Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing.
The objective of this study was to assess COVID-19 classroom transmission in the university setting when physical distancing was eliminated. Data was collected in fall 2021 at a private university. Universal masking, robust contact tracing, vaccination requirement, and enforced testing were in place...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283050 |
| _version_ | 1797843158781919232 |
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| author | Terri Rebmann Travis M Loux Ashley Gomel Kaeli A Lugo Firas Bafageeh Haley Elkins Lauren D Arnold |
| author_facet | Terri Rebmann Travis M Loux Ashley Gomel Kaeli A Lugo Firas Bafageeh Haley Elkins Lauren D Arnold |
| author_sort | Terri Rebmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The objective of this study was to assess COVID-19 classroom transmission in the university setting when physical distancing was eliminated. Data was collected in fall 2021 at a private university. Universal masking, robust contact tracing, vaccination requirement, and enforced testing were in place. Exposures were classified as classroom versus non-classroom. ANOVA and chi-squared tests were used to identify significant relationships between predictors and COVID-19 test result. Logistic regression was conducted to investigate the relationship between exposure type and test result. A total of 162 student cases were identified with 1,658 associated close contacts. One-third of contacts (31.1%, n = 516) only had a non-classroom exposure, 63.8% (n = 1,057) only had a classroom exposure, and 5.1% (n = 85) had both. Close contacts were significantly more likely to test positive if they had a non-classroom exposure (60 of 601; 10.0%) compared to a classroom exposure (1 of 1057; 0.1%) (OR 58.8, CI 18.5-333.3, p < 0.001). Removing physical distancing in classrooms that had universal masking did not result in high rates of COVID-19 transmission. This has policy implications because eliminating physical distancing does not greatly increase transmission risk when universal masking is in place. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:00:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-218b718e0b274f6b890fe8a6c517f255 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:00:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-218b718e0b274f6b890fe8a6c517f2552023-04-21T05:32:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01183e028305010.1371/journal.pone.0283050Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing.Terri RebmannTravis M LouxAshley GomelKaeli A LugoFiras BafageehHaley ElkinsLauren D ArnoldThe objective of this study was to assess COVID-19 classroom transmission in the university setting when physical distancing was eliminated. Data was collected in fall 2021 at a private university. Universal masking, robust contact tracing, vaccination requirement, and enforced testing were in place. Exposures were classified as classroom versus non-classroom. ANOVA and chi-squared tests were used to identify significant relationships between predictors and COVID-19 test result. Logistic regression was conducted to investigate the relationship between exposure type and test result. A total of 162 student cases were identified with 1,658 associated close contacts. One-third of contacts (31.1%, n = 516) only had a non-classroom exposure, 63.8% (n = 1,057) only had a classroom exposure, and 5.1% (n = 85) had both. Close contacts were significantly more likely to test positive if they had a non-classroom exposure (60 of 601; 10.0%) compared to a classroom exposure (1 of 1057; 0.1%) (OR 58.8, CI 18.5-333.3, p < 0.001). Removing physical distancing in classrooms that had universal masking did not result in high rates of COVID-19 transmission. This has policy implications because eliminating physical distancing does not greatly increase transmission risk when universal masking is in place.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283050 |
| spellingShingle | Terri Rebmann Travis M Loux Ashley Gomel Kaeli A Lugo Firas Bafageeh Haley Elkins Lauren D Arnold Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. PLoS ONE |
| title | Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. |
| title_full | Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. |
| title_fullStr | Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. |
| title_short | Assessing classroom and laboratory spread of COVID-19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing. |
| title_sort | assessing classroom and laboratory spread of covid 19 in a university after elimination of physical distancing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283050 |
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