1- Monday Infectious Disease News – 15th March

1 – Shorter and longer courses of antibiotics for common infections and the association with reductions of infection-related complications including hospital admissions

• Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global health concern that emphasises completing treatment course.
• Recently, the effectiveness of short versus longer antibiotic courses has been questioned.
• This study investigated the duration of prescribed antibiotics, their effectiveness and associated risk of infection-related complications.

Source: Oxford Academic

2 – Covid-19: Is school mask and testing policy flawed?

• Schools reopen to all pupils next week in England – the first part of the UK where this will happen.
• It is a crucial step for children and wider society in the route out of lockdown.
• To reduce the risk of spread of the virus, the government has introduced mass testing. All secondary school pupils will be offered three tests on their return before being asked to carry them out twice a week at home.
• These will be rapid lateral flow tests that provide a quick result on the spot, unlike the ones that are carried out in official testing centres – known as PCR tests – that are sent off to labs.

Source: BBC

3 – Covid-19: Government uses lateral flow tests to keep children in schools against regulator’s advice

• The UK government has confirmed that it is using daily contact testing in schools as an alternative to self-isolation as part of an “ongoing evaluation,” even though the UK regulator has not approved antigen lateral flow devices to be used this way.
• A handbook for schools and colleges issued on 4 January says that pupils, students, and staff will be tested daily if they come into contact with a positive case.
• It says that this will allow those who are in close contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19 to return to school or college if they agree to be tested for seven days after their last contact with a positive case.

Source: The BMJ

4- Reopening schools without strict COVID-19 mitigation measures risks accelerating the pandemic

• On 22nd February, the UK government announced schools in England would fully reopen on the 8th March 2021.
• Multi-layered mitigations can substantially reduce the risk of transmission within schools and into households.
• In the Appendix we outline a set of recommendations, in line with CDC guidelines and practiced in many countries, to reduce the risk of transmission in schools and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on children and families.
• Making schools safer goes hand in hand with reducing community transmission, and is essential to allow schools to safely reopen and remain open.

Source: PrePrints

5 – SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and transmission risk factors among high-risk close contacts: a retrospective cohort study

• The proportion of asymptomatic carriers and transmission risk factors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among household and non-household contacts remains unclear.
• Extensive contact tracing for every diagnosed COVID-19 case, and legally enforced quarantine and intensive health surveillance of close contacts provided a rare opportunity to determine asymptomatic attack rates and SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk factors among community close contacts of patients with COVID-19.
• Targeted community measures should include physical distancing and minimising verbal interactions. Testing of all household contacts, including asymptomatic individuals, is warranted.

Source: The Lancet

6 – SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in educational settings: a prospective, cross-sectional analysis of infection clusters and outbreaks in

• Understanding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and transmission in educational settings is crucial for ensuring the safety of staff and children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• SARS-CoV-2 infections and outbreaks were uncommon in educational settings during the summer half-term in England.
• The strong association with regional COVID-19 incidence emphasises the importance of controlling community transmission to protect educational settings.
• Interventions should focus on reducing transmission in and among staff.

Source: The Lancet

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