Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Tracy Carmichael

Paisley primary school hit with covid outbreak following school trip

Covid case rates have begun to drop in Renfrewshire, as a Paisley primary school faces an outbreak sparked by a trip.

Dozens of primary seven pupils from the town's Bushes Primary have been forced to isolate after being hit by the virus.

It comes after the youngsters enjoyed a week-long residential trip to the Lockerbie Manor Activity Centre in Dumfries and Galloway.

When they returned to school this week, one parent revealed that at least 20 youngsters were though to be suffering from coronavirus - forcing them to miss classes.

Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

Unconfirmed reports from parents suggest that up to 33 primary seven kids could not attend school on Monday, alongside three teachers thought to have been present on the trip.

Todholm Primary was forced to close in December after Renfrewshire succumbed early to the original wave of the Omicron variant of the virus.

A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council refused to confirm if pupils and staff at Bushes had been hit by covid, saying: "Bushes Primary remains open as normal. We would not provide any details about absences due to patient confidentiality.

"For all school trips or excursions, all appropriate measures, including following national guidance and carrying out risk assessments, are in place for the safety of our staff and pupils."

It comes as recent figures show a decline in cases.

We told last week how Renfrewshire had become a covid hotspot, with the seven day positivity case rate standing at 3,265 in the week until March 20 - a seven day positivity rate of 1,820.1 per 100,000 population.

The steep rise in cases came following the spread of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant, now thought to be responsible for almost all of Scotland's covid cases.

But the latest seven day positivity case rate for Renfrewshire until March 27 shows 2,682 people tested positive - a positivity rate of 1495.1 per 100,000.

The data still leaves Renfrewshire in the top seven of Scotland's worst hit local authority areas.

We told last week how the high toll meant Renfrewshire was in the top five worst hit of Scotland's 32 council areas.

The latest outbreak continues to hit hospitals in the area, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde reporting that the sites including Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital are once again under pressure due to cases.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said on Tuesday that the Corsebar Road hospital was housing 120 patients suffering from the virus.

Death rates attributed to covid have, however, risen.

Figures for the week beginning March 21, show that six people have died in the area where covid was logged on the death certificate.

The previous two weeks saw only one death related to the virus.

It takes the total of covid-related deaths in Renfrewshire since the beginning of 2022 to 32.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.