WASHINGTON : A study published in the BMC Public Health has shown that hybrid learning in schools will significantly reduce the number of Covid-19 cases among children.
The study shows that total closure in favour of remote learning, however, offers little additional advantage over the hybrid option.
The finding will help decision-makers in the event of another Covid-19 wave or a similar infectious disease, the researchers said. "Early in the pandemic when school closures were becoming the norm, many debated the pros and cons of this measure," said Pinar Keskinocak, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, US, and the principal investigator of the study. "Do we get enough benefit to offset the social costs and impacts on education?
This research shows that there is a benefit in infection reduction, especially in the absence of effective pharmaceutical interventions, and most of the benefits can be attained with a hybrid approach," Keskinocak said in a statement.