Study finds infection rates among students and staff in schools were linked to those found in the wider community at the peak of the second wave.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection rates among students and staff in schools were linked to those found in the wider community at the peak of the second wave, one of the largest studies in schools has found.
The Schools Infection Survey (SIS) – a partnership between Public Health England (PHE), the Office for National Statistics and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) – tested nearly 10,000 students and staff across England in November.
Testing occurred at schools, and was not determined by participants having any symptoms.
The study found 1.24% of pupils (95% confidence interval: 0.96% to 1.58%) and 1.29% of staff (95% confidence interval: 0.96% to 1.68%) tested positive for current infection overall.
The percentage of staff testing positive for current infection was higher in secondary schools (1.47%: 95% confidence interval: 1.08% to 1.97%) than in primary schools (0.75%: 95% confidence interval: 0.32% to 1.47%).
For pupils, the percentage testing positive for current infection was also higher in secondary schools (1.48%: 95% confidence interval: 1.10% to 1.98%) than in primary schools (0.89%: 95% confidence interval: 0.54% to 1.39%).
However, the 95% confidence intervals indicate that these differences between pupils and staff and primary and secondary schools are not statistically significant.
According to the separate COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS), 1.2% of the general population (95% credible interval 1.15% to 1.29%) had the coronavirus during the week 8 to 14 November.