tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
PNAS Nexus
. 2023 May 23;2(5)
gad142.
doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad142. eCollection 2023 May. Student close contact behavior and COVID-19 transmission in China's classrooms
Yong Guo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Zhiyang Dou[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nan Zhang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Xiyue Liu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Boni Su[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yuguo Li[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yinping Zhang[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Classrooms are high-risk indoor environments, so analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in classrooms is important for determining optimal interventions. Due to the absence of human behavior data, it is challenging to accurately determine virus exposure in classrooms. A wearable device for close contact behavior detection was developed, and we recorded >250,000 data points of close contact behaviors of students from grades 1 to 12. Combined with a survey on students' behaviors, we analyzed virus transmission in classrooms. Close contact rates for students were 37 ± 11% during classes and 48 ± 13% during breaks. Students in lower grades had higher close contact rates and virus transmission potential. The long-range airborne transmission route is dominant, accounting for 90 ± 3.6% and 75 ± 7.7% with and without mask wearing, respectively. During breaks, the short-range airborne route became more important, contributing 48 ± 3.1% in grades 1 to 9 (without wearing masks). Ventilation alone cannot always meet the demands of COVID-19 control; 30 m[SUP]3[/SUP]/h/person is suggested as the threshold outdoor air ventilation rate in a classroom. This study provides scientific support for COVID-19 prevention and control in classrooms, and our proposed human behavior detection and analysis methods offer a powerful tool to understand virus transmission characteristics and can be employed in various indoor environments.
Keywords: COVID-19; children health; close contact behavior; school pandemic prevention; ventilation.
. 2023 May 23;2(5)
gad142.doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad142. eCollection 2023 May. Student close contact behavior and COVID-19 transmission in China's classrooms
Yong Guo[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Zhiyang Dou[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nan Zhang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Xiyue Liu[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Boni Su[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yuguo Li[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Yinping Zhang[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37228510
- PMCID: PMC10205473
- DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad142
Classrooms are high-risk indoor environments, so analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in classrooms is important for determining optimal interventions. Due to the absence of human behavior data, it is challenging to accurately determine virus exposure in classrooms. A wearable device for close contact behavior detection was developed, and we recorded >250,000 data points of close contact behaviors of students from grades 1 to 12. Combined with a survey on students' behaviors, we analyzed virus transmission in classrooms. Close contact rates for students were 37 ± 11% during classes and 48 ± 13% during breaks. Students in lower grades had higher close contact rates and virus transmission potential. The long-range airborne transmission route is dominant, accounting for 90 ± 3.6% and 75 ± 7.7% with and without mask wearing, respectively. During breaks, the short-range airborne route became more important, contributing 48 ± 3.1% in grades 1 to 9 (without wearing masks). Ventilation alone cannot always meet the demands of COVID-19 control; 30 m[SUP]3[/SUP]/h/person is suggested as the threshold outdoor air ventilation rate in a classroom. This study provides scientific support for COVID-19 prevention and control in classrooms, and our proposed human behavior detection and analysis methods offer a powerful tool to understand virus transmission characteristics and can be employed in various indoor environments.
Keywords: COVID-19; children health; close contact behavior; school pandemic prevention; ventilation.