Schools virus transmission study

BRISTOL schools are helping to discover how coronavirus is transmitted in the classroom, including studying drain water.

The University of Bristol will lead the Covid-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools project will seek to learn more about the way the virus acts in schools.

Around nine million children between the ages of four and 18 attend school in England, around 16 per cent of the total population.

However, little is known about the impact and transmission patterns of coronavirus in schoolchildren, how patterns of infection among pupils might impact the wider community, or the long-term consequences of school closure on the health of pupils.

Limiting transmission of coronavirus in schools can be difficult because children with Covid-19 often show no obvious symptoms and schoolchildren normally interact with a large number of other children and adults.

The project will work with Bristol City Council, Public Health England, along with primary and secondary schools in the city. Over a six-month period there will be tests for infections in schools to find out whether staff and pupils have current or past Covid-19 infections.

The research findings will jointly create new knowledge and tools to help schools deal with the practical challenges of preventing and coping with an outbreak of Covid-19.

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