Screening for SARS-CoV-2 infections in daycare facilities for children in a large city in Germany

Luebke, N.; Schupp, A.-K.; Bredahl, R.; Kraus, U.; Hauka, S.; Andree, M.; Ehlkes, L.; Klein, T.; Graupner, A.; Horn, J.; Brinks, R.; Goebels, K.; Adams, O.; Timm, J.

Abstract Background: The role of pre-school children as a source and distributor of SARS-CoV-2 infections is still unclear. Daycare facilities that care particularly for young children with limited hygiene measures may contribute to the infection dynamics during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a voluntary SARS-CoV-2 screening program in daycare facilities. Methods: The study was conducted over a period of 4 weeks, from June 10th to July 7th 2020. The aim was to screen a representative group of 5000 individuals (children and staff at a ratio 3:1) attending daycare facilities in Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. Tests were performed twice per week with oral rinsing water as sample material for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-RNA by molecular pool testing. Results: A total number of 5210 participants (75.9% children and 24.1% staff) from 115 day care centers participated in the study. Of a total of 34,068 returned samples (81.7%) during the study period, only one SARS-CoV-2 infection of a child was detected in the study cohort with one likely secondary infection within the daycare facility. Of note, during the study phase, no increase of SARS-CoV-2 infections was observed in daycare center compared to the overall incidence in Duesseldorf. Conclusions: A voluntary screening program for SARS-CoV-2 infections could successfully be implemented in daycare facilities. Although the low overall incidence during the study period precludes firm conclusions, there was no evidence for increased transmission in children attending daycare facilities compared to the general population of Duesseldorf.