Child care centers aren’t a likely source of COVID-19 spread, study says

Research sheds light on COVID in these child care settings

5:00 AM

Author | Tessa Roy

daycare kids running around in room
Getty Images

Parents who send their children to child care can breathe a little easier – research published in JAMA Network Open from experts at Michigan Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh shows that children in daycare were not significant spreaders of COVID-19

The study found that transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 within child care centers was only about 2% to 3%, suggesting that children and caregivers were not spreading COVID at significant rates to others in the centers.

The study also found low rates of infection among households that had kids attending child care centers, as only 17% of household infections resulted from children who caught COVID at their centers.

Overall, the study found that only 1 in 20 symptomatic children attending child care centers tested positive for the virus.

In contrast, once someone in a household tested positive for the coronavirus, transmission to other household members was high, at 50% for children and 67% for adults.

Young children frequently contracted COVID-19 from individuals outside their child care center.  

Additional safety measures

Despite the low rates of transmission in child care centers, experts still highly recommend that families get themselves and their children vaccinated against COVID-19, as additional research shows that vaccines are a safe and effective way of preventing against serious infection. 

“We strongly recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for young children to disrupt the high rates of transmission that we saw occur in households that can lead to missed work and school,” said Andrew Hashikawa, M.D., clinical professor of emergency medicine in the Department of Pediatrics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently advises that kids with congestion, runny noses or other respiratory symptoms get tested for COVID and stay home if positive.

The findings suggest that these recommendations could be revised to align with those of other serious respiratory viruses, like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV. 

"While it's crucial to remain vigilant in our efforts to manage the spread of SARS-CoV-2, it seems that prioritizing testing and extended exclusion periods for children in child care centers may not be the most practical approach, as it can place undue financial burden on families from frequent testing, result in missed work, and hinder children's critical access to quality care and education," said Hashikawa. 

This study was supported by Merck Investigator Studies Program grant 60418, the Henry L. Hillman Foundation and Flu Lab.  

Paper cited: “Incidence and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in US Child Care Centers After COVID-19 Vaccines,” JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.39355


More Articles About: infectious disease Emergency & Trauma Care All Research Topics Common Cold Flu
Health Lab word mark overlaying blue cells
Health Lab

Explore a variety of health care news & stories by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles.

Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories Microscope
Health Lab
Nerve damage reduced in prediabetic mice with diet, exercise
A low calorie diet and high intensity exercise can reduce nerve damage in prediabetic mice, according to a Michigan Medicine study.
frozen dial with ice on it with red dial
Health Lab
Enzyme identified as new therapeutic target for “cold” tumors
A study identifies an enzyme as a new therapeutic target for “cold” tumors.
On left, a young boy in a wheelchair has his doctor standing to his left and his parent is standing to his right in a show of support. On the right side of the image, the boy is now an adult and is wondering about the cost of his care and if his questions will be answered.
Health Lab
Changing the definition of cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is defined as a childhood disorder, which fails to recognize adults living with the condition and the lack of care they receive once they age out of pediatric clinics.
kid screaming with fire coming out of mouth with smoke all around in grey and teddy bear panicked and parents legs on floor as if passed out or blown away
Health Lab
Does your child manage anger well?
One in seven parents think their child gets angrier than peers of the same age and four in 10 say their child has experienced negative consequences when angry, a national poll suggests. 
baby laying down with stethoscope over chest doctors hands
Health Lab
Comparing life threatening illness risk between two surgeries for infants with congenital heart disease
Newly presented data suggest that infants who receive a hybrid stage I palliation – a less invasive alternative for initial treatment – more commonly develop necrotizing enterocolitis compared to those who receive the standard Norwood operation, a complex open heart surgery.
pigs sick and chickens in background with blue background and green cells floating around
Health Lab
Why the bird flu’s jump to pigs is concerning
A Michigan Medicine virologist speaks about the implications of H5N1 influenza, or bird flu, and whether a new pandemic could be on the horizon.