Closed schools did not reduce the spread of infection

School closures did not have a decisive effect on the spread of covid-19 in the Nordic countries, according to an analysis.

Sweden was one of the countries that stood out during the pandemic by keeping schools open to a large extent.

Now the Public Health Agency has together Denmark, Norway and Finland analyzed data from the countries on how the infection spread. The conclusion is that school closures did not reduce the spread of covid-19.

Even in Denmark, Finland and Norway, the ambition was to let children and young people have education in the schools, but how it was done differed. In some of the countries, schools were closed even for children of lower ages for short periods.

Regardless of closed or open schools, the spread of infection among children and young people has mainly followed the spread in the adult population, according to the analysis. Looking at the entire population, 16-18-year-olds, in both Denmark, Norway and Sweden, were the age group with the highest number of cases. This despite the fact that they were subject to school closures and other measures to a greater extent than younger students

During the academic year 2020/2021, primary schools were mainly open. Despite that, no significant difference was seen in the number of cases between younger and older children or between adults.

This suggests, according to the Public Health Authority, that school closures have not affected the spread of infection in general, and that the spread of infection between students has also occurred in other places than at school.