New Research Examines COVID-19 Spread on School Buses

While school transmission of COVID-19 among K-12 students is low when precautions are in place, the risk of contracting COVID-19 during school bus transportation is unclear. A study published in the Journal of School Health reports on the bus transportation experience of an independent school in Virginia.

For the study, the school followed 1,154 students with asymptomatic PCR tests initially every 2 weeks and later every week from August 28, 2020 – March 19, 2021, during the highest community transmission rate. Fifteen buses served 462 students while operating with a capacity of nearly 2 students in each seat, with a minimum physical distance of 2.5 feet, universal masking, and simple ventilation techniques.

There were 39 contagious COVID-19 cases present on buses during the study period, resulting in the quarantine of 52 students. Universal testing and contact tracing revealed no transmission associated with bus transportation.

“The pandemic has made it very difficult for public schools to meet the transportation needs of students. Many districts simply don’t have enough buses and drivers to allow for a distance of 3 to 6 feet or skip bus lines while still being able to provide a ride for all children,” said corresponding author Dana Ramirez, MD, from Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.

“With more students returning to personal education, safe transportation to school is an equality issue as many families are unable to drive their children to school every day. As members of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics School Re-Opening Task Force, we recognize that schools are under pressure to make data-driven operational decisions. We hope the model we describe and our data can help demonstrate that school buses can operate safely at normal capacity, even with high levels of COVID-19 in the community.

Reference: “COVID-19 Transmission During Transportation of 1st to 12th Grade Students: Experience of an Independent School in Virginia” by Dana WE Ramirez MD, Martin D. Klinkhammer MD, MPH and Leah C. Rowland MD, Jul 21, 2021, Journal of School Health.
DOI: 10.1111/josh.13058