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The Health Information and Quality Authority has said that it appears that children are not contributing substantially to the spread of the coronavirus, at home or in schools.
The authority has published a summary of the latest research and evidence on the immunity and spread of Covid-19 by children.
Although the evidence is limited, he said, children do not appear to be significant contributors to the spread.
The review involves a limited number of studies, and figures show that there have been more than 380 cases of Covid-19 in children under 14 years in Ireland.
Two cases have been admitted to intensive care and there have been no deaths in this age group.
The data is from the Health Protection Surveillance Center.
HIQA said a study found that while there was high transmission of Covid-19 in adults 25 years of age and older, transmission is lower in those younger than 14.
HIQA Deputy Director General and Director of Health Technology Assessment Dr. Máirín Ryan said: “An Australian study examining the potential spread of 18 confirmed cases (nine students and nine employees) to more than 800 close contacts in 15 Different schools found that no teacher or staff member hired Covid-19 for any of the initial school cases.
An elementary school boy and a high school boy may have gotten Covid-19 from the initial cases in their schools. “
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The authority also said its review found that there is a lack of clear evidence on whether long-term immunity is possible against the virus.
He said it is not yet certain whether the antibodies against the virus are transferred from the mother to the child in the womb, through the placenta.
He said that while some people tested positive after Covid-19 recovery, this is likely due to re-detection of the virus, rather than reinfection with a second virus.
HIQA also found that with other severe coronavirus infections, the antibody response is maintained for one to two years after the initial infection, and then decreases.
Dr. Ryan urged that a “cautious approach” be taken as the research is based on seven studies.
She said that “children play a role in transmission of the virus, but there is no evidence to show that children transmit it at a higher rate than anyone else.”
She said that since the virus is a “new virus”, there is limited evidence available.
Speaking on RTÉ News at One, Dr. Ryan said that regarding immunity after contracting Covid-19 “we see people mount an immune response and produce neutralizing antibodies for at least eight weeks afterward.”
She said studies are currently underway to understand if immunity lasts longer than eight weeks.
These are international studies, since “most of the studies that have been carried out have been carried out in countries affected by the pandemic such as China and other countries in Asia, so it should be interpreted in that context.”
Regarding antibody testing, Dr. Ryan said that much work is being done to try to validate the hundreds of tests that have been conducted on the market since the discovery of Covid-19.
She said the work is being coordinated by the World Health Organization and the European Commission to try to validate the precision of how they estimate the results.
Even if the tests have been validated internationally, they also need to be looked at from a quality assurance point of view in relation to how they will be used here in Ireland, said Dr. Ryan.
She said the industry is developing several rapid tests for Covid-19, which are going through the international validation process.
She said the WHO still says the role of rapid testing is only in research until the results of those studies are available.
So far, HIQA has made two updates on the role of children in the spread of Covid-19, “and we may be asked to see it again as time goes on,” said Dr. Ryan.
“We are conducting a series of evidence reviews to inform the expert advisory group that advises the National Public Health Emergency Team, so we are scanning the literature daily.”
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