Children have played an important role in the spread of Omicron
The role of young children in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within primary schools remains uncertain. This is particularly true for the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), which is known for its high transmissibility and its strong potential for immune evasion, i.e. its ability to slip through the vaccination net, increasing the chances of infecting or reinfecting family members.
Freshly published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the results of our SEROCoV-Schools study study show a higher rate of transmission of infections in schools with the Omicron variant than with previous variants. By investigating a large outbreak of Omicron infection in January 2022, the teams showed that children are the source of a significant number of extra-familial infections and play a key role in community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Specchio-COVID19 teams would like to extend their warmest thanks to all the children, their families and all the school staff who made it possible to carry out this study and produce results recognised by the international scientific community.
