A HSE public health specialist insisted on Thursday that the rate of Covid-19 transmission between children remains low, even as several schools see outbreaks of the virus.
And another top doctor insisted schools must stay open for the physical safety of children, as 20% of Tusla referrals come from teachers and principals.
But the HSE boss also slammed the idea of people “resorting to shaming” young people on social media.
As the number of Covid-19 infections increase and several schools across the country face potential outbreaks of the virus, many parents are concerned about the health of their children.
Others are concerned that parents will spread the virus amongst themselves and the community during drop offs and collections, while teachers' unions are worried about the virus spreading amongst staff.
In the past seven days, the average daily number of new cases is 120 per day.
This is up from an average of 104 cases per day the previous week.
But this compares to a seven day daily average of 936 cases that were occurring in April, at the height of the pandemic.
But Dr Sarah Doyle, a HSE public health specialist, insisted that the rate of transmission between children and from children to adults remains low.
Dr Doyle told the Irish Mirror: “With children, we now know that the severity of the illness is very low and in fact the transmission risks are relatively low, particularly in children of primary school age.
“So we feel that the transmission is likely to be relatively low within schools and that outbreaks will not happen commonly.”
And Dr Colm Henry, chief clinical officer at the HSE, insisted that school is vital for the well-being, development and even physical safety of young people.
He told the Irish Daily Mirror: “Transmission between children themselves is not a major driver of community transmission, and that’s reassuring.
“We’ve reached the point where the risk to children of school closure is greater than the risk to children of Covid-19.”
