Nearly 17,500 children have been tested for coronavirus in Scotland in just one week - and 49 were positive.
Nicola Sturgeon revealed big increase in demand as concern grows among parents about when to send youngsters for Covid tests or keep them off school.
The First Minister attempted to reassure families by pointing out only 49 came back with a positive result - a rate of just 0.3%.
Sturgeon, at her regular briefing, said: "I can well understand why many parents and teachers and young people themselves have concerns about the returns to school."
She added: "Despite an an increase of more than 300% in the number of young people that were tested from one week to the next, from the week before last to last week, the number of positive cases recorded increased by just two.
"That's not 2%, that is just two in total. I think that is encouraging and I hope it is reassuring to parents and teachers across the country.”
Figures from Public Health Scotland showed testing for children and young people had increased eight-fold since mid-July.
Sturgeon accepted parents want to "err on the side of caution" but said children should only be tested if they had one of the main symptoms of Covid-19 – a new persistent cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in the sense of taste and smell.
"Other symptoms, like a runny nose, if they are not accompanied by one of the Covid symptoms, should not lead to a test," the First Minister added.
The Record previously revealed how sick Scots kids are being forced into 200-miles round trips to England just to get a test.
Scottish Government guidelines say people should get tested immediately if they show any symptoms of the virus and not wait until the next day.
But with no capacity left in Scotland, many are being forced to travel long distances or wait for a slot nearer home.
One East Lothian school has had a number of children with persistent coughs.
