Coronavirus: Pupils from two Coatbridge schools test positive

St Ambrose and Buchanan High schools

Three pupils from St Ambrose School tested positive

An investigation has been launched after pupils at two North Lanarkshire schools tested positive for coronavirus.

NHS Lanarkshire said three pupils at St Ambrose High and one at St Andrew's High, which are both in Coatbridge, have Covid-19.

Heath officials said two of the pupils attended their respective schools briefly before testing positive.

A fifth linked case, but not a school pupil, has also been identified.

None of the five people are seriously ill and the risk to the wider school community is low, according to NHS Lanarkshire.

An incident management team is currently trying to trace everyone who had contact with the five people.

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One of the people who tested positive attended St Andrew's HIgh School

NHS Lanarkshire's director of public health, Gabe Docherty, said: "No case has serious illness.

"NHS Lanarkshire is working closely with North Lanarkshire Council with regard to these cases and has promptly identified close contacts of both cases.

"Our test and protect service will continue to contact anyone who may be affected and following the findings of a review, the risk to the wider school community is low."

First positive test on Thursday

  • NHS Lanarkshire said the first pupil at St Ambrose tested positive on Thursday, after displaying mild symptoms since 11 August.

  • A second pupil, who is a close contact of the first pupil outside school, also tested positive on Thursday but neither had attended school.

  • The third pupil at St Ambrose, a close contact of the other two outside school, tested positive on Friday and was present at school for about 20 minutes on Thursday.

  • The health board said this person was immediately isolated and taken home to self-isolate having had "limited contact with any other pupils while in school for this period".

  • The pupil at St Andrew's tested positive on Friday and had attended school for a "relatively short period of time" on Thursday with "limited contact with a defined number of individuals".

  • The risk to other pupils and staff at St Andrew's has been assessed as "very low", the health board said.

No evidence of transmission in schools

Dr Jennifer Darnborough, NHS Lanarkshire's consultant in public health medicines, said there was no evidence presently to suggest that there was transmission in schools.

She added: "The team is investigating any potential links to the wider community which is impacting on schools.

"We are aware that there will still be concern among both children and their parents at this time.

"I can reassure them that all settings which these individuals have attended during their infectious period are being identified and assessed."

The Coatbridge cases come after another cluster in north-east Glasgow was linked to a number of pupils from Bannerman High School in Baillieston.

A Scottish government spokesman said: "NHS Lanarkshire is also taking appropriate steps by writing to the school's parents to offer reassurance and detail measures it is taking to deal with these cases."

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