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Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic Prioritizing Health, Equity, and Communities (2020) / Chapter Skim
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2 COVID-19: What Is and Is Not Known
Pages 15-24

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From page 15...
... had declared a public health emergency of international concern on the advice of the agency's emergency committee, marking a global effort to prevent, detect, and respond to the spread of the virus. In the United States, community transmission was first recognized in late February, but likely had been occurring for some time before then.
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From page 16...
... estimates that roughly 5 percent of symptomatic cases in the United States are found among children. However, cases among children are undercounted because of the low volume of COVID-19 testing nationally among the pediatric population, with older age groups and those presenting with severe respiratory symptoms having been the testing priority.
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From page 17...
... Early studies relying on symptom-based surveillance suggested that children were at lower risk than adults for contracting the disease. According to data through June 18, 2020, just 4.9 percent of confirmed cases in the United States had been diagnosed in children aged 0–17 (CDC, 2020a)
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From page 18...
... IMPACT ON CHILDREN Compared with adults, children who contract COVID-19 are more likely to experience asymptomatic infection or mild upper respiratory symptoms. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of children who test positive for COVID-19 will have mild symptoms, and only a small percentage of symptomatic children (estimates range from 1 to 5 percent)
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From page 19...
... In the United States, there are more than 457 experimental drugs under development and roughly 144 active clinical trials, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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From page 20...
... Those at highest risk of severe illness include people 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions, including chronic lung disease, serious heart conditions, severe obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis, and liver disease, and those who are immunocompromised (CDC, 2020e)
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From page 21...
... These decisions were made largely by governors at the state level. Although extremely disruptive, these measures were effective at slowing the transmission of COVID-19 to prevent health care systems from becoming overwhelmed and to give public health officials time to improve capacities to expand diagnostic testing and scale contact tracing programs.
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From page 22...
... Physical distancing prevents the close contact that makes it easy for the virus to pass from one person to another. Six feet is the most commonly recommended distance in the United States, but this is a rule of thumb, not a definitively safe distance.
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From page 23...
... Addi­ional guidance on personal protective equipment t in health care settings is available on the CDC website.2 Because of severe supply shortages, medical-grade personal protective equipment is not recommended for use by the general public. The fabric face coverings recommended by the CDC provide only minimal protection to the wearer; they are intended to reduce risk to others.
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From page 24...
... Conclusion 2.3: Mitigation strategies such as physical distancing, hand washing, use of face coverings, symptom screening, and avoiding large gatherings can reduce the risk of spread of the virus, and will be particularly important in managing how students and adults interact within indoor spaces such as schools and classrooms. Conclusion 2.4: COVID-19 has more serious health consequences for adults who contract the virus than for children.
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Key Terms

  • protective equipment
  • temperature screenings
  • underlying health
  • contact tracing
  • physical distancing

  • close contact
  • severe illness
  • alaska native
  • american indian
  • test positive

  • hand hygiene
  • health officials
  • health status
  • symptomatic children
  • preliminary mitigation

  • mitigation efforts
  • respiratory droplets
  • hospitalization rates
  • facial coverings
  • clinical trials

  • physically reopening
  • underlying conditions
  • transmitted primarily
  • social distancing
  • mild upper

  • diagnostic testing
  • close contacts
  • upper respiratory
  • efficient transmitters
  • infected persons


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