Context and setting
The Azienda Ospedaliero‐Universitaria (AOU) “Città della Salute e della Scienza” in Turin (Piedmont region, Italy) constitutes one of the largest health care centres in Europe13. Inside the AOU, the “Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita” (OIRM) is a paediatric Hospital that seeks to prevent, diagnose and treat children’s diseases. The hospital has surgical and medical specialties for the treatment of infants, children and adolescents in the Piedmont region14. On 14th September 2020, a nasopharyngeal molecular swab3,15 execution centre for SARS-CoV-2 detection was opened at OIRM. This centre, called school hot spot (HS), was designed with the aim of quickly providing SARS-CoV-2 tests to school-age children. Patients accessed to the service sent by their GP or spontaneously if they referred to having symptoms of COVID-1916 or reported close contact with a positive patient according to ECDC guidelines17. The HS was open from Monday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 3.00 pm and on Sunday 10.30 am to 01.00 pm.
Children entered the HS accompanied by a parent or a legal guardian and a paediatric nurse performed nasopharyngeal swabs. Access to the HS was free for all and no medical prescriptions were required.
In addition, at the OIRM, in the emergency room, SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swabs are performed on all paediatric patients who reported COVID-19 symptoms16 or contact with COVID-19 positive patients in the previous 14 days in agreement with ECDC general guidance for management of persons who have had contact with COVID-19 cases17,18. Furthermore, patients admitted to the hospital wards, even in day hospital (DH), are subjected to a swab for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 before hospital admission.
To understand and comment the different risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the percentage of distance learning activities in the various age groups appears to be an important information. Thus, to give context, Table 1 describes the percentages of distance learning activities in schools divided by date and age group.