Coronavirus cases in schools across Wales have fallen very slightly this week, but once again most cases were in primaries.
A total 414 Covid-19 cases among staff and pupils were recorded in the six days to November 25, compared with 424 in the seven to 13 days before that, latest weekly data from Public Health Wales shows.
Of those 196 were in primaries, 174 in secondaries and 44 in “other” (which includes pupil referral units, special schools, maintained nursery units and independent schools).
Rhondda Cynon Taf reported the most weekly cases again, closely followed by Swansea.
In RCT a total 65 cases of coronavirus were reported in schools in the six days to November 25 and 64 in Swansea - however that was a fall for both areas compared to Cardiff which saw a steep rise to 59 cases (up 27 on last week).
Since the start of term in September to November 25 there have been 3,299 reports of new Covid-19 cases across 861 schools in Wales; 1,435 cases in staff and 1,864 in pupils.
From a total of 1,573 schools across Wales, that means 54.7 % of schools have had a COVID-19 case. Of these 306 schools have had only one case.
Public Health Wales stressed that cases reported by schools does not mean infection took place in them and are “subject to changes as data quality and methods improve”.
Publishing its weekly coronavirus data for schools and college’s PHW said:“The presence of cases linked to a school or educational institution does not necessarily imply that transmission occurred in that setting.
“Local intelligence is required to determine whether transmission is likely to have occurred within such institutions."
Headteachers have been stressing that coronavirus is in the community and being brought into schools rather than schools being an area of transmission.
All secondaries in these areas have reported at least one case since September:
Blaenau Gwent
Monmouthshire
Newport
Torfaen
Wrexham
Cardiff
Vale of Glamorgan
Bridgend
Merthyr Tydfil
Neath Port Talbot
Swansea
The proportion of primary schools affected with at least one coronavirus case since term began, by local authority and council area:
Aneurin Bevan UHB
Blaenau Gwent 94.7%
Caerphilly 74%
Monmouthshire 30%
Newport 83.7%
Torfaen 48%
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
Anglesey 32.5%
Conwy 26.9%
Denbighshire 43.2%
Flintshire 45.3%
Gwynedd 10%
Wrexham 59.9%
Cardiff and Vale UHB
Cardiff 68.4%
Vale of Glamorgan 50%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
Bridgend 77.1
Merthyr 86.4 %
Rhondda Cynon Taf 85.9%
Hywel Dda UHB
Carmarthenshire 27.4%
Ceredigion 11.1%
Pembrokeshire 15.4%
Hywel Dda UHB
Powys 26%
Swansea Bay UHB
Neath Port Talbot 61.5%
Swansea 76.6%
The proportion of secondary schools affected with at least one coronavirus case since term began, by local authority and council area:
Aneurin Bevan UHB
Blaenau Gwent 100%
Caerphilly 90.9%
Monmouthshire 100%
Newport 100%
Torfaen 100%
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
Anglesey 80%
Conwy 71.4%
Denbighshire 83.3 %
Flintshire 90.9%
Gwynedd 33.3%
Wrexham 100%
Cardiff and Vale UHB
Cardiff 100%
Vale of Glamorgan 100%
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
Bridgend 100%
Merthyr 100%
Rhondda Cynon Taf 91.7%
Hywel Dda UHB
Carmarthenshire 75%
Ceredigion 50%
Pembrokeshire 83.3%
Powys Teaching HB
Powys 88.9%
Swansea Bay UHB
Neath Port Talbot 100%
Swansea 100%
PHW said there may be occasions where school aged cases are identified, but they may not have entered the school during their infectious period.
There may also be a lag in data due to time taken between sample collection date and the return of a positive result as well as a lag in the time between the positive result and follow up by contact tracers and entry of exposure data.
