Sep 28, 2021 09:00:00

Survey shows that the spread of the new corona is overwhelmingly different between schools that are obliged to wear masks and schools that are not.

In the United States, where the death toll of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19)

exceeded the Spanish flu in 1918, the resumption of face-to-face classes at school will spread the infection, especially to children who are not vaccinated. There are concerns about the possibility. It is also a concern that schools in the United States are increasingly opposed to the obligation to wear masks, but two new studies show that schools without masks are overwhelmingly COVID-19 compared to some schools. It has been shown that the infection is easy to spread.

Association Between K–12 School Mask Policies and School-Associated COVID-19 Outbreaks — Maricopa and Pima Counties, Arizona, July–August 2021 | MMWR
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e1.htm

Pediatric COVID-19 Cases in Counties With and Without School Mask Requirements — United States, July 1–September 4, 2021 | MMWR
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e3.htm

As Florida punishes schools, study finds masks cut school COVID outbreaks 3.5X | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/09/as-florida-punishes-schools-study-finds-masks-cut-school-covid-outbreaks-3-5x/

COVID-19 vaccination is intended for people over 12 years old in Japan, not for people under 12 years old. In the United States as well, the new semester began in August and September without many children being included in the vaccine intake, and there are concerns about the spread of infection, especially among children.

On the other hand, in the United States, there is a debate about whether to make it mandatory to wear masks at school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all teachers, students and other staff wear masks in the school's indoor environment. In Los Angeles and other places , there are not many voices from parents of children regarding wearing masks, but in states where the opposition and Republicans are strong, there are movements against the obligation. In particular, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned school masks from being obligatory, and there is a dispute in court over whether or not this is possible.

Meanwhile, two new research results were announced that investigated how much the infection spreads between schools that require masks and schools that do not.

The first study was conducted from July 15th to August 30th, 2021 in Maricopa and Pima counties, Arizona, where face-to-face lessons at school resumed. The outbreaks of COVID-19 were compared in Maricopa and Pima counties, as there were 210 schools that required masks and 480 schools that did not require masks during the study period. As a result, it was found that 87.5% of the school-related COVID-19 cases that occurred during the period were from schools that were not obliged to wear masks. After that, researchers analyzed the data taking into account various factors such as the size of the school, the incidence of COVID-19 in 7 days for each region, and socio-economic indicators. It has been shown that school-related COVID-19 outbreaks are 3.5 times more likely than in one school.

In the second study, a CDC research team investigated the number of COVID-19 cases in pediatrics in 520 counties across the United States. A study of changes in the number of cases before and after school showed that the number of cases in pediatrics increased in all counties, but the rate of increase was small in counties that were obliged to wear masks. Specifically, the average increase in the case rate in areas where masks are obligatory was 16.32 cases per 100,000 children per day, but in counties where they are not obliged to wear masks, which is twice that, 34.85 per 100,000 children per day. An increase has been confirmed.

In early September 2021, the CDC reported that as the number of children entering the new semester increased, the number of cases in which children without underlying illness were hospitalized and the number of child deaths increased. ..