Study to monitor prevalence of coronavirus in schools launched

A new voluntary coronavirus study will assess and monitor the prevalence of the virus among pre-school, primary and secondary school pupils and teachers.

The Public Health England study will add to data on antibody and virus prevalence already being collected through national surveillance programmes and other nationwide studies, which report to the government weekly.

The initial phase will collect data from up to 100 schools from across England, including 15 schools in London, with results available over the summer. The Department for Health and Social Care is targeting around 200 staff and children at each school. Data will be fed back to inform a potential second phase study in September.

A small proportion of schools will also be offered antibody tests by phlebotomists, medical professionals who are fully trained to collect blood samples from patients. Approximately 40 per cent of schools selected for the study will receive antibody and swab tests before the summer holidays.

Participation from schools is on a voluntary basis, and all parents and guardians will be asked to provide informed consent for their children or dependents prior to testing.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “A critical pillar of our Covid-19 testing strategy is surveillance – testing samples of the population to gain a deeper understanding of the spread of Covid-19, especially in those who may not have symptoms. This study will help us better understand how common asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid-19 are so that we can support parents, pupils and teachers and support staff, and inform our ongoing response to this new virus.”