There will be a surge of COVID-19 cases following the reopening of schools, according to GP Dr Illona Duffy.
However, she says it could be a short surge over just two-three weeks, due to high vaccination rates among adults.
The majority of schools will have children back in classrooms for the first time since the emergence of the Delta variant.
While vaccination is ongoing for 12-18-year-olds, none of the vaccines are currently approved for younger, primary school-aged children.
The Education Minister says everything has been done to ensure a safe return to school, suggesting parents should be "very, very reassured".
However, some experts have criticised the Government for failing to put in place extra measures to ensure good ventilation in classrooms.
Dr Duffy - who is a GP based in Monaghan - told On The Record we will "definitely" see a surge in cases of COVID-19, as has been seen in other countries.
However, she said the impact is unlikely to be as severe as previous waves if it's largely limited to children "who are likely not to become unwell".
She said the surge could peak over a short two-three week period, and then "dampen down" after that since a majority of adults will be vaccinated.
Latest figures indicate 90% of adults in Ireland will be fully vaccinated within the next week or so.
However, health officials have cautioned one-two weeks are needed for the second dose to offer full protection.
Contact tracing concerns
Dr Duffy did raise concerns about whether the contact tracing system will be able to cope with an increase in cases.
She said: "Teachers and principals had concerns about the slow contact tracing that happened with regards to outbreaks in schools.
"We know many of the schools were having to do their own contact tracing - in fact, I have two creches who had to do their own contact tracing... because the [State's] contact tracing was so slow.
"That's not going to be good enough if we're going back to school."
When children returned to school last September, officials were routinely reporting just 200 or so COVID-19 cases a day.
However, daily case numbers in recent weeks have remained steadily between 1,500 and 2,000.
Dr Duffy said the majority of cases she has seen are in young people - although most "aren't particularly sick", and have symptoms similar to other viral diseases.
She said the concern is seeing the virus then transmit to older family members, who could then pass it on to others.
In a statement this afternoon, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said COVID-19 transmission is "often linked to the events that occur around school as much as the events that occur within school".
However, he urged parents to not send their child to school if they have any symptoms of the virus.
He said: "These [symptoms] are cough, fever, headache, sore throat and blocked or runny nose.
"If your child displays any of these symptoms, support them to isolate and contact your GP for advice and to arrange a test if appropriate. These measures will prevent transmission of the virus to others."
