The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 testing should be conducted in schools, even when no case has been detected, to avoid the “harmful” effects of remote learning.
Previously, screening tests had only been recommended in schools if a cluster of coronavirus cases had been identified, but the WHO believes that PCR or rapid antigen testing should now be done even in the absence of symptoms among students and staff.
“The file summer months offer a valuable window of opportunity for governments to put in place the right set of measures to help keep infection rates low and prevent school closures, ”said Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. , in a statement issued jointly with UNICEF and UNESCO.
He added that the closure of schools “as we have seen, has such a detrimental effect on the education, social and mental well-being of our children and young people.”
“We cannot allow the pandemic to steal children’s education and development,” said Kluge, who has repeatedly called on countries in the WHO European region to address dropout rates and related health effects. with distance learning.
The WHO European region covers 53 countries and territories and includes several in Central Asia.
For UN agencies, the closure of schools “should only be considered as a measure of last resort” when there is an explosion of cases that cannot be controlled with other measures.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: WHO recommends COVID testing in schools (2021, July 2) retrieved July 2, 2021 at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-covid-schools.html
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