More than 1,600 children across Renfrewshire are missing school on any given day as a result of Covid-19.
An incredible 1,657 pupils were self isolating last Friday alone as medics say 12 to 15 year olds should not be vaccinated.
Figures, obtained by the Express for August 31 - the most up to date available - reveal that a further 516 pupils in Renfrewshire were recorded absent because they had the virus.
The region has a school role of around 25,000.
The school absences, recorded by the National Records of Scotland, come as the Joint Committee on Vaccine and Immunisation (JCVI) says there is no medical need to jab 12 to 15 year olds against the virus.
Arguing healthy children in this age group should not be vaccinated on health grounds alone, the committee did say UK governments should consider the wider disruption to education in making a final decision.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has now written to the chief medical officer to ask him to further assess the medical evidence while taking into consideration broader educational and societal impacts.
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A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said it was aware of the JCVI announcement.
He said: “We note the latest advice from the JCVI and we will continue to follow all guidance issued by the Scottish Government and its chief medical officer on this topic.”
Meanwhile an additional 200,000 teens with underlying health conditions will now be entitled to the vaccine.
Medics have recommended that children with chronic heart, lung, type 1 diabetes and liver conditions were at a much higher risk of covid than healthy children.
They will be added to the list of under 16s offered two doses of the Pzifer vaccine which also includes children with severe learning difficulties and the clinically extremely vulnerable.
The UK medicines regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - ruled that the Pzifer and Moderna vaccines were safe for young people in June.
But the JCVI said yesterday it had concerns about a very rare side effect of the Pzifer vaccine which can cause heart inflammation.
As children are at such low risk from Covid-19, the committee said the benefit of a vaccine would be “marginal” and therefore it did not support a mass vaccine offer to this age group.
Prof Wei Shen Lim, chairman of covid immunisation for the JCVI said it was “taking a precautionary approach”.
He said: “The margin of benefit is considered too small to support universal Covid-19 vaccination for this age group at this time.
“The committee will continue to review safety data as they emerge.”
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