FRIDAY, February 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Day camps could be viewed as a hotbed for coronavirus infections. However, a new study shows that few illnesses occur when following social distancing measures.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 6,800 children and staff who were in 54 YMCA day camps in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina from March to August 2020 when cases of COVID-19 in the community increased.
The Duke University team identified only 10 children and nine employees with confirmed infections. According to the study published online Feb. 3 in the journal Pediatrics, only two patients in the camp may have been infected while all of the other patients outside the camp were infected.
“Our study suggests that taking appropriate measures to reduce the spread of disease can create an environment where normal childhood activities such as day camps, school and post-school recreation are associated with minimal risk,” said study author Emily D’Agostino , an assistant professor in the Family Medicine and Community Health Department at Duke.
“The study also underscores the critical importance of academic partnerships with community organizations in promoting pediatric health,” D’Agostino said in a university press release.
All staff in the camps were trained to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and the camps adhered to symptom screening for children and workers, masking, hand washing / disinfection, daily cleaning / disinfection, and limiting group size to no more than 10 children.
Last month, another Duke University team reported that coronavirus transmission in schools was rare. They followed 11 school districts in North Carolina over nine weeks of face-to-face teaching.
There were 773 infections acquired in the community among school children and staff, but only 32 infections were acquired in schools. According to this study, also published in Pediatrics, there were no cases of child-to-adult transmission within schools.
“This data should be helpful to school systems and child carers as they navigate this extremely difficult time, while still promoting the well-being of children and primary carers,” said co-author Dr. Ibukun Akinboyo, Assistant Professor at Duke’s Department of Pediatrics.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is more concerned with children and COVID-19.
SOURCE: Duke University, press release, February 3, 2021
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