48,414 new coronavirus cases reported in Massachusetts schools in past week

Coronavirus cases keep surging in Massachusetts schools as a total of 48,414 staff and students tested positive in the past week amid the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant.

The report published on Thursday by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reports 41,063 students and 7,351 staff tested positive for the coronavirus from Jan. 6 to Wednesday. More than 4% of students across the state tested positive, and more than 5% of staff tested positive.

The report last week was the first school virus tally since the holiday break, so it was for two weeks. A total of 51,100 staff and students tested positive in last week’s report.

Many school districts have been dealing with major staff shortages following the holiday break, as thousands of educators call out sick with COVID-19.

Coronavirus pool testing is being used in more than 2,200 public and private schools, about double last year’s count, according to DESE. The test positivity rate in school in this report was 20.10%, a spike from 4.09% in the last report.

Districts with the most cases in the past week includes: 1,708 cases in Boston; 1,577 in Worcester; 984 in Springfield; 804 in Lawrence; 763 in Lowell; 751 in Lynn; 656 in Haverhill; 639 in Winchester; 573 in New Bedford; 536 in Framingham; 517 in Reading; 504 in Newton; 496 in Brockton; and 495 in Somerville.

Boston Public Schools reported 1,247 student cases and 461 staff cases in the past week.