Education union worried about high Covid infections in primary schools

Education union AOb is very concerned about the high number of coronavirus infections in primary education. Figures requested from public health institute RIVM show that 21 percent of primary school staff contracted Covid-19 in the past 18 months - much higher than the about 13 percent average among Dutch adults aged 18 to 69, the union said, NOS reports.

After healthcare workers, academic staff must be given priority when booster shots start being administered, AOb chairman Tamar van Gelder said to the broadcaster. "We want to ensure that education can continue as much as possible and that no pupils become the victim. After all, we are already facing a shortage of teachers, and the flu is circulating."

The RIVM confirmed the high infection rate among primary school employees. According to the institute, this may partly be because teachers are very willing to get tested. "If you test more, you also find more," a spokesperson said to NOS.

Weekly figures published by the RIVM on Tuesday showed that primary school children are now the group with the most positive Covid-19 tests. In the 10 to 14 years age group, over 11,000 kids tested positive last week, 10.1 percent of all cases. The age group 5 to 9 had the second most positive tests at 9,400, 8.6 percent of the total.

According to the RIVM, it is "very logical" that kids currently have the most Covid-19 infections because children under the age of 12 are not vaccinated and don't have to maintain social distancing.