Coronavirus infections in schools

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Since the beginning of the autumn term 2020, THL has collected information on coronavirus exposures in early childhood education and care and schools and on the resulting secondary infections that have occurred in these settings. The information on schools concerns basic education (elementary and lower secondary schools/education) and upper secondary education.

The units responsible for communicable disease control, performing contact tracing in municipalities, report the exposure events directly to THL. Information on secondary infections is collected by contacting these units again at the earliest two weeks after the exposure. Efforts are made to determine the source of secondary infections as precisely as possible.

Risk of further transmission in schools is small

With the acceleration of the epidemic, the number of exposures started increasing heavily as infected persons were in early childhood education and care or school settings while they were infectious. However, although the number of exposures increased during the peak of the epidemic, the number of secondary infections remained low.

In early 2021, persons exposed to the virus were tested significantly more often than before to prevent the spread of the new virus variants. As a result of the increased testing, asymptomatic cases were found fairly comprehensively. Up to one in three children aged under 12 who tested positive were asymptomatic when tested. In spite of this, secondary infections related to the early childhood education and care and school environment have been detected in only a small proportion of those exposed. The risk of infection after exposure at school is significantly lower than the risk of infection in other situations involving exposure to coronavirus.

By 20 August 2021, municipalities had reported a total of 96,084 people who had been exposed in the early childhood education and care or school environment. Of them, 1,815 (1.9 %) had been infected. Infections in adults were mainly contracted from another adult in the early childhood education and care or school community.

Number of all people exposed and of secondary infections in early childhood education and care and schools from August 2020 to June 2021

The table below presents the total number of people exposed and of secondary infections, and the share of secondary infections in the people exposed by school level. The table includes information from August 2020 to June 2021.

The figures include pupils, students and staff members. Asymptomatic infections diagnosed in the screenings have also been included in the number of secondary infections.

The number of all who have been exposed and the proportion of cases of further infection in early childhood education and care and schools from August 2020 to June 2021.
  Exposed Infections Infections %
Early childhood education and care 24 116 703 2,9
Comprehensive school 62 157 986 1,6
  • Primary school
 39 419 644 1,6
  • Lower secondary school
 16 102 237 1,5
  • School level not reported
 6 636 133 2,0
Upper secondary education 9 811 126 1,3
  • General upper secondary schools
 5 836 29 0,5
  • Vocational education and training
 3 975 97 2,4

Source: THL 20.8.2021

Number of people exposed and the share of secondary infections in early childhood education and care and schools from August 2020 to June 2021

The table below shows the total number of those exposed and the share of secondary infections by school level. The information is presented by month from August 2020 to June 2021.

The figures include pupils, students and staff members. Asymptomatic infections detected in screenings have also been included in the share of secondary infections. 

The number of people exposed and the proportion of cases of further infection in early childhood education and care and schools from August 2020 to June 2021
  August September October November December January February March April May June
  exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %) exposed (infections %)
Early childhood education and care 421 (0,0 %) 437 (1,8 %) 2304 (1,3 %) 2775 (2,5 %) 1970 (2,4 %) 2438 (1,8 %) 2822 (3,9 %) 5 428 (3,5 %)      2 619 (2,0 %)     1 667 (3,2 %)   98 (7,1 %)
Comprehensive school 1409 (0,6 %) 3756 (0,9 %) 9170 (1,1 %) 11071 (1,3 %) 3753 (0,7 %) 6396 (1,4 %) 4906 (2,0 %) 11 040 (2,6 %)            4 162 (2,2 %) 2 514 (0,7 %)  261 (5 %)
  • Primary school
 674 (0,7 %) 1443 (1,5 %) 4297 (0,9 %) 4869 (0,5 %) 2262 (0,7 %) 4557 (1,1 %) 3249 (1,9 %) 10 339 (2,7 %)           3 541 (2,1 %)   1 832 (0,7 %) 227 (2,2 %)
  • Lower secondary school
 735 (0,7 %) 1117 (0,4 %) 3361 (1,4 %) 3167 (0,9 %) 1190 (0,8 %) 1839 (2,1 %) 1631 (2,2 %) 572 (1,0 %)         593 (1,0 %)   640 (0,6 %)   21 (38,1 %)
  • School level not reported
   1196 (0,6 %) 1512 (0,8 %) 3035 (3,0 %) 301 (0,0 %)   26 (0,0 %) 129 (0,0 %)         28 (11 %)   42 (0,0 %)   13 (6,1 %)
Upper secondary education
986 (0,1 %) 		 1546 (0,6 %) 2345 (2,0 %) 3128 (1,7 %) 267 (0,0 %) 427 (1,2 %) 257 (1,2 %) 127 (0,7 %)         386 (1,5 %)   71 (0,0 %)   5 (0,0 %)
  • General upper secondary schools
 723 (0,0 %) 702 (0,7 %) 1200 (0,5 %) 2090 (0,5 %) 214 (0,0 %) 188 (0,0 %) 76 (0,0 %) 77 (1,3 %)         283 (1,8 %)   51 (0,0 %)   5 (0,0 %)
  • Vocational education and training
 263 (0,4 %) 844 (0,6 %) 1145 (3,6 %)
 		 1038 (4,0 %) 53 (0,0 %) 239 (2,1 %) 181 (1,7 %) 50 (0,0 %)         103 (1,0 %)   20 (0,0 %)   0 (0,0 %)

Source: THL 20.8.2021

Children and coronavirus

Coronavirus and schools

Updated: