Opinion: Data from routine Covid testing can help schools stay open this year
With recent spikes in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country — including in children — the Delta variant has dramatically changed the country’s back-to-school risk calculus.
Fearing outbreaks, many schools are scrambling to adjust their reopening plans. Discussions about school safety have largely focused on mitigation measures like improving ventilation and requiring students and staff to wear masks and get vaccinated. Some have also noted the value of routine school-wide testing of students and staff for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, to detect infections early and prevent transmission.
