Latest figures show there were eight COVID-19 outbreaks recorded in schools last week.
The latest cluster report from the HPSC shows there were eight school clusters reported in the week up to Saturday, up from zero the previous week.
A cluster / outbreak refers to two or more cases of COVID-19 being confirmed in a setting.
A separate HSE report reveals that mass testing in more than 100 schools detected 44 positive cases of the virus.
A majority of those cases (34) were detected in primary schools, where the overall testing positivity rate was 2.8%.
The HPSC report, meanwhile, shows a decrease in the number of outbreaks last week - 339 compared to 428 the previous week.
There was a substantial drop in the number of clusters linked to households, with nearly 90 fewer clusters associated with private homes.
However, there was a rise in the number of hospital outbreaks, with 12 reported last week compared to five the previous week.
Nursing home outbreaks remain limited, with just three notified to health officials last week.
Among vulnerable groups, 15 further outbreaks were reported among Irish Traveller communities and five in facilities for the homeless.
A total of 14 workplace clusters were notified, mostly in the commercial sector - although that includes several late notifications from January.
