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DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, has said that he would hope that if Ireland faced a second wave of Covid-19 “we know what measures to take”.
Glynn, speaking at the Department of Health briefing this evening, was responding to comments from the Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Andrea Ammon, who told The Guardian that a second wave of infections looked very likely.
“The question is when and how big, that is the question in my view,” she told the paper. “Looking at the characteristics of the virus, looking at what now emerges from the different countries in terms of population immunity – which isn’t all that exciting, between 2% and 14%, that leaves still 85% to 90% of the population susceptible – the virus is around us, circulating much more than January and February.”
“I don’t want to draw a doomsday picture but I think we have to be realistic. That it’s not the time now to completely relax,” she said.
Responding to the comments, Glynn said: “I think ‘inevitable’ is a very strong word. We’ve shown, here in Ireland, through the actions of the population, and numerous countries have shown across Europe, that this can be controlled, it can be brought under control.”
Across Europe, most countries have announced some kind of an easing of restrictions as the peak of the virus passes.
This evening, it was confirmed that a further 11 people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland, while a further 64 cases of the virus were confirmed.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland is 1,571.
“There’s no doubt we have to live with this virus for the foreseeable future. We don’t have a vaccine, we don’t have a treatment and we have only one type of test as things currently stand,” Glynn said.
“It is a challenge but we have seen that the measures we’ve taken can control it. I wouldn’t like a message to go out that there’s nothing we can do as a population to control this.”
“I would be hopeful, given our experience to date, that if things do go in the wrong direction, that we know what measures to take,” he said.
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Of course there will be a second wave much like the rest of Europe. But what they have done is insure their second wave comes in the next few weeks. What our ridiculous long winded lockdown will do is push our second wave in September when schools are trying to return and then an inevitable third wave in November mixing with a surge in seasonal flu. What should be happening is letting the rest of the country get back so we, like Sweden, get some sort of herd immunity. The 86% it does not affect need to get it in order to dilute it and burn it out. Hiding away is not going to make it disappear. There’s no vaccine in sight. The Ebola vaccine took more than two years with a LOT of trial and error. This has been in ireland since early December, we need to
Open this country back up.
@Nurse on call: wrong
@Nurse on call: Ebola is nothing like covid 19 you numpty and Sweden’s death rate is really bad now
@Nurse on call: you seem to know everything, must be hard knowing all the answers, maybe you should use your expertise and tell the experts what to do.
@Paul: I reckon that he mentioned the Ebola vaccine as it is to date the fastest developed vaccine in medical history.
However, it took almost 5 years from the start to the actual approval this December.
@Nurse on call: Damn right, open up the country. If anyone doesn’t like it they can stay inside their home, you’ll be safe there. Old and sick may isolate themselves like the entire country is doing now. Let everyone else continue with their lives.
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: 54 ICU beds in use this week. Capacity of 411 ICU beds… wasn’t the whole point of the lockdown to take pressure off healthcare? Why are we continuing the lockdown when the government have even admitted that the virus is going nowhere. It’s madness. And why is the party in opposition not shouting about this?
@Paul: eh Sweden have 3831 deaths for a population of 10.5 million. We have 1571 for a population of 5 million. Per million of population for Sweden that’s 380 people per million. For ireland it’s 318 people per million. Explain to me why per million we are relatively the same?? They had absolutely no lockdown!! The people that have immunodeficiencies need to stay inside. The rest of the country needs to get back up and start running before more cancers are missed, the country goes bust and more people are left in poverty.
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: Because the party that should be in opposition is running the country.
@Nurse on call: sweeden. hmmm. they practiced eugenics after ww2 ended. I’m not convinced sweeden is an ethical country despite the soubdbites https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilisation_in_Sweden and their covid response is pure whitewash https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/anger-in-sweden-as-elderly-pay-price-for-coronavirus-strate and
@Nurse on call: Austria with a population of 9 million had 620 deaths what’s your point and BTW if I give myself a professional sounding name like you can I be an expert as well
@Paul: sweeden have 380 deaths per million and 25% community spread. We have 320 deaths per million with 6% community spread. Sweeden death rate is not really bad when you consider they halfway to herd immunity you numpty.
@Masses are awakening: Irony overload.
@Masses are awakening: Scientists are still unsure whether individuals who have recovered from the novel coronavirus are immune to further infection — much less whether entire populations can keep the disease from reaching their most vulnerable members…you numpty.
@Gavin Conran: The common cold is another type of Corinavirus – how are we getting on in terms of herd immunity with that?
@Paul: in terms of deaths per capita globally they’re just ahead of Netherlands, then Sint Maarten (not a big enough population to include in stats) and then Ireland. They should now have higher immunity (ie less death in the future) and a better economy to fund their health system.
@Nurse on call: Sweden did several low economic effect lockdown measures. For example all
Students over 16 sent home.
The 62lives per million is 260dead people at this moment alone.
Ireland squashed the virus from a far higher level of infection than Sweden.
Sweden is surrounded by the best performing lockdown countries in Western Europe. Ireland has open borders and goods traffic to the Dirty man of Europe …UK
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: ugh
@Nurse on call: We have had 1571 deaths with lock-down, we’d have more deaths without one. That is what that says. We would be worse that Sweden if we followed Sweden.
Also, if more than 0.008% of our population (ended up critically at the same time, we’d run out of ICU beds (4.9 million x 0.00008 = 411). We have 411 UCU beds, 1 bed per 11,922 people.
@Gavin Conran: I really don’t understand your logic, lockdown will destroy the economy which will destroy the heath system which will kill multiplies of what this virus will ever kill……do you people not join the dots at all?, do you think there is some magic money tree that will magically pay for all the services you take for granted…..you have no bloody idea what can happen if the economy goes really bad because you don’t have a brain cell in your head.
And if you think it cannot happen go ask the Greeks about their experiences for the last 10 years…..
@Nurse on call: I will not obey any second wave of regulation in connection with this. Protect the vulnerable and let everyone else get on with it.
In my opinion, we are in the second wave, considering the bug that was here just after christmas.
@Joe_X: You mean the flu?
@Johnny 5: No, I mean the bug that doctors were telling people was a viral infection, but never said it was the flu! We really have no idea how long it’s been in this country or how many people have actually had it as it was the middle of the flu season and people were being misdiagnosed with it.
@Joe_X: yeah, its definitely here longer than we think, my sister was very sick in hospital after Christmas with her lungs, doctors were flummoxed, she had every Corona symptom
This whole thing is becoming like an episode of Dads Army. Lance Corporal Jones on one side “don’t panic, don’t panic” and Private Frazer on the other side “we’re doomed, doomed”
It’s over. But the Covid Guys want to keep being on TV and getting loads of publicity and money
@Gerald: take off the tinfoil hat, get some fresh air.
The people who died with Covid (not necessarily FROM Covid) is very sad and RIP however on average, another 85 people died in Ireland today. We really need keep this thing in perspective and give people back there lives. There is no argument for not letting everything reopen subject to social distancing and hygiene.
I wish all these experts could get together & agree on this, this is the complete opposite of another expert on the tv today!
@Colette Kearns: Truth is none of them have a clue, and neither do we. Sensible thing to do is take a good look at the facts and work off that. Healthy people under 40 are safe. Old people need to isolate, those with medical conditions also need to isolate. And the rest continue their lives, it’s as simple as that. The more that get this and form some sort of immunity the better. This lockdown has gone on far too long, pressure was off the healthcare 2 weeks ago and that was the point of the lockdown, to take pressure off healthcare. Its turned into a game for them. If Sinn Féin want to earn a vote off me as party in opposition they may start shouting for the economy to open again, somebody may start shouting because this is a joke
@Colette Kearns: no need for that they just have to look at social media there’s more experts there then in hospitals and laboratories
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: You’re looking for herd immunity? How many thousands should we sacrifice just so you can put your toys back in your pram. Christ, the absolute gall and selfishness is astounding.
@Johnny 5: Sorry Johnny what do you suggest? We stay inside for the next 2-3 years and wait for the vaccine? The Spanish flu ended in 1919 because it burnt itself out. Healthy people need to get it, weaken it and this reducing the chances of someone with underlying health conditions dying. Look at chicken pox. Not every child gets it. Why? Because enough of the child’s friends or siblings got it and the so called child was infected with a small tiny amount of this not causing harm. We, the healthy people need to get a form of it and fight it for those who can’t. Lockdown isn’t allowing that to happen.
@Johnny 5: I’m not talking about spraying a bottle of this virus in the face of my Granny, wise up. Anyone at risk stay at home like the millions of healthy people are doing right now for the sake of those at risk. There’s no reason not to open the economy again, the pressure is off healthcare, even at our peak there wasn’t even half our ICU beds in use. With social distancing enforced and good hygiene, and encouraging anyone at risk of the virus to stay at home, there literally isn’t any reason that you can give me for continuing the lockdown
@Nurse on call: Who said anything about 2 to 3 years? The Spanish flu burnt itself out you say? Up to 50 million people died as a result. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you’re not really a nurse on call. More a heartless, soulless narcissist.
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: I’ll listen to the medical experts rather than the internet know it alls, thank you very much.
@Johnny 5: What timeframe would you suggest then? The lockdown will have the last phase starting in August and we would be 6 months in then. Simon Harris stated for TodayFm that he supports social distancing until a vaccine is found.
The fastest developed vaccine so far needed almost 5 years to get approval.
What timeframe shoild we think we should have in mind with the current government?
@Johnny 5: You keep your head stuck in the sand then good lad, might be better off there. I’ll put it to ya this way, I’m already back at work, there’s no monetary reason for me to be crying for the economy to open. It’s just incredibly clear how destructive were being right now and the more people that realise that the better. 50’000 people needing cancer checks, tens of 1000′s missing out on surgeries and medical attention. 1000′s of small businesses that will never open again. 100′s of jobs already moved overseas. Up to 110’000 retail jobs on the verge of being cut. I could go on and on… But you keep your head in the sand kid
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: As I said already, I’ll listen to the health experts, not the internet narcissists. You keep telling yourself you’re woke.
@Johnny 5: You’re doing a lot of talking there with nothing to back up your point and yet you resort to calling me a narcissist? Ironic enough to be honest. You said I’ve have an “absolute gall and selfishness” throughout my comment, yet I could say the very same to you who wants to continue a lockdown at the expense of like I say, 50’000 people who want cancer checks, 100′s of 1000′s that may lose jobs, 1000′s of businesses that will go bankrupt, etc etc etc. Wise up, it’s obvious we need to open up quicker, and mark my words, the roadmap will be accelerated in some form, the government will surely realise too at some point, pity it’s taking them so long though
Why is ECDC surprised that population immunity is only 2-14%? Population immunity requires population infection, and we’ve all been shut away for weeks. If governments haven’t spent the past few weeks breathing space in beefing up health care and hospital capacity then lockdown has been a waste of time and money. As for Glynn thinking we have this under control and a second wave is not inevitable, it’s only manageable because of lockdown and of course there will a slew of new cases once people begin moving around again.
Total number of deaths in Ireland for the week 11-18 May last year was higher than total number of deaths for the same period this year
Let that sink in
All you have to do is look it up on rip.ie
@Oracle Steve: Plenty of factors at play here. Pubs shut, less antisocial behaviour. Drug dealers lying low, less overdoses. Less traffic on the roads, less accidents.
@Oracle Steve: rip.ie isn’t anything to base anything on. It’s a paid-for website, not an official source of………..anything.
The biggest wave will be all the people who will have missed appointments or late diagnosis of illnesses because of cancelled appointments or closed services .
My own dad is critically I’ll in hospital and if his appointment that was cancelled 6 weeks ago happened more than likely the problem that caused his stroke would have been address .
16,000 operations have been cancelled so far in Ireland cancer clinics are running at a fraction of their capacity we are in for a big wave .
I have to say so many Irish people still will do what pat kenny or Ciara Kelly or joe Duffy tell them to do.
Reading these comments reminds me once again why it was a good decision to emigrate.
@Quentin Tarantino: glad you did too, with that attitude, you can stay there too
@Jeni Moriarty: haha. Enjoy
in fact sweeden practiced eugenics until 1979 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilisation_in_Sweden
I just hope to God they are right and they know what they are doing.
Have you looked at the Swedish model? They really are no worse than us except that they have more immunity now and we don’t. Have you looked at what some scientists and statisticians are saying, whose opinions indicate that the steps taken which have crashed our economy and destroyed our social fabric went way over the top, apart of course from the common sense steps to shelter the weak and infirm, as would be normal in any virus situation? Of course, we didn’t do that where our residents of nursing homes are concerned. Dr Ml Ryan muttered the other day the we could learn something from Sweden, yet it was WHO who have failed to temper the mass hysteria. Look at what Prof. Dolores Cahill, Knut Witkowski, Dr Marcus de Brun, and so many others have to say.
@Ann Naughton: what they actually have is evidence of……having had the coronavirus. There isn’t enough evidence yet that that gives you any immunity at all. Exposing people to risk on a false premise isn’t wise.
I’m staying in lockdown til next spring. Have fun guys!
I’d imagine Sweden’s level of immunity is much higher… well end up with about the same deaths over time and a lockdown that crucifies the economy including future health service funding. Is anyone in the govt weighing the longer term impacts?
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