@article{ref1,
title="Effect of fall 2020 K-12 instruction types on CoViD-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths in Illinois counties",
journal="American journal of infection control",
year="2021",
author="Reinbold, Gary W.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: One of the most difficult public policy decisions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has been about how to offer K-12 instruction. We sought to determine whether differences in instruction types at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year were related to differences in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Illinois counties during the first three weeks of the school year. <br><br>METHODS: We divided Illinois counties into three groups based on the instruction type used for a majority of K-12 students at the start of the school year: in-person, hybrid, or online-only. We used synthetic control analysis to match counties between the three groups. <br><br>RESULTS: Both majority hybrid and majority online-only counties had significantly fewer new cases than majority in-person counties. There were no significant differences in new cases between majority hybrid counties and majority online-only counties or in new hospital admissions or deaths between any of the three county groups. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This paper adds to the growing scientific consensus that at least some forms of in-person K-12 instruction have not contributed significantly to the spread of the pandemic. However, our results suggest that there may be an important difference between fully in-person instruction and hybrid instruction.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0196-6553",
doi="10.1016/j.ajic.2021.05.011",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2021.05.011"
}