Most children caught COVID-19 outside school – German data
BERLIN, Nov 19- Children in the German city of Hamburg were four times more likely to catch coronavirus during private gatherings than at school, an analysis of infection cases between August and October showed. The Hamburg school authority said 78% of the 372 children infected with the virus between the summer and autumn holidays caught it outside school, with…
BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Children in the German city of
Hamburg were four times more likely to catch coronavirus during
private gatherings than at school, an analysis of infection
cases between August and October showed.
The Hamburg school authority said 78% of the 372 childreninfected with the virus between the summer and autumn holidayscaught it outside school, with children under 12 only half aslikely to become infected as older ones.
It said many schools only registered one infection in a yeargroup within 10 days, suggesting it was unlikely that theaffected student spread it to classmates. Most children becameinfected at home, at parties or other private gatherings.
Of the 472 schools in Hamburg, 171 recorded infections, butonly 23 of those had multiple infections.
As coronavirus infections have soared across Europe again,Germany imposed a month-long “lockdown light” on Nov. 2, closingbars and restaurants but keeping schools and shops open.
Germany’s federal states this week rejected a bid byChancellor Angela Merkel to tighten the rules, including makingit mandatory to wear masks in schools, shrinking class sizes,and limiting social contacts to one household or friend.
The head of the Robert Koch Institute for infectiousdiseases (RKI), Lothar Wieler, said on Thursday there werecurrently around 475 outbreaks in schools and more than 100 indaycare facilities.
Germany has continued to fare better than many of itsEuropean neighbours even as cases soar in the second wave of thepandemic.
RKI data published on Thursday showed confirmed coronaviruscases in Germany had risen by 22,609, the biggest increase insix days, to a total 855,916, while the death toll rose by 251to 13,370.(Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Kirsti KnolleEditing by Gareth Jones)
