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My thoughts on the new quarantine guidelines for schools from @OHdeptofhealth. In one sentence: A colossal failure in translating science to policy. More thoughts in thread below based on the document below. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/schools/OSCE_evaluation.pdf 1/n
I read through it and it is well designed but as the authors acknowledge there were many logistical challenges too. I worry that ODH will use this study to set policy even though the authors state that the study was not designed for such purpose. 2/n
I am also concerned that authors did not clarify whether 15 minutes of contact were cumulative or at one point in time. It will be good to see the results broken out by learning modality in the school district. Some of the districts may have been all-in for most of last year. 3/n
There’s no mention of testing among staff because adult-to-child transmission is still a possibility.
Table 1 is definitely misleading unless they break out results by type of learning modality. Results by race/ethnicity will be important too. 4/n
Table 1 is definitely misleading unless they break out results by type of learning modality. Results by race/ethnicity will be important too. 4/n
I’ve been tracking district-level COVID-19 rates since August and there are clear spatial patterns in those rates with higher rates in West and Southwest Ohio compared to Central, and Northeast Ohio. 5/n
The higher rates in high schools are more likely due to high school sports and I hope the authors are able to tease those apart because fall sports were a leading cause of many cases and higher than expected quarantining of students here in Franklin County. 6/n
The same is likely true across the state. 7/n
