Study of the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Teachers and Education Workers in Elementary and Secondary Schools in Ontario [CCS-2, study data contributed to the CITF Databank]

<b>Background:</b> Many schools returned to hybrid or in-person learning in 2021 to optimize students’ education and mental health; however, the physical and mental health repercussions of this approach on education workers was not fully understood. <br>

<b>Aims of the CITF-funded study:</b> The CCS-2 aimed to investigate 1) the prevalence of past exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and rate of exposure during the study period; 2) the effect of vaccination on antibody levels in vaccinated participants; 3) to identify stress factors and the psychological impacts of working during a pandemic. <br>

<b>Methods:</b> This cohort study recruited teachers and other education workers employed by a school board in Ontario including educational assistants, principals, school office staff, custodians, librarians, and early childhood educators. Participants were recruited via social media. At enrolment, they were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and completed questionnaires about risk factors, past infections, and COVID-19 vaccination. They were followed for 14 months completing questionnaires about exposures every 10 weeks (randomly assigned weeks) and questionnaires about respiratory illnesses and COVID-19 vaccinations as needed. Dried blood spot samples were collected every 13 weeks and 30 days after each COVID vaccine dose to assess IgG antibody levels <br>

<b>Contributed dataset contents:</b> The datasets include 3,426 participants who completed their baseline questionnaires between February 2021 and March 2022. 80% of participants (2,752) gave one or more blood samples for SARS-CoV-2 during this period (at baseline and follow-up). A total of 9,495 samples were collected. 3,087 participants have linked COVID-19 vaccine data. Variables include data in the following areas of information: demographics (age, gender, race, occupation), general health (smoke, other diseases, influenza vaccine), exposure risk factors (household, travel history), COVID-19 vaccines, and serology.