P-20 The role of non-Pharmacological interventions (NPI’s) and school closure on the spread of COVID-19 in the childhood population of Barbados
Author(s):
PM Lashley , GHE Gay , NP Sobers
Type Of Study:
- Descriptive Study
- Observational Study
Year of Presentation:
2022
Objective: To describe the role of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) to the spread of COVID-19 in children and adolescents in Barbados for the period March 2020– December 2021.
Design and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing published case registries over the 22-month study period. The incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths were calculated and classified by sex ,gender, as well as the month and year of diagnosis to identify trends in the numbers related to the total number of cases reported in the 0 to 18 years age group. The incidence data was correlated to the time of school closures and other NPI's .
Results: A total of 6248 COVID-19 confirmed cases were documented in the 0 to 18-year age group, representing 21.7% of all reported cases, and constituting 22.1% of the Barbadian population. During the periods of school reopening the number of childhood cases remained low with small spikes following these periods. The incidence of COVID-19 was similar in the 0 to 4, and 5 to 14 age groups despite the 0 to 4 age group being in nursery school during the time of the second outbreak.
Conclusion: The surge in childhood cases in Barbados did not reflect opening of schools and day care facilities, but rather seemed to correlate with the general rise in cases in the community in general. NPIs continued to keep similar incidence rates as those in North America, despite low vaccination rates in the childhood and adolescent populations.