Author Interviews, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Education, JAMA, UCLA / 22.02.2021
COVID-19: Costs of Closing Schools Far Outweighs Any Benefit
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Zimmerman[/caption]
Frederick Zimmerman, PhD
Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management
Fielding School of Public Health
UCLA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The science on school transmissions of COVID is becoming clearer all the time in its conclusion that there is little to no transmission in school environments as long as reasonable precautions are taken. Yet one recent study got a lot of attention for claiming that states that allowed their schools to remain open in the early days of the pandemic saw more cases. That study did not control for several important factors that might explain this association, so our study aimed to correct that work.
Dr. Zimmerman[/caption]
Frederick Zimmerman, PhD
Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management
Fielding School of Public Health
UCLA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The science on school transmissions of COVID is becoming clearer all the time in its conclusion that there is little to no transmission in school environments as long as reasonable precautions are taken. Yet one recent study got a lot of attention for claiming that states that allowed their schools to remain open in the early days of the pandemic saw more cases. That study did not control for several important factors that might explain this association, so our study aimed to correct that work.
Dr. Auger[/caption]
Katherine A. S. Auger, MD, MSc
Division of Hospital Medicine
James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence,
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings Network
Cincinnati, Ohio
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: All states closed schools in the spring of 2020 to try to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Our study demonstrated a large, significant association between school closure and fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths even when accounting for other state policies.