Covid-19 coronavirus infection levels among children of secondary school age in England have increased slightly, new figures suggest.
The percentage of children in school years 7 to 11 likely to have tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to March 20 is 0.43%, up from 0.32% the previous week.
The estimates, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), coincide with the return from March 8 of pupils to secondary schools across England – a move that is likely to have affected the spread of coronavirus, thanks to the mixing of staff, parents and students.
Testing has also been scaled up, with all students in secondary schools expected to complete three rapid Covid-19 tests on their return, spaced three to five days apart, then further tests twice a week.
The ONS said rates are likely to have fallen among older teenagers and young adults (school year 12 to age 34) as well as those aged 50 to 69, but the trend is uncertain for other age groups.
All figures are for infections reported by people in private households, not other settings such as hospitals and care homes.
The estimates should be treated with caution, the ONS said, as they are based on small sample sizes and have a higher degree of uncertainty than the figures for England as a whole.
About one in 340 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to March 20 – unchanged on the previous week, and the lowest figure since the week to September 24 2020.
The ONS said the overall percentage of people in England testing positive “is likely to have levelled off”.
