A German study released Monday concludes that children do not play a major role in spreading the coronavirus.
The study, conducted by scientists from Dresden Technical University, is the largest carried out on schoolchildren in Germany and found traces of the virus in less than 1% of the teachers and children tested.
The scientists believe that children may serve as a “brake” on virus infection chains, and say the results show that the virus doesn’t spread easily in schools.
“It is rather the opposite,” professor Reinhard Berner, the head of pediatric medicine at Dresden University Hospital, said during a press conference. “Children act more as a brake on infection. Not every infection that reaches them is passed on.”
The study was conducted in three different districts of the Saxony region, which opened schools in May. A total of 2,045 children and teachers were tested at 13 schools, including some schools that have had virus cases, but antibodies were found in only 12 of those who were tested.
“This means that the degree of immunization in the group of study participants is well below 1% and much lower than we expected,” Berner explained. “This suggests schools have not developed into hot spots.”
The findings coincide with a report from European Union education ministers last month, stating that the decision by more than 20 member states to reopen schools has not caused a coronavirus spike.
The Dresden study comes as cities across the United States grapple with the decision whether or not to reopen schools.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the country, announced this week that students will not be allowed back into classrooms in the fall, despite zero coronavirus deaths of anyone under age 17 in California and concerns about the negative ramifications of lockdowns and the effects on children.
Five pediatricians who spoke with NBC News said they would send their children back to class, with one doctor saying, “Yes. Period. Absolutely.”
President Trump has been openly pushing for schools across the country to reopen, while many prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, oppose sending children back to school because they say it’s too dangerous.
