Abstract
Objective: To quantify the number of undetected SARS-CoV-2 infections in educational settings.
Design: Serial SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study before and during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Setting: Secondary school in Dresden, Germany.
Participants: Grade 8-12 students and their teachers were invited to participate in serial blood sampling and SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assessment.
Main outcome measure: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in study population.
Results: 247 students and 55 teachers participated in the initial study visit and 197 students and 40 teachers completed follow-up. Seroprevalence increased from 1.7% (0.3-3.3) to 6.8% (3.8-10.1) during the study period mirroring the increase of officially reported SARS-CoV-2 infections during this time. The ratio of undetected to detected SARS-CoV-2 infections ranged from 0.25 to 0.33.
Conclusions: We could not find evidence of relevant silent, asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 in schools neither in a low prevalence setting nor during the second wave of the pandemic, making it unlikely that educational settings play a crucial role in driving the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Trial registration number: DRKS00022455.
Keywords: COVID-19; epidemiology.
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