Thirty-eight percent of students will study online this week. That's almost 266,000 children and young people, according to the latest study on COVID-19 in schools, conducted on January 24 this year. The other two-thirds of the students are in school. Last week, their share was 82 percent, according to the press center of the Ministry of Education and Science.

More than 17,500 students continue to attend classes without being tested for the virus because their schools fall into municipalities with an incidence of less than 250 per 100,000 people. Another 50,600 students are in a class without a test, but with a green certificate - a valid document for vaccination, post-illness, or the presence of antibodies. According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health, 9.25 percent of high school students have been vaccinated to date, and another 14.43 percent of students from 5th to 12th grade have contracted COVID-19 in the past six months.

The smaller share of students in face-to-face learning also affects the number of confirmed positive tests. This week 787 students gave positive results, which is almost twice less than last week when there were 1348.

The most infected this time are children from first to fourth grade - a total of 315, who study almost everywhere. 264 are positive tests in high school students. They are the least in junior high school - 208 compared to the previous test when the sick students from fifth to seventh grade were 486.

There is an increase in the positive tests of teachers and non-pedagogical specialists. This week, 399 teachers with coronavirus were diagnosed via more than 24,752 tested. Last week, 366 were positive with more than 27,000 teachers tested.

There are 164 non-pedagogical specialists with a positive test. Last week their number was 133.

The Ministry of Education and Science continues to receive orders from the Regional Health Inspectorates (RHI) to suspend the in-person studying of various graduates in individual municipalities and districts. Today, the Minister of Education and Science issued an order to organize online classes until the end of the week for students from fifth to 12th grade in Stara Zagora.

Meanwhile, the minister signed an order declaring next week's non-school days. Thus, in practice, the next testing in schools will be on the first day of the second term - February 7 this year, according to the Ministry of Education and Science.

/BTA