Study of classrooms in Berlin finds just TWO students and one teacher tested ...

Study of classrooms in Berlin finds just TWO students and one teacher tested ...
Study of classrooms in Berlin finds just TWO students and one teacher tested ...

Schools are not the main source of COVID-19 spread and do not cause a spike in cases, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health in Berlin looked the results of Covid tests across dozens of classrooms across between February 2021 and March 2021.

They found that just two students and one teacher tested positive, even as the Alpha variant that originated in the UK was gaining dominance in Germany.

The team says the findings show that clusters of COVID-19 infections are not common in schools and that cases in classrooms are often isolated instances.   

The new study adds to the growing body of research that classrooms are not linked to frequent outbreaks and that students and teachers don't test positive more frequently than those in the general population.

A new study looked at nearly 1,000 students, teachers and household contacts across 24 classrooms in Berlin, Germany, in March 2021. Pictured: Students attend school in Berlin, August 2021

A new study looked at nearly 1,000 students, teachers and household contacts across 24 classrooms in Berlin, Germany, in March 2021. Pictured: Students attend school in Berlin, August 2021 

A study found that six cases of COVID-19 were detected, of which two were among students, one among teachers and three among household members (above). The students and teacher who contracted the virus all attended different schools

A study found that six cases of COVID-19 were detected, of which two were among students, one among teachers and three among household members (above). The students and teacher who contracted the virus all attended different schools

For the study, published on Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, the team looked at 24 school classes - 12 primary and 12 secondary - across Berlin.

Of the 898 participants, 263 were students and 112 were teachers. The remaining 523 were household members of either pupils or staff.

In Germany, after COVID-19 cases began rising in mid-February, the country imposed a lockdown and schools shut down.

In March 2021, schools opened again for in-person instruction, but many adopted a split class-model, with half of the original class size in attendance on alternating weeks.

Researchers looked at COVID-19 cases both during lockdown and two to three weeks after classes resumed. 

Few Covid cases were detected in schools even as daily infections spiked in Germany (above), which researchers say suggest there is a low level of infection at schools

Few Covid cases were detected in schools even as daily infections spiked in Germany (above), which researchers say suggest there is a low level of infection

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