A total of 2,056 city kids have tested positive for the coronavirus since the beginning of September — with an infection rate of 2 percent, city figures show.
According to lab results submitted to the state, 104,206 kids aged 5 to 17 – including private, religious, public, and charter school students – have been screened for COVID-19 since September 1.
Between October 13 and 19, 23,217 kids were tested and 419 were positive, a 1.8 percent infection rate.
Mayor de Blasio had previously set a 3 percent citywide infection rate as a trigger for school closures.
Department of Education schools are separately required to relay student COVID-19 cases reported by families, teachers, and labs to the city for confirmation and began doing so on September 8.
As of Monday, the city has counted 527 cases — 226 students and 301 teachers and staffers, according to the data.
Those figures include both remote-only and in-person learners.
On Monday alone, schools reported 27 new student cases and 35 teacher positives.
As part of Mayor de Blasio’s school reopening plan, between 10 and 20 percent of school populations are being randomly tested each month to guard against outbreaks.
The DOE started that process on October 9 and tested 5,829 students and 10,519 staff members over the subsequent week.
A total of 20 employees and 8 students came up positive for a minimal infection rate of 0.17 percent.
While the process is still in its early stages, only 15 percent of blended learning students have so far submitted parental consent forms allowing them to be tested on school grounds.
Asked if that tempered his faith in the 0.17 infection rate and its value as a student coronavirus indicator, de Blasio reiterated his confidence in the city’s approach.
“The results we’re seeing in the schools are just extraordinarily clear and consistent,” de Blasio said at his daily briefing on Tuesday.
Hizzoner noted that extensive testing of city teachers prior to the school year also resulted in low coronavirus rates and attested to the safety of city classrooms.
“So I do not have the impression that the approach we’re taking is missing any kind of bigger reality,” he said. “I think it’s so consistent the numbers we’re getting back. We’re going to encourage parents in every way to sign those consent forms.”
A DOE spokesperson said the initial returns on in-school testing were grounds for optimism and that the wider city numbers were not indicative of the current state of DOE buildings.
“We have the most comprehensive testing system in the country and won’t hesitate to take quick action where needed to keep students and staff safe,” said Miranda Barbot. “Early results from our in-school testing system are promising, and we’ll continue to regularly test in our schools.”
The Department of Health said it did not have hospitalization information specific to the students and staffers referenced in the three COVID-19 reporting formats.
Some parent groups have highlighted City Hall’s school coronavirus statistics in calling for a hastened and fuller reopening of the nation’s largest school system.