German study finds no evidence coronavirus spreads in schools

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Schools do not play a major role in spreading the coronavirus, according to the results of a German study released on Monday.

The study, the largest carried out on schoolchildren and teachers in Germany, found traces of the virus in fewer than 1 per cent of teachers and children.

Scientists from Dresden Technical University said they believe children may act as a “brake” on chains of infection.

Prof Reinhard Berner, the head of pediatric medicine at Dresden University Hospital and leader of the study, said the results suggested the virus does not spread easily in schools.

“It is rather the opposite,” Prof Berner told a press conference. “Children act more as a brake on infection. Not every infection that reaches them is passed on.”

The study tested 2,045 children and teachers at 13 schools — including some where there have been cases of the virus. But scientists found antibodies in just 12 of those who took part.

“This means that the degree of immunization in the group of study participants is well below 1 per cent and much lower then we expected,” said Prof Berner. “This suggests schools have not developed into hotspots.”

The choice of Saxony is significant because it was the only one of Germany’s 16 states to reopen schools with full class sizes in May.

The decision was highly controversial at the time.

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