CDC study indicates that educators, not students, are main drivers of Covid infections in schools.

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Tue, 2021-02-23 16:38 — mike kraft

Educators may be more central drivers of Covid-19 in schools than students, CDC study finds A study that found teachers -- not students -- were the probable source of several school-related Covid-19 outbreaks highlights the need to maintain mask and distancing guidelines and to prioritize teachers and school staff for vaccination, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. Christina Maxouris, CNN CNN

(CNN) A study that found teachers -- not students -- were the probable source of several school-related Covid-19 outbreaks highlights the need to maintain mask and distancing guidelines and to prioritize teachers and school staff for vaccination, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday.

The "concerning report," published Monday, details an investigation of Covid-19 spread in at least six public elementary schools in a Georgia district in early winter, when there was high community spread, the director said.

"The two main reasons for the spread of Covid-19 in these schools were inadequate physical distancing and mask adherence," Walensky said. "In the schools, physical distancing of at least 6 feet was not possible because of the high number of students in class, as well as because of classroom layouts."

The findings show how important it is for schools to strictly adhere to the CDC's five key Covid-19 mitigation strategies, Walensky said. Those strategies are: universal and correct wearing of masks; physical distancing; washing hands; cleaning facilities and improving ventilation; and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

"The findings also highlight the importance of scaling up vaccination efforts across the country, including the continued need to prioritize teachers and other school staff for vaccination as part of the frontline essential workers, consistent with the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices," she added.

Walensky did not say teachers need to go to the front of the vaccination line. Instead, schools need to work harder to make sure teachers, staff and students wear masks properly and maintain social distancing as possible, she said.

Vaccinations are not among the "key" Covid-19 mitigation strategies the CDC lays out for schools. Instead, the agency calls them "additional layers" of Covid-19 prevention. ...

ALSO SEE: Association of the Timing of School Closings and Behavioral Changes With the Evolution of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in the US

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