Taoiseach Micheál Martin spoke of a «sense of inevitability about the progression of a delta variable» which would have «implications for the kind of constraints one might have».
He was speaking ahead of a summit of European Union leaders at which the 27 member states discussed the spread of the more contagious delta variant that threatens to increase the number of infections among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people.
Martin said the variant is expected to become the dominant strain across Europe, which could have repercussions for the restrictions.
«There is a sense of inevitability about the progression of the delta variant in general, and that obviously has implications for the kind of constraints one might have,» Martin said.
The government is studying ways to speed up vaccination, apart from shortening the interval between AstraZeneca doses, to cover more of the population, according to Taoiseach.
«We will continue to explore other avenues if we can speed up the vaccine program because vaccines will provide very clear protection from the data.»
Transport Secretary Eamonn Ryan said the level of hospitalization linked to Covid-19 will be the main yardstick when making decisions about reopening next week, and Mr Ryan has also indicated he would prefer to stick to European rules on travel, rather than differ. Even if public health officials advise against non-essential travel for unvaccinated people.
basic scale
The Green Party leader said Thursday when asked about the key metrics when the government decides to reopen society.
Besides hospitalization, he also suggested that spreading the disease to a wider population would be important.
«It’s the level of hospital treatment, the numbers in the intensive care unit, the incidence of cases, it’s the key metrics,» he said. Ryan, who was launching the first services under Dublin’s redesigned bus network, which will operate from Howth and Malahide on Sunday, said it was too early to say whether the government would delay indoor dining plans to reopen on July 5.
«We have to be careful, we have to look at the numbers right now, but the other analysis is that the vaccination plan is really working, the volume of vaccinations in recent weeks has been enormous, and there is real protection from that,» he said.
He said the government’s plan is to resume non-essential travel from July 19, when the EU Green Certificate will come into operation. Under the plan, those who have been vaccinated, who have recovered from a recent Covid infection, or who have negative PCR tests will be allowed to do non-essential travel. However, Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer and head of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), has previously indicated his view that travel should be related to vaccination status.
«We’re part of the European Union, and we agreed it’s best to go with the EU’s approach,» Ryan said. While the government will «clearly» listen to Nphet and the European Center for Disease Control, he said «there is strength in a joint approach».
“Travel includes another jurisdiction on every occasion when you leave a country, and doing it in a standard and uniform way really makes sense, it makes it predictable, standardized and easier to manage rather than having different rules for different countries at different times. It is much better to take the European approach.”
Travel
Asked if he expects advice from Nphet on re-starting travel on July 19 next week, at the same time he is giving advice on reopening indoor dining and other activities on July 5, he said he expects «their advice next week will be more likely in the future.» It concerns July 5.
Meanwhile, in joint conclusions, the 27 EU leaders welcomed progress in vaccination and the recent decline in infection numbers across the continent.
However, the rising cases in Britain due to the more contagious Delta type despite the high level of vaccination is raising fears that progress may be short-lived and that EU countries will be the next to experience a new boom.
Leaders stressed «the need to continue vaccination efforts and to be vigilant and coordinated regarding developments, particularly the emergence and spread of variants.»
At the summit, the German chancellor pressured member states such as Portugal to make travelers from Britain subject to quarantine even if they had been vaccinated due to the dominance of the delta variant in the UK.
Mediterranean member states are keen to reopen due to the importance of their tourism industries, and many countries have already started using European Covid-19 certificates to facilitate travel.
This measure would ensure «the full return to freedom of movement as soon as the state of public health permits,» 27 agreed.
Coming to the top, Taoiseach said countries are likely to make different choices about travel and restrictions.
“There may be different responses from member states to the delta format,” Martin said. «I don’t see a drastic change at the European level regarding the delta variant.»
delay
Earlier, a member of Nphet suggested that she and several GPs would prefer to delay the reopening schedule so that the country’s vaccination program can be advanced before social distancing restrictions are eased.
Dr Marie Favier, Covid advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners, told RTÉ radio Morning Ireland that there was concern about a «slight increase» in the number of cases involving the variant as the proposed date for this easing approaches.
“We need more time to vaccinate. The vaccination program is working very well. Another two to three weeks will give us a million more doses which will make a really big difference,” she said.
«At this point, it’s all about gun vaccination. It’s a very difficult decision. People are tired and tired. I think the feeling on Earth, the feeling of many GPs, is that vaccination saves lives.»
“If two to three weeks of getting our health services in the same conditions we were in in January can prevent that many deaths or go into another lockdown, I think the feeling is that we are a very strategic delay.”
It warned that if the number of delta variant cases continues to rise, difficult decisions will have to be made about further easing of restrictions planned on July 5, as Neft is scheduled to advance its one-day meeting scheduled for next Thursday in order. to consider its advice to the government.
She said the government would then be the one to decide when to ease restrictions on indoor facilities, and the decision would be made using «many variables».
She said that if people were told that delaying the easing of restrictions by a few weeks means we would avoid further lockdowns and increased pressure on the health system, the public would understand. «Social solidarity and extraordinary community efforts have brought us this far.»
She said GPs are finding it hard to pin down the exact numbers for the variable because people are now heading straight to pop-up testing centers and doctors can’t access the data because of the cyberattack on the Director of Health Services.
Previously when patients had access to testing through GPs, they were given advice about isolation and text communication, she said, «but we can’t do that now.»
She added that this was a matter of concern because the delta variant was more contagious and there was a change in general behavior.
high cases
Earlier, two doctors based in northwest Ireland on both sides of the border said there was a growing number of Covid-19 cases in the seemingly delta-type region.
Dr Tom Black, who lives in Derry, told Morning Ireland: «We’re seeing a lot of sick children and young adults, not old people. Half of the cases in Northern Ireland are delta-type, and we expect that to rise to 75 per cent in the next two weeks.»
He said the number of cases in Strapani and Derry is three times higher than in the rest of Northern Ireland.
Dr Black said the vaccination program was holding up well and there were very few cases among people over 60 and very few cases in hospital.
However, he acknowledged that as GPs they weren’t sure the cases they were seeing were delta-types, but were seeing more symptoms that went along with it.
The North’s Public Health Agency said Wednesday that as of the day before, there were 612 confirmed or probable delta-type cases in the North — more than double the total in the previous week.
Across the border in Ko Donegal, Dr. Dennis McCauley said they have also seen a «rise» in upper respiratory infections among children, but due to the ongoing problems caused by the HSE cyberattack, they did not have the full details.
What happened in Derry is usually replicated in Donegal, he said, adding that more cases will be seen in Donegal as the number of cases in Northern Ireland rises.
Dr Black said temporary clinics have been set up around Derry to address «gaps» between those aged 40 to 60 who have not been vaccinated. He said people under the age of 40 who contracted the virus did not get very sick.
Dr McCauley said he was cautious about easing restrictions on indoor facilities and warned that if modeling indicated there would be an increase in the numbers, the government would have to «get brave» and make the difficult decision to postpone.