1,346 cases of Covid confirmed as expert says mask-wearing is needed in primary schools

Infectious disease consultant Dr Clíona Ní Cheallaigh has strongly urged that all primary schoolchildren should wear masks in classrooms. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA

The Department of Health has confirmed a further 1,346 cases of Covid-19.

The number of people hospitalised with the virus is up four since yesterday at 315, with 59 patients being treated ICU.

Health experts have said mask-wearing and better ventilation in schools is needed in order to prevent further spread of the virus.

Infectious disease consultant Dr Clíona Ní Cheallaigh has said that most children aged under 12 in Ireland could catch Covid by spring.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One's Brendan O'Connor show, Dr Ní Cheallaigh said without mask-wearing in primary schools, the virus will continue to spread.

"It's important not to panic, but be realistic, but we do need to face facts.

"It's brilliant, most of the adult population is vaccinated, people are not getting sick in the same way they were before.

"The number one priority in terms of children's health is to keep schools open and keep kids in school.

"Being out of school can have a really bad impact [on children], but that said, with Delta, everyone under 12 is not vaccinated and they're in classrooms with no masks, and there hasn't really been the type of ventilation done in classrooms to make schools safer.

I would probably bet that most kids in Ireland under 12 will get Covid before the Spring, the way we are going on now. 

"Not many kids are going to get very severely unwell, but a small percentage will.

"I don't think we are really trying to stop the spread in primary schools — it's not possible to do that within an unventilated classroom with 30 kids not wearing masks," she said.