Covid-19 tests at school: what use?

The start of the school year will soon take place in France. Some parents and professionals can apprehend it because the epidemic has had harmful consequences at all levels. While younger people may be more frequently affected by the delta variant, researchers recommend setting up screening campaigns in schools.

Towards a resurgence of the epidemic after the start of the school year?

Children and pre-teens between the ages of 12 and 17 can be vaccinated against Covid-19 since June 15 in France. However, as the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) points out, "it is unlikely that the majority of the school population will be vaccinated at the beginning of the school year." In addition, children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for coronavirus vaccination, as clinical trials are ongoing for this age group. However, "data on the efficacy and safety of vaccination in children under 12 years of age will not be made public until November or December 2021." As the start of the school year arrives, the Delta variant circulates and is transmitted more quickly among the youngest, experts fear "a resurgence of the epidemic next fall."

To keep the virus under control and anticipate the measures to be taken in schools, Vittoria Colizza, a researcher at the Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health, conducted a modelling study. She and her team present several possible scenarios depending on the tests carried out and considering that everyone respects the barrier gestures in schools.

Practice self-tests regularly

The results, published in the scientific journal MedRxiv, suggest that if self-tests are carried out every week in schools, especially in primary and middle schools, the control of the epidemic would be significantly improved. On the other hand, these screening tests would "reduce the negative impact of class closures on schoolchildren." Indeed, according to the researchers, "weekly self-test screening of schoolchildren would reduce the number of cases on average by 24% in primary education and 53% in secondary education, with a 50% adherence." 

The Scientific Council also shares this opinion and stresses the importance of being organized for the next school year, the aim being to keep classes and schools open. Indeed, the closure of the latter has had consequences not only on the education of the children but also for their mental health. According to Inserm, "In France, schoolchildren lost an average of 10 weeks of class" between March 2020 and March 2021. According to the Vittoria Colizza study, screening tests could greatly reduce the number of days lost and represent "90% fewer school days lost per student compared to the scenario of a class closure after the detection of a case."