We have all been alarmed by the rapid increase in the incidence of Covid-19 in recent weeks, with nearly 7,000 cases reported in the past two days amid an upward trajectory. We appear to be going from one wave to another without moving to a point where we accept this as endemic and we need strategies to deal with the virus into the medium term.

It has been clear for a long time that Covid-19 is airborne, and this presents significant challenges, particularly in the winter months when people are more likely to be indoors. Despite this, very little has been done in terms of ventilation in the Government response. We can take primary schools as an example, as we all want them to remain open and be safe. We also know a large number of children have tested positive for Covid-19. CO2 monitors have been provided for most classrooms. I spoke to a teacher yesterday who told me windows are fully open all the time, along with the classroom door, with the CO2 levels monitored constantly. They only have to close the door for a short time before the indicator turns red. Where it is not possible to have good ventilation, the advice is to contact an architect and apply for remedial funding.

A contrasting approach is being taken in Victoria, Australia, which has invested in air filtration systems with HEPA filters for every classroom. This is a proactive approach. Not only do we see large numbers of children with Covid-19 but there are also other nasty viruses on the go, such as respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, that result in hospitalisations. Good ventilation could play its part in reducing the risk of the spread of more than Covid-19. It is particularly important in this country, where class sizes are particularly high.

We have been repeatedly told schools are somehow immune to the spread of Covid-19 but that view is contested. We have 500,000 primary school children who are unvaccinated and many of them attend classes with poor ventilation. None of these is being tested when there is a positive case in the class. It seems we are taking a very high risk. We could take other action and the use of antigen testing has been discussed. The medium-term view is very important.

Is there any change in the approach to the time horizon for managing Covid-19 or will we continue to go from wave to wave and hope it will not reoccur? Has the Minister had discussions with the Department of Education about taking a proactive approach, with investment in good ventilation? Is there a change in approach in new school design, for example, that would incorporate better ventilation standards? Energy is very expensive now and windows are being left open so will there be additional funding for schools for such costs?

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Government and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, are very much aware of the change we are seeing in community transmission and the level of Covid-19 incidence across our country. Of course, we take heart in the fact we are in a very different position from where we were a year ago due to the success of the vaccination programme of the Government, the resilience of the Irish people and the extraordinary work done by all our front-line workers in healthcare services.

Of course, we are looking at the current change in the spread of disease, and as Dr. Tony Holohan and the Government have acknowledged, there is real cause for additional focus and concern as we move to a period when socialisation and household contacts increase. The Government is acting to manage this risk and continue protecting the health of this country. In testing alone, we now have capacity in place for 175,000 tests per week, with 140,000 of them within our community teams and 35,000 in acute testing services. We have put in place a very significant testing programme.

As the House is aware, we are also in an important phase in rolling out our booster campaign. The national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, will make further considerations on the future of the booster campaign in Ireland and we have, due to the work of the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, maintained €1.2 billion of additional funding made available to our health services last year. That will equip our nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals and consultants for what we acknowledge will be a challenging period.

The Deputy asked a particular question about schools. Our public health experts continue to acknowledge and advise us that our school and classroom settings are lower risk and safer when the right measures are put in place. The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, noted this morning that with the capital plans and capital expenditure she has available for this year, additional funding is being used to invest in our school buildings and do what we can to make them safer as we help our schools, teachers and pupils to stay as safe as possible at this time of additional risk.

I will conclude with the point that this appears to be quite a shift in position from the Social Democrats. Not so long ago I remember the Social Democrats being the lead advocates for a zero Covid approach. The party is now in a very different place. I acknowledge that shift in position and it is welcome. It should be acknowledged that the party was making the case for setting tests and standards that we, at the time, believed would be difficult to deliver. The approach being taken by the Government now looks to reduce risk, although we acknowledge all we still need to do.

I am sure the state of Victoria, for example, took expert advice before investing heavily in ventilation in schools. We are constantly being asked by people why we are so different from our European counterparts when it comes to the rate of transmission of the virus.

We seem to be going from wave to wave and hoping it will not reoccur. The reality is that this is a substantial wave with 7,000 cases in the last two days and many children and their parents testing positive. I have no desire to get into a Punch and Judy act with the Minister on this but it seems self-evident that where a virus is transmitted by air, in congested environments such as schools the Government should take a longer term approach. This will not go away overnight. I acknowledge that the vaccination programme has been extraordinarily good but it will not be enough on its own.

There is great value in hope as we look to how we can lead our country through this awful disease but the strategy we have is not based on hope. We have a strategy that is based on putting in place public health guidance with immense resources from our country to equip our hospitals, GPs and nurses with all possible measures and supports to help them deal with the approaching challenge. The Deputy compared us with other countries. Every country is different and the health conditions and geography of every country are different. However, in many of the measurements of Ireland's performance and resilience in dealing with Covid, the efforts the Irish people have made and our efforts to reduce the loss of life are recognised. Every life lost is one too many and in every case where a person's health has suffered, that loss of health is a loss too many for this Government. We will continue with our focus and efforts in the coming period.