The head of the HSE says there have been 180 cases of Covid 19 among children and parents since schools re-opened.
Over 4,000 children and school staff have been tested to date, and 11 outbreaks have been confirmed.
Paul Reid says it's something the HSE is putting a "huge focus" on.
He's told the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee there's been a rise in the positivity rate among schoolchildren being tested:
"In the first week the schools were back, we had about 17% of our total testing for that week was conducted in young children, in the 0-10 age group.
"In the second week, it was up to 36%. The positivity rate, thankfully, was 1.4% in the first week. It fell back to around 0.5%, and it's about 1.9% at the moment. We are watching that very closely."
