More than 46,000 children in Ireland contracted Covid-19 between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and last month, according to a HSE report.
The report also found that children made up 17 percent of all cases reported, while four percent of the total number of children in Ireland aged up to 18 got the virus.
It further stated that across the full academic year just 18 schools were asked to exclude all staff and students while testing was carried out.
Where outbreaks were recorded they were usually small-scale with two to three subsequent cases within friendship groups.
The report says 39 cases were identified among Leaving Certificate students, 21 of which were forced to miss exams to complete their isolation period. 14 students missed exams due to being a close contact.
Air monitors
As schools prepare for the return of students from this week, the first of the CO2 monitors will also begin arriving for the new school year.
The introduction of the devices will help monitor the air quality in classrooms, at an overall cost of €4 million.
Not every classroom will be issued with a monitor, with schools expected to distribute them where they're needed most.
General Secretary of the Teacher's Union of Ireland, Michael Gillespie says these monitors will be particularly helpful heading into the winter months:
"Obviously early on this is very important in September, but it becomes very important about temperature, we don't want to have windows and doors open all the time during the winter months, so having CO2 monitors that can tell us the level of Co2, it will help keep the rooms comfortable for learning".
