Nearly a third of schools had Covid cases in first two weeks of term
Nearly one third of all schools in Scotland reported at least one positive case of Covid-19 among pupils in the first two weeks of term, new figures show.
Nearly one third of all schools in Scotland reported at least one positive case of Covid-19 among pupils in the first two weeks of term, new figures show.
A freedom of information request by the PA news agency submitted to Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows that 1,455 schools in Scotland recorded a positive case between August 16 and August 27, the first two weeks of term.
According to Scottish Government figures released in December, there are 5,063 schools registered in the country.
While it is not clear how many of the cases in schools were contracted there as opposed to the community, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly said the return of schools in Scotland contributed to the spike in Covid-19 cases seen in recent weeks, which she said this week has shown signs of dissipating.
Meanwhile, PHS data also shows nearly 15% of cases during the same time period could be linked to an educational setting, a nursery, school, college or university, although higher education had not yet returned for the new term during the time the data covers.
A total of 8,113 positive cases during the first two weeks of the school term reported having been in an educational setting in the seven days before they developed symptoms, 14.2% of the cases reported during that time.
Larry Flanagan, the general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said: “Since pupils and staff returned to schools last month, we have seen a substantial increase in Covid infection rates across the country.
“There have been significant outbreaks linked to schools, with Covid-related absence rates amongst pupils and teachers at record high levels.
“This highlights the continuing need for appropriate safety mitigations in our schools to reduce the infection risk, and also confirms the importance of continuing the vaccination programme including the planned roll-out of the availability of vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds.''