 cases to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System from May 1 to July 12, 2020, were reviewed. Results: After the schools were reopened in May 2020, a total of 127 pediatric COVID-19 cases were confirmed until July 12. Of these, 59 children (46%) were exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 through family and relatives, followed by 18 children (14%) through cram schools or private lessons, 8 children (6%) through multi-use facilities, and 3 children (2%) through school. Conclusions: The present data do not suggest an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission in the context of stringent school-based infection prevention measures introduced across the country.

목적: 국내 초중고 학교 등교재개 이후 소아에서의 코로나바이러스감염증-2019 (코로나19) 사례의 감염경로를 파악하고자 하였다. 방법: 2020년 5월 1일부터 7월 12일까지 국가감염병감시체계에 신고된 3-18세 소아 청소년 코로나19 확진자의 사례조사서 및 역학조사서를 분석하였다. 결과: 2020년 5월 국내 초중고 학교 등교 재개 이후 7월 12일까지 총 127명의 소아 청소년 코로나19 확진자가 신고되었다. 그 중 59명(46%)은 가족 및 친지로부터 전파된 사례였으며 18명(14%)은 학원 및 개인교습 중 전파되었다. 8명(6%)은 다중이용 시설에서 전파되었으며 3명(2%)은 학교에서 전파된 사례였다. 결론: 코로나19 감염예방을 위한 관리체계가 사전에 마련되고 준비된 경우 학교 내 코로나19 전파는 드물게 나타났다.

Keywords

References

  1. Masonbrink AR, Hurley E. Advocating for children during the COVID-19 school closures. Pediatrics 2020;146:e20201440. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1440
  2. Yoon Y, Kim KR, Park H, Kim S, Kim YJ. Stepwise school opening and an impact on the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the children. J Korean Med Sci 2020;35:e414. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e414
  3. Ministry of Education, Central Disaster Management Headquarters, Central Disease Control Headquarters, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Coronavirus disease 2019 infection prevention management guideline in schools, version 2. May 7, 2020 [Internet]. Sejong: Ministry of Education; 2020 [cited 2020 Aug 17]. Available from: http://schoolhealth.kr.
  4. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The updates of COVID-19 in Republic of Korea, as of 12 July, 2020. Cheongju: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2020.
  5. Heymann AD, Hoch I, Valinsky L, Kokia E, Steinberg DM. School closure may be effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses in the community. Epidemiol Infect 2009;137:1369-76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268809002556
  6. Heavey L, Casey G, Kelly C, Kelly D, McDarby G. No evidence of secondary transmission of COVID-19 from children attending school in Ireland, 2020. Euro Surveill 2020;25:2000903.
  7. Macartney K, Quinn HE, Pillsbury AJ, Koirala A, Deng L, Winkler N, et al. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Australian educational settings: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2020;4:807-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30251-0
  8. Ministry of Health (NZ). COVID-19: Source of cases [Internet]. Wellington: Ministry of Health; 2020 [cited 2020 Aug 17]. Available from: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-source-cases.
  9. Van Lancker W, Parolin Z. COVID-19, school closures, and child poverty: a social crisis in the making. Lancet Public Health 2020;5:e243-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(20)30084-0
  10. Araujo LA, Veloso CF, Souza MC, Azevedo JMC, Tarro G. The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child growth and development: a systematic review. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2020. Online ahead of print.

Cited by

  1. Characteristics in Pediatric Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Korea vol.36, pp.20, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e148
  2. Preparing for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Vaccination: Evidence, Plans, and Implications vol.36, pp.7, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e59
  3. Addressing children's health amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic vol.64, pp.2, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2020.01473
  4. School closures during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak vol.64, pp.7, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2021.00353
  5. 청소년의 COVID-19 예방행위에 영향을 미치는 요인 vol.12, pp.7, 2020, https://doi.org/10.15207/jkcs.2021.12.7.349
  6. 코로나바이러스감염증-19 유행과 교육기관 등교 정상화 vol.28, pp.2, 2020, https://doi.org/10.14776/piv.2021.28.e14
  7. Qualitative Study on the Changes of Children's Daily Life After COVID-19 through Children's and Parents' Experiences vol.32, pp.4, 2020, https://doi.org/10.16881/jss.2021.10.32.4.95
  8. Shifting Patterns of Respiratory Virus Activity Following Social Distancing Measures for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in South Korea vol.224, pp.11, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab231