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Journal Publication

Impact of school closures for COVID-19 on the US health-care workforce and net mortality: a modelling study

Published: April 2020
Researchers aimed to understand the impact of school closures on absenteeism of healthcare workers related to additional child care obligations.

Analyzing data from the US Current Population Survey, researchers estimated the child care obligations of health care workers in order to identify segments of health care workers most likely to be absent at work due to school closures. They found that US healthcare workers have some of the highest childcare obligations out of all US workers. Researchers' model estimates that if a 15% decline in the healthcare workforce results in an increase in COVID-19 infection rates from 2.00% to 2.35%, school closures may do more harm than good in preventing COVID-19-related fatalities.

Abstract and Citation

Impact of school closures for COVID-19 on the US health-care workforce and net mortality: a modelling study, Bayham, Jude et al. The Lancet Public Health, Volume 5, Issue 5, e271 - e278