‘We still have control of Covid-19’

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The acting medical director has said that the Irish have learned to live safely with Covid-19 and that the virus is still “under control here.”

However, he said there is no certainty about what will happen in the pandemic.

Speaking on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show, Dr. Ronan Glynn said that the Government together with NPHET will publish a coronavirus plan for the country for the next nine months in the coming weeks.

He said that we are closing the first chapter of Covid-19 and now we are going to chapter two.

He urged people to get vaccinated against the flu during the coming winter and asked the public to continue monitoring the elderly.

Dr. Glynn said that “we are still in control” of Covid-19.

“It is the efforts of the Irish people that maintain this, and have maintained it [the virus] under control, “he said.

He said there has been a slow increase in cases and “we would like to see a much smaller number of cases every day.”

However, he said the National Public Health Emergency Team is experiencing stabilization and must ensure that it continues.

Dr. Glynn said he has been accused of scaremongering, but said NPHET doesn’t take any numbers for granted.

He said he agrees with the number of coronavirus cases in its current form, but the increase in cases should be monitored.

Dr. Glynn said that at some point in the next few months, there will be an increase and decrease in coronavirus cases across Europe.

He said there is a strong silent majority that has adhered to the measures from the beginning “which gives him great hope.”

He said there is no certainty about the Covid-19 pandemic, and that he has no certainty of what will happen.

“There is no expert in this world who can say with certainty what is going to happen in the next nine months,” he said.

“We will continue to learn and adapt as we have for the past six months.”

Dr. Glynn said that the reopening of the schools should give us hope.

He also said that today there was a “very constructive” meeting with sports organizations, where opinions were exchanged.

Dr. Glynn said we needed schools to reopen and that August was not the right time to reopen pubs and wet places that see people congregating like at sporting events.

He said that if the number of cases remains stable in the future, all pubs should be able to reopen eventually.

“The key for the next few weeks is for the schools to stay open,” he said.

For Covid-19 to stay stable, Dr. Glynn said the message, like washing hands, stays the same.

He said that people are still listening, and if they weren’t, the disease would not be stable.

Dr. Glynn said that over the past six weeks people had become a problem.

However, he said that as we approach winter time, he does not want a message to get out that people should not meet.

“I am well aware of the impact on mental health and well-being that this pandemic has had on people across the country.

“We don’t want to see people isolated in their homes this winter, we need people to stay connected.

“We need people to get out there, exercise and play sports. All of that has to happen … But we need people to do it in a slightly different way.”

He said that the Government does not always follow NPHET’s advice, but that it is the Government’s job.

Dr. Glynn also confirmed that the issue of pubs that hold food receipts was not a specific recommendation from NPHET.

He added that the vast majority in the hospitality industry “have done their job.”

On a possible vaccine for Covid-19, Dr. Glynn said that he has seen levels of research and investment in terms of a vaccine for Covid-19.

“It would be unprecedented for one to develop, but the signs are good,” he said.

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