RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In only two weeks, 97,000 children were infected with the coronavirus in the United States. The data was released by Vanderbilt University, which coordinates a government-funded study involving home test kits. Of the approximately five million cases of the disease in the country, 380,000 have been reported in children.
The data were collected in the last two weeks of July. Last month, 25 children died as a result of the coronavirus. According to the CBS TV network, Vanderbilt’s work aims to assess the rate of virus spread among children and the role they ultimately play in spreading the disease.
To more accurately determine these data, increasing the number of tests is required, hence the kits concept, which are sent to the students’ homes along with instructions on how to collect the material for analysis.
Schools in several US states are reopening, but principals are struggling to ensure the students’ safety. Some 13,000 school districts have returned to in-person classes.
One of the most challenging points is transportation. In some locations, school buses are being cleaned with hospital disinfectants, such as in Lawrence Township, Indiana. Despite the precautions, only 65 percent of children should return to school in the city. The remainder will proceed with e-learning.
To allow students to present work in the classroom, some schools are using protective barriers similar to those used by supermarkets, made of acrylic. Students should keep their masks on at all times, only removing their protective wear when they are called to the board, which will be protected by transparent plastic.
In Brazil, Amazonas was the first state to restart in-person classes. The 123 public schools in the state have implemented sanitary measures to host students on Monday, with a capacity limited to 50 percent.
Source: Exame