Researchers from the Hebrew University claim that there is a direct connection between the age of the child and the chance of infection.
A document published today (Wednesday) by a team of researchers from the Hebrew University dealing with the struggle in Corona states that one of the initial steps that can be taken as part of a strategy to exit the quarantine is "reopening the education system up to age 10 in permanent capsules."
Archive photo: Moshe Ben Simhon, newsenders, Paz Bar
The team of researchers from the University's School of Public Health states in a new report that the risk of closing the education system to children under the age of 10 is greater than when it opens.
It is also written that there is a direct link between the child's age and the chance of infection, especially symptomatic infection, and many studies indicate that children under the age of 10 are infected at a lower rate (about half) than older children.
In addition, children under the age of 10 are probably also less contagious than older children.
The researchers note that during the period when the first and third grades were operating and during the period when the "School of the Great Freedom" was operating in capsules, while adhering to the rules of social distance, no increase was observed in Israel.
"In educational settings there have been few cases of infection from children to teachers, and generally the direction of infection is reversed," it was argued.
For this reason, the increase in morbidity in the general population observed in the age group 10-39, which began in September, cannot be attributed to the opening of the education system but to processes and behaviors in the last two weeks of August when the education system did not operate.
The report further states that “the risk of outbreaks / infections in classrooms depends on the level of morbidity in the community.
It is possible to set a threshold level for the disease above which the education frameworks in the neighborhood / city will not open ", so" opening schools up to fourth grade is necessary and can be done in small groups (capsules of up to 20 children) throughout the day, with regular teachers and without mixing the capsules "when" desirable To maintain a system for monitoring the virus among teachers. "
A clear connection between the opening of the meetings and the beginning of the second wave
The experts also write that "a clear connection was observed between the opening of the ultra-Orthodox education system on August 20 and the increase in morbidity in the sector, especially among boys aged 19-10, which was observed about 10 days later."
On the other hand, the increase in morbidity in the general population observed in the 39-10 age group that began on September 1 can not be attributed to the opening of the education system but to processes and behaviors in the last two weeks of August when the education system did not operate, such as family vacations.
With regard to Arab society, the researchers write that in the Arab population, a gradual increase in morbidity was observed throughout the summer, which lasted into the period of the opening of the education system and is mainly attributed to mass weddings in the sector.
Loss of education in an entire generation
At the end of the document, the researchers write: "We urge the government to understand the seriousness of the situation, since an entire generation may lose an important opportunity to learn, advance and contribute to society. Along with investment and concern for the proper functioning of the health system, investing in Israeli children is very important."
"Education is a key factor influencing health behaviors and health status, so increasing gaps in education will also lead to widening health gaps in the future. The school has a variety of roles beyond being a framework that allows parents to go to work, thus equipping the future generation for society and the job market."