70,000 people under the age of 18 were tested for Covid-19 last week.
A total of 177,000 tests were carried out - with between 19,000 and 31,000 every day.
Almost 40 per cent were carried out on children, but the HSE says the positivity rate was particularly low among under-14s.
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National lead for testing and tracing, Niamh O'Beirne, says the demand has increased recently.
