Week two of Covid rapid testing in schools reveals fall in infections
Coronavirus rapid testing schools has shown a fall in infection in the two weeks it has been conducted.
A total of almost 103,000 students, and over 20,000 staff, responded to a survey on testing, while on average 78 percent of pupils and 89 percent of staff have been tested.
Responses to the survey were given by 448 schools, or 87 percent of all general education schools nationwide.
The testing kits are issued to school pupils to carry out at home, with parental supervision where necessary.
Rapid testing results, when positive, are not taken as definitive, and must be confirmed by a healthcare professional before a schoolchild has to quarantine.
The number positive rapid test results decreased significantly among pupils and teachers, as did the number of schools where no tests returned a positive result, over the past week, BNS reports, while the number of students refusing to be tested whatsoever decreased slightly.
568 pupils tested positive in a rapid test during the week 38 percent fewer than the 922 positive tests in week one.
Among staff, positive results fell from 117 to 85 (27 percent fall).
The highest number of positive tests, 17, was registered in a Tallinn school.
Ten or more positive test results were received in nine schools nationwide.
Rates of testing were lowest in Ida-Viru and Viljandi counties, at 72 percent in each case.
The highest proportion of pupils tested in schools came in Rapla County, at 89 percent, followed by Saaremaa (87 percent) and Tartu County (86 percent).
The average percentage of students tested remained unchanged compared with week one.
231 schools reported no positive tests this week, up from 212 last week.
7 percent of students refused testing in schools this week, slightly down on last week's 8 percent seen last week.
71 schools saw at least one student refuse testing.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte