School Returns Go Better Than Expected

In many countries, children have been going to school for more than a month. So far, fears the Delta¹ coronavirus variant² would prevent in-person learning have largely proven unfounded.

In twelve countries with high vaccination³ rates in Asia, Europe and the United States, case rates increased in August. Now, they have mostly fallen back, according to local data and officials.

It is unclear how much the decrease is due to a worldwide decline in cases, and how much it is linked to vaccinations⁴ and other measures. Public health experts say they will continue to watch for signs of an increase in cases as winter nears.

Monica Gandhi is a professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco Medical School.

"In the United States, in-school transmission is higher in places with low adult vaccination and no mitigation, but, overall, schools have stayed open," Gandhi said.

Gandhi described the situation in schools as "going better than expected."

Cases among children increased by nearly seven times in August. They reached their high in the first week of September, American Academy of Pediatrics data shows.

Only about 2 percent of U.S. schools have closed temporarily because of COVID-19 outbreaks. That information comes from research company Burbio.

Children represent the largest group of the unvaccinated in most wealthy countries. That is because either vaccinations for their age group have only just begun, or are not yet approved.

Public health experts suggest rising vaccinations, mitigation measures in schools and a broader decrease in community cases are helping⁵.

Not all countries have seen a decrease in cases. In Singapore, cases among children have been on the rise for all of September.

But in Scandinavia, Scotland, Germany, France, South Korea and the United States, cases are falling. Earlier, there were fears the Delta variant would drive up infections.

In Sweden, schools have largely remained open throughout the coronavirus crisis. The country saw a rise in COVID-19 infections among children after the summer holidays. But cases are now at low levels - both among children and the wider population.

In Norway, cases increased to a daily record of 1,785 after the first two weeks of school, before falling by 60 percent as of last week.

Preben Aavitsland is a senior doctor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

"We do expect the current downward trend to continue for a few weeks and then level off at a low level, at least for a couple of months," Aavitsland told Reuters by email.

He added, "Then there are uncertainties⁶ about the winter season."

Britain has seen some increase in cases in schools that opened early on, but it has not spread to the wider population, said Neil Ferguson of the Imperial College London.

In Scotland, schools re-opened in mid-August, and COVID cases increased to record numbers by the end of the month.

Now, however, cases among the under 19 have fallen each week since the first week of September.

While cases began rising in Scotland before schools opened, some level of transmission appears to be happening in schools.

"It's very hard to separate community transmission that is related to schools, to transmission in schools. However, clusters of cases in single classrooms do not appear to be particularly high, suggesting that it is at least a mix of both," Rowland Kao of the University of Edinburgh wrote to Reuters by email.

Words in This Story

variant – n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind

mitigation – n. the act of making something less severe, harmful, or painful

trend – n. general direction of change

cluster – n. a group of things or people that are close together

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

3 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

4 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告