Jackson Jambalaya

The CDC reported Friday 69% of child care Covid-19 infections in Rhode Island had no secondary transmission.  Rhode Island child care centers reopened after a 3-month shutdown. 

Rhode Island imposed several pandemic regulations on the child care centers:
- Maximum group size of 12 members, including staff.  It was increased to 20 on June 29.
- All adults must wear masks.
- Daily symptom screening of adults and children

The CDC reported: 

A total of 101 possible child care–associated COVID-19 cases were reported during June 1–July 31. Among them, 49 (49%) symptomatic persons were excluded after receiving negative laboratory test results, 33 persons (33%) had confirmed cases, and 19 (19%) were classified as having probable cases. Among the 52 confirmed and probable cases, 30 (58%) were among children (median age = 5 years), and 22 (42%) were among adults (20 teachers and two parents [median age = 30 years]) (Table). Overall, 39 (75%) cases occurred from mid- to late July, when incidence in the state was increasing (Figure). Cases were confirmed a median of 2 days (range = 0–11 days) after specimen collection. The identification of 101 possible child care–associated COVID-19 cases resulted in closures of 89 classes and quarantine of 687 children and 166 staff members, including contacts.

Cases occurred in 29 child care programs, 20 (69%) of which had a single case with no apparent secondary transmission. Five (15%) programs had two to five cases; however, RIDOH excluded child care–related transmission because of the timing of symptom onset. In late June, a child aged 2 years attended child care for 6 days while potentially infectious, including 3 days before symptom onset (parent-reported fever to 100.3°F [37.9°C] and chills) and 3 days after symptom resolution. Ten of 11 child care contacts were tested for SARS-CoV-2 a median of 2 days after last exposure (range = 1–3 days); none had a positive test result. Epidemiologic investigation by RIDOH indicated adherence to RIDHS regulations.

Throughout the pandemic, many child care centers have stayed open for the children of front-line workers — everyone from doctors to grocery store clerks. YMCA of the USA and New York City's Department of Education have been caring for, collectively, tens of thousands of children since March, and both tell NPR they have no reports of coronavirus clusters or outbreaks. As school districts sweat over reopening plans, and with just over half of parents telling pollsters they're comfortable with in-person school this fall, public health and policy experts say education leaders should be discussing and drawing on these real-world child care experiences.
 
The Y says that during the lockdowns it cared for up to 40,000 children between the ages of 1 and 14 at 1,100 separate sites, often in partnership with local and state governments. And in New York City, the pandemic's national epicenter in March and April, the city's Department of Education reports that it cared for more than 10,000 children at 170 sites.

Working in early days, and on very short notice, these two organizations followed safety guidance that closely resembles what's now been officially put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Y says a few staff members and parents at sites around the country did test positive, but there are no records of having more than one case at a site. This, among a population of essential workers.

In a separate, unscientific survey of child care centers, Brown University economist Emily Oster found that, as of Tuesday afternoon, among 916 centers serving more than 20,000 children, just over 1% of staff and 0.16% of children were confirmed infected with the coronavirus. Rest of article.