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Improving Surveillance and Epidemic Response in Ohio Childcare Settings

At the start of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the risk of cases in childcare programs was unknown. Thus, a rapid-response research approach was launched in Ohio childcare settings. Passive surveillance data from a state-operated incident reporting system were evaluated to esti...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Freedman, Darcy A., Ciesielski, Timothy H., Yamoah, Owusua, Borawski, Elaine A., Ross, Kristie R., Nock, Nora L., Lee, Eun Kyung, Dimitropoulos, Anastasia, Minnes, Sonia, Burkhart, Kimberly, Ogland-Hand, Callie, Tisch, Daniel J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9779310/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36554817
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416927
Descripción
Sumario:At the start of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the risk of cases in childcare programs was unknown. Thus, a rapid-response research approach was launched in Ohio childcare settings. Passive surveillance data from a state-operated incident reporting system were evaluated to estimate the number of COVID-19 cases from 15 August 2020 to 1 January 2021. Additionally, active surveillance with self-administered reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests were conducted among staff at 46 childcare programs. Finally, six zoom-based focus groups with program administrators were used to gain feedback. Staff and children in childcare settings contributed 0.38% and 0.15% of the COVID-19 cases in Ohio during this timeframe, respectively. RT-PCR testing identified 3 unrecognized cases (0.88% of tests), and all occurred when the statewide positivity rate was >5%. Focus groups revealed that access to affordable cleaning supplies, masks, and reliable staffing were critical. Perhaps most importantly, we conclude that expanding the incident reporting system to include a childcare census would allow for the tracking of future health problems with highly valuable incidence rate estimations.