SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Risk Perception, Behaviour and Preventive Measures at Schools in Berlin, Germany, during the Early Post-Lockdown Phase: A Cross-Sectional Study

Franziska Hommes, Welmoed van Loon, Marlene Thielecke, Igor Abramovich, Sascha Lieber, Ralf Hammerich, Sabine Gehrke-Beck, Elisabeth Linzbach, Angela Schuster, Katja von dem Busche, Stefanie Theuring, Maximilian Gertler, Gabriela Equihua Martinez, Joachim Richter, Clara Bergmann, Alisa Bölke, Falko Böhringer, Marcus A. Mall, Alexander Rosen, Alexander Krannich, Jan Keller, Norma Bethke, Marco Kurzmann, Tobias Kurth, Valerie Kirchberger, Joachim Seybold, Frank P. Mockenhaupt and Study Group Becoss
Additional contact information
Franziska Hommes: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Welmoed van Loon: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Marlene Thielecke: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Igor Abramovich: Clinic for Anesthesiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Sascha Lieber: Clinic for Anesthesiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Ralf Hammerich: Clinical Quality and Risk Management, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Sabine Gehrke-Beck: Institute of General Practice, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Elisabeth Linzbach: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Angela Schuster: Institute of General Practice, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Katja von dem Busche: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Stefanie Theuring: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Maximilian Gertler: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Gabriela Equihua Martinez: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Joachim Richter: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Clara Bergmann: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Alisa Bölke: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Falko Böhringer: Labor Berlin—Charité Vivantes Services GmbH, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Marcus A. Mall: Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Alexander Rosen: Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Alexander Krannich: Clinical Study Center, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Jan Keller: Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Norma Bethke: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Marco Kurzmann: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Tobias Kurth: Institute of Public Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Valerie Kirchberger: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Joachim Seybold: Medical Directorate, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Frank P. Mockenhaupt: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Study Group Becoss: The members of the BECOSS study group are acknowledged at the end of the article.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: Briefly before the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Berlin, Germany, schools closed in mid-March 2020. Following re-opening, schools resumed operation at a reduced level for nine weeks. During this phase, we aimed at assessing, among students and teachers, infection status, symptoms, individual behaviour, and institutional infection prevention measures. Twenty-four primary and secondary school classes, randomly selected across Berlin, were examined. Oro-nasopharyngeal swabs and capillary blood samples were collected to determine SARS-CoV-2 infection (PCR) and specific IgG (ELISA), respectively. Medical history, household characteristics, leisure activities, fear of infection, risk perception, hand hygiene, facemask wearing, and institutional preventive measures were assessed. Descriptive analysis was performed. Among 535 participants (385 students, 150 staff), one teenager was found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 (0.2%), and seven individuals exhibited specific IgG (1.3%). Compared to pre-pandemic times, screen time (e.g., TV, gaming, social media) increased, and the majority of primary school students reported reduced physical activity (42.2%). Fear of infection and risk perception were relatively low, acceptance of adapted health behaviors was high. In this post-lockdown period of low SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Berlin, individual and school-level infection prevention measures were largely adhered to. Nevertheless, vigilance and continued preventive measures are essential to cope with future pandemic activity.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Coronavirus; COVID-19; school; children; seroprevalence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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