Coronavirus cases among staff and pupils in schools have more than tripled in three weeks, leaping to their highest level since before Christmas.
Most of the 238 cases were in primary schools as the Delta variant grips. All 22 council areas have seen a rise in schools cases, apart from two.
Latest weekly data from Public Health Wales, published today (June 26 two days later than usual), shows that in the six days to June 23 a total 238 Covid cases were reported in schools. That is 87 more than the previous week and more than three times higher than the week before that.
The figures come as First Minister Mark Drakeford has warned a third wave of the pandemic will peak in July, You can read more about that here.
Of the total 238 schools cases 131 were in primaries, 81 in secondaries and 23 in “other” which includes independent schools and pupil referral units. The data does not break down how many cases were among pupils and how many among staff.
There are more than 468,000 pupils and more than 80,000 staff in Wales' 1,573 schools.
Releasing the data PHW stressed again that infections in schools don’t mean transmission necessarily took place in them.
Community infections are rising with the more infectious variant and schools have been urging parents not to allow their pupils to attend sleep overs or gather at school gates.
The areas with the highest number of school cases in the six days to June 23 were Conwy with 36, up 11, week on week, followed by Denbighshire up 12 cases to 31 and Swansea leaping from eight cases to 28.
For the first time in months schools in all 22 council areas across Wales reported coronavirus cases and all reported more than one.
Blaenau Gwent and Ceredigion have seen their first schools cases in weeks but schools cases fell in only two areas. Bridgend and Newport.
Covid cases in FE colleges have also risen from 21 to 35 in the same period.
Hundreds of pupils, including whole year groups, have been sent to self isolate in recent weeks and a school has closed to Covid.
Coronavirus cases by council area in the six days to June 23, with comparison to the last week’s cases in brackets
Blaenau Gwent 3 (+3)
Caerphilly 7 (+4)
Monmouthshire 1 (equal)
Newport 1 (-3)
Torfaen 3 (+2)
Isle of Anglesey 1 (equal)
Conwy 36 (+11)
Denbighshire 31 (+12)
Flintshire 26 (+7)
Gwynedd 12 (+6)
Wrexham 13 (+5)
Cardiff 19 (+4)
Vale of Glamorgan 11 (+8)
Bridgend 1 (-3)
Merthyr Tydfil 1 (+1)
Rhondda Cynon Taf 4 (+3)
Carmarthenshire 10 (+9)
Ceredigion 3 (+3)
Pembrokeshire 15 (+7)
Powys 4 (+1)
Neath Port Talbot 8 (+5)
Swansea 28 (+20)
Total 238
In the same period 35 coronavirus cases were reported in FE colleges, up on 21 the week before. Not all councils reported college cases.
The councils where FE colleges reported Covid cases in the six days to June 23
Caerphilly 1 (-2)
Conwy 2 (+1)
Denbighshire 3 (+1)
Flintshire 6 (+2)
Gwynedd 3 (+2)
Wrexham 6 (+5)
Cardiff 4 (equal)
Rhondda Cynon Taf 2 (+2)
Powys 1 (+1)
Swansea 7 (6)
Total 36
Covid cases in school staff by Health Board since September 2020.
Aneurin Bevan UHB 886
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB 699
Cardiff and Vale UHB 835
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB 1,184
Hywel Dda UHB 308
Powys Teaching HB 94
Swansea Bay 608
Total: 4,614
