COVID-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools (CoMMinS)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Bristol Medical School
Abstract
This project will create new knowledge and tools to help schools deal with the practical challenges of preventing and coping with an outbreak of COVID-19.
The project will test for infection in the school environment and test whether staff and pupils have current or past COVID-19 infection, over a 6-month period. We will test 4000 pupils and 100 staff members monthly. Any positive case identified as part of this study or reported within the city during the study period will be followed up to establish whether the household concerned is connected to a school (via a pupil or member of school staff). If so, we will test the members of the household weekly for 4 weeks to improve our understanding of infection transmission in this setting. We will use staff and pupil postcodes to identify the areas of the city with most infection, so that they can be given targeted support for infection control. We will improve systems for rapid and effective contact tracing, using digital support. We will work with staff, pupils and parents to adapt and use the 'Germ Defence' app to help everyone improve their infection control at school and outside school. Finally, we will assess the impact of returning to school on pupil and staff mental wellbeing, and their attitudes to this project. We will explore what schools are doing to support pupils experiencing difficulties, and assess which activities are most helpful.
Our project builds on our team's wide range of very relevant research expertise and a well-established, strong partnership between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council, Public Health England, local schools and other city stakeholders.
The project will test for infection in the school environment and test whether staff and pupils have current or past COVID-19 infection, over a 6-month period. We will test 4000 pupils and 100 staff members monthly. Any positive case identified as part of this study or reported within the city during the study period will be followed up to establish whether the household concerned is connected to a school (via a pupil or member of school staff). If so, we will test the members of the household weekly for 4 weeks to improve our understanding of infection transmission in this setting. We will use staff and pupil postcodes to identify the areas of the city with most infection, so that they can be given targeted support for infection control. We will improve systems for rapid and effective contact tracing, using digital support. We will work with staff, pupils and parents to adapt and use the 'Germ Defence' app to help everyone improve their infection control at school and outside school. Finally, we will assess the impact of returning to school on pupil and staff mental wellbeing, and their attitudes to this project. We will explore what schools are doing to support pupils experiencing difficulties, and assess which activities are most helpful.
Our project builds on our team's wide range of very relevant research expertise and a well-established, strong partnership between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council, Public Health England, local schools and other city stakeholders.
Technical Summary
This proposal will meet the urgent need for mapping and mitigation of COVID-19 in schools in light of their planned full re-opening in September 2020. Schools pose a major challenge due to features of their operation including the likelihood of cases being asymptomatic, the high number of contacts, the presence of vulnerable persons, and the potential for rapid onward transmission to family contacts of children and staff.
These challenges must be weighed against the benefits to children including resuming their education, peer interaction and social development. A deeper understanding of infection history and dynamics and enhanced mitigation measures will have widespread benefit for outbreak control and future pandemic resilience.
We will undertake a large-scale mapping study of prior and current COVID-19 infection in pupils and staff, including prospective testing over a 6-month period. This will dramatically enhance our understanding of infection patterns in this age group. Results will be mapped to home postcode location and linked to NHS system-wide data to highlight area-based and individual-level risk factors. We will also undertake weekly reactive testing in households with a confirmed, school-linked COVID-19 infection.
To mitigate against infection transmission we will adapt evidence-based digital tools and co-create whole school implementation interventions to support positive infection control practices by staff, parents and pupils. We will co-design and develop a system to collate multiple sources of information to augment contact tracing and facilitate outbreak control. We will explore the impact of returning to school for staff and pupils' mental wellbeing, their attitudes towards actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and potential interventions to address identified difficulties.
These challenges must be weighed against the benefits to children including resuming their education, peer interaction and social development. A deeper understanding of infection history and dynamics and enhanced mitigation measures will have widespread benefit for outbreak control and future pandemic resilience.
We will undertake a large-scale mapping study of prior and current COVID-19 infection in pupils and staff, including prospective testing over a 6-month period. This will dramatically enhance our understanding of infection patterns in this age group. Results will be mapped to home postcode location and linked to NHS system-wide data to highlight area-based and individual-level risk factors. We will also undertake weekly reactive testing in households with a confirmed, school-linked COVID-19 infection.
To mitigate against infection transmission we will adapt evidence-based digital tools and co-create whole school implementation interventions to support positive infection control practices by staff, parents and pupils. We will co-design and develop a system to collate multiple sources of information to augment contact tracing and facilitate outbreak control. We will explore the impact of returning to school for staff and pupils' mental wellbeing, their attitudes towards actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and potential interventions to address identified difficulties.
Organisations
- University of Bristol (Lead Research Organisation)
- OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS (Collaboration)
- MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND (Collaboration)
- Bristol City Council (Collaboration)
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (Collaboration)
- NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Collaboration)
Publications
Brooks-Pollock E
(2023)
Voluntary risk mitigation behaviour can reduce impact of SARS-CoV-2: a real-time modelling study of the January 2022 Omicron wave in England.
in BMC medicine
Brooks-Pollock E
(2021)
High COVID-19 transmission potential associated with re-opening universities can be mitigated with layered interventions.
in Nature communications
Halliday A
(2022)
Development and evaluation of low-volume tests to detect and characterize antibodies to SARS-CoV-2
in Frontiers in Immunology
Hemani G
(2021)
Modelling pooling strategies for SARS-CoV-2 testing in a university setting
in Wellcome Open Research
Nixon E
(2022)
A mixed methods analysis of participation in a social contact survey
in Epidemics
Nixon E
(2021)
Contacts and behaviours of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of the 2020/2021 academic year.
in Scientific reports
Thomas AC
(2023)
Evaluation and deployment of isotype-specific salivary antibody assays for detecting previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adults.
in Communications medicine
Treneman-Evans G
(2022)
The Rapid Adaptation and Optimisation of a Digital Behaviour-Change Intervention to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 in Schools.
in International journal of environmental research and public health
Description | This study aimed to support local schools in their pandemic response and to collect data to investigate transmission patterns in the educational setting and establish data linkage to allow future studies into long term sequelae of SARS-Cov-2 in school children. The main outputs from the study were; A salivary seroprevalence assay was established and validated Immunological responses to infection were seen to differ between children and adults Sequence data indicated within-household viral mutation events during infection tracking Mental wellbeing of teaching/school staff was highlighted as a priority in future pandemic preparedness Data linkage to NHS records has resulted in securing future funding to study the longer term impacts of exposure to SARS-Cov-2 |
Exploitation Route | There were several useful outcomes including a seroprevalence assay that could be used in other contexts and appraisal of variety of interventions relevant to school children ranging from behaviour change interventions to waste water monitoring of schools. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Healthcare |
URL | https://commins.org.uk/ |
Description | The study was helpful in 'real time' to support local City of Bristol education providers to respond to the demands of the pandemic. Various outreach activities have been conducted since the data collection phase of the project was completed. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
Description | Enhancing the utilisation of COVID-19 testing in Schools Studies: the joint analysis of the ONS COVID-19 School Infection Survey and COVID-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools (CoMMinS) study |
Amount | £189,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
Sector | Private |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2021 |
End | 06/2022 |
Title | Evaluation and deployment of isotype-specific salivary antibody assays for detecting previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adults |
Description | These data are results relating to SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing conducted on saliva using ELISA. Saliva samples were collected from individuals before SARS-CoV-2 emergence and from PCR confirmed COVID-19 cases, suspected cases and healthy donors. Samples were tested as part of assay development, optimisation and evaluation as described in the paper titled 'Evaluation and deployment of isotype-specific salivary antibody assays for detecting previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adults' by Amy C Thomas, Elizabeth Oliver, Holly E Baum, Kapil Gupta, Kathryn L Shelley, Anna E Long, Hayley E Jones, Joyce Smith, Benjamin Hitchings, Natalie di Bartolo, Kate Vasileiou, Fruzsina Rabi, Hanin Alamir, Malak Eghleilib, Ore Francis, Jennifer Oliver, Begonia Morales-Aza, Ulrike Obst, Debbie Shattock, Rachael Barr, Lucy Collingwood, Kaltun Duale, Niall Grace, Guillaume Gonnage Livera, Lindsay Bishop, Harriet Downing, Fernanda Rodrigues, Nicholas Timpson, Caroline L Relton, Ashley Toye, Derek N Woolfson, Imre Berger, Anu Goenka, Andrew D Davidson, Kathleen M Gillespie, Alistair JK Williams, Mick Bailey, Ellen Brooks-Pollock, Adam Finn, Alice Halliday & the CoMMinS Study Team. There is a single data file named 'ThresholdValidation_alldataFV_260722.csv' within the folder '2. Data'. Corresponding ethical approvals and consent information is in the folder '1. Ethics and consent'. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/1urnu8sfg88322u2a9qh004zh6/ |
Description | BNSSG CCG |
Organisation | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | The UoB contribution to this collaboration is primarily the study data and quantitative methodological expertise. The CoMMinS study team is working with the BNSSG CCG towards linking the study test data (salivary PCR assays and antibody test results) and associated longitudinal symptoms and contact data with UKHSA covid test results and electronic health care records (primary care, secondary care, adult social care and other sources tbc) for the BNSSG population, via the system-wide dataset (BNSSG CCG Population Health Management Database Resource). The purpose of the linkage is to enable UoB researchers (and potentially other approved researchers) to access population-level covid data to address the study research questions about covid-19 transmission risks for schools, and for the communities associated with school staff and pupils. |
Collaborator Contribution | The BNSSG CCG owns and manages the system-wide dataset, and will provide the technical and data security expertise needed for this complex health informatics undertaking. |
Impact | No hard outputs as yet, but the linked dataset will provide the foundation for some of the key findings for this project. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Bristol City Council |
Organisation | Bristol City Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | C Rlton: PI of the study and provides advice to BCC on COVID-related research. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partnership in the design and delivery of a COVID-19 study of Bristol schools. |
Impact | Newsletters, media coverage and other outputs are detailed on the study website. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | COG-UK |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | COVID-19 Genomics -UK is a national consortium tasked with sequencing the viral genome of COVID-19 infected cases. We are providing samples from COVID-19 cases detected in the CoMMinS Study. |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing SARS-CoV-2 sequencing resources and facilities for the analysis of cases detected in the CoMMinS study. The COG-UK sequencing lab receiving and processing our samples is at the University of Exeter. |
Impact | No sequencing was conducted |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | COG-UK |
Organisation | University of Exeter |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | COVID-19 Genomics -UK is a national consortium tasked with sequencing the viral genome of COVID-19 infected cases. We are providing samples from COVID-19 cases detected in the CoMMinS Study. |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing SARS-CoV-2 sequencing resources and facilities for the analysis of cases detected in the CoMMinS study. The COG-UK sequencing lab receiving and processing our samples is at the University of Exeter. |
Impact | No sequencing was conducted |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | CoMMInS Waste Water Study Collaboration |
Organisation | Middlesex University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are collaborating with a team of researchers at Middlesex University who lead a study sampling waste water from effluent in schools to detect SARS-CoV-2. We have facilitated access to our study schools to engage them in this additional project and have contributed to planning of information sharing with the Local Authority. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our partners lead the study design and execute the collection and analysis of waste water samples. |
Impact | Liaison with Public Health England and the Local Authority Health Protection Team regarding the public health use of SARS-CoV-2 data from waste water sampling. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | CoMMinS - ONS SIS Collaboration |
Organisation | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This collaboration plans to establish a data infrastructure to allow the co-creation and co-analysis of information collected in two COVID school studies; the CoMMinS Study (led by Relton) and the ONS Schools Infection Survey (led by ONS and LSHTM). We are leading the establishment of a Trusted Research Environment (TRE). Aims: 1) Preliminary analysis of long-COVID; 2) Protocol for long-COVID study; 3) Protocol for symptomatic vs. asymptomatic infection; 4) Protocol for re-infection; 5) Establishment of data linkage for SIS data to enable analysis alongside CoMMinS linked data |
Collaborator Contribution | This collaboration plans to establish a data infrastructure to allow the co-creation and co-analysis of information collected in two COVID school studies; the CoMMinS Study (led by Relton) and the ONS Schools Infection Survey (led by ONS and LSHTM) |
Impact | Not yet |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | CoMMinS - ONS SIS Collaboration |
Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | This collaboration plans to establish a data infrastructure to allow the co-creation and co-analysis of information collected in two COVID school studies; the CoMMinS Study (led by Relton) and the ONS Schools Infection Survey (led by ONS and LSHTM). We are leading the establishment of a Trusted Research Environment (TRE). Aims: 1) Preliminary analysis of long-COVID; 2) Protocol for long-COVID study; 3) Protocol for symptomatic vs. asymptomatic infection; 4) Protocol for re-infection; 5) Establishment of data linkage for SIS data to enable analysis alongside CoMMinS linked data |
Collaborator Contribution | This collaboration plans to establish a data infrastructure to allow the co-creation and co-analysis of information collected in two COVID school studies; the CoMMinS Study (led by Relton) and the ONS Schools Infection Survey (led by ONS and LSHTM) |
Impact | Not yet |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | CoMMinS, LSHTM, ONS collaboration with the Schools Infection Survey |
Organisation | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | 1) Preliminary analysis of long-COVID; 2) Protocol for long-COVID study; 3) Protocol for symptomatic vs. asymptomatic infection; 4) Protocol for re-infection; 5) Establishment of data linkage for SIS data to enable analysis alongside CoMMinS linked data |
Collaborator Contribution | All partners collaborating on the above-listed objectives |
Impact | No outputs as yet; protocol(s) development in progress. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | CoMMinS, LSHTM, ONS collaboration with the Schools Infection Survey |
Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | 1) Preliminary analysis of long-COVID; 2) Protocol for long-COVID study; 3) Protocol for symptomatic vs. asymptomatic infection; 4) Protocol for re-infection; 5) Establishment of data linkage for SIS data to enable analysis alongside CoMMinS linked data |
Collaborator Contribution | All partners collaborating on the above-listed objectives |
Impact | No outputs as yet; protocol(s) development in progress. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | UK Health Security Agency (previously Public Health England ) |
Organisation | Public Health England |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We have maintained regular contact and dialogue with PHE during the pandemic for (a) management of the pandemic at the University of Bristol and (b) for advice and support with the CoMMinS study |
Collaborator Contribution | Provision of ongoing support and advice on issues of COVID-19 managment and mitigation |
Impact | No hard outputs as yet. Advice has helped to inform University management decison maiing and protocol development for CoMMinS. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | APPG Medical Research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | All Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Bristol Covid-19 Health Protection Advisory Group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This multidisciplinary group of experts met monthly throughout the pandemic to assist the City Council in dispensing its public health duties. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
Description | COVID in Schools (CoMMinS) Steering Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A Steering Group was convened to offer guidance and oversight to the CoMMinS study. This includes individuals from PHE, Bristol City Council and local schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
Description | COVID, education and schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Dr sarah Lewis has authored a series of blogs on issues around the impact of COVID-19 in the educational sector. These have included the perceived risk of schools opening and the risk of mortality in teachers compared to other professions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://ieureka.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2020/12/15/covid19-should-schools-close-early-for-christmas/ |
Description | CoMMinS media engagement |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A range of press and broadcast media activities have been undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic in relation to the CoMMinS study of Covid-19 in schools. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | CoMMinS media reponses |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Multiple responses to requests for input to press articles have been provided. Commonly 2-3 requests per week are received from the Science Media Centre. Contributions have features in many of the major broadsheet or tabloid newspapers as well as online news and opinion sources since the inception of the study in September 2020. This has led to additional enquiries about the study as well as engagement with other School based COVID-19 studies in the UK and with the Department for Education. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
Description | Curriculum enhancement materials for Key stages 3,4 and 5 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We developed a suite of curriculum enhancement materials (lesson plans and resources) based on COVID-19 for use by the schools involved in the CoMMinS study as well as any other school wishing to access these resources. The materials were developed through collaboration with an eductaional charity (IRIS) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://commins.org.uk/school_staff/ |
Description | Department for Education |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | We have established links with the Department for Education with whom we are discussing research priorities. The aim of this engagement is to ensure future research plans for CoMMInS are closely aligned with those of the DfE and therefore have potential for rapid policy translation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Media appearances relating to COVID in schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | A series of media appearances have resulted from the CoMMinS study including BBC news (national and regional), BBC Newsnight, ITV and other news channels. These have included the presentation of information about the CoMMinS Study as well as providing comment and discussion of current issues pertaining to schools during the pandemic. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
Description | Meetings with MP |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A series of meetings have been help with Thangam Debbonaire (MP, Bristol West) to discuss issues pertaining to the CoMMinS study. Advice was provided on stdy recruitment and contemprary issues around school closures and COVID-secure educational provision discussed. Information was shared with other constituency MPs in the city. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |