18 / 2023-04-14 17:57:35

Student close contact behavior and COVID-19 transmission in China’s classrooms （参加优秀论文评选）

Children Health,Close contact behavior,COVID-19,School Pandemic Prevention,Ventilation

Classrooms are high-risk indoor environments, so analysis of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in classrooms is important for determining optimal interventions. Due to the absence of human behavior data, it is challenging to accurately determine virus exposure in classrooms. A wearable device for close contact behavior detection was developed, and we recorded more than 250-thousand data points of close contact behaviors of students from Grades 1 through 12. Combined with a survey on students’ behaviors, we analyzed virus transmission in classrooms. Close contact rates for students were 37%±11% during classes and 48%±13% during breaks. Students in lower grades had higher close contact rates and virus transmission potential. The long-range airborne transmission route is dominant, accounting for 90%±3.6% and 75%±7.7% with and without mask wearing, respectively. During breaks, the short-range airborne route became more important, contributing 48%±3.1% in grades 1 to 9 (without wearing masks). Ventilation alone cannot always meet the demands of COVID-19 control, 30 m³/h/person is suggested as the threshold outdoor air ventilation rate in classroom. This study provides scientific support for COVID-19 prevention and control in classrooms, and our proposed human behavior detection and analysis methods offer a powerful tool to understand virus transmission characteristics, and can be employed in various indoor environments.