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A Swedish expert will tell the Oireachtas Special Covid-19 Response Committee today that the controlled spread of the coronavirus should be allowed among people under the age of 60.
In his opening statement, Dr Johan Giesecke, a former chief epidemiologist in Sweden, will say that Ireland should focus on the elderly and frail with frequent testing of nursing home staff and residents.
It will tell politicians that we should wait at least a year to start comparing countries’ Covid-19 strategies.
Dr. Giesecke will also warn that the epidemic is only at the beginning.
He will advise against basing our strategy on the imminent advent of a vaccine because we may have to wait and it may not be very effective for those who need it most.
Dr Giesecke will say that intensive contact follow-up and contact testing will be needed.
You will tell the committee that Covid-19 has surprised people many times and may do so again.
The committee is today examining strategic options to use the Government’s plan to eliminate community transmission of the coronavirus in Ireland.
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Closures ‘are not inevitable’
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Covid-19 committee has said that giving people options instead of forcing lockdowns should be seen as a more successful way to respond to the virus in the long term.
Michael McNamara has said that measuring the success of a lockdown is difficult and you must ask yourself whether the goal of a lockdown is to temporarily suppress the virus or is it done for another reason.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, McNamara said two counties, Offaly and Kildare, may face further restrictions after already having an additional three weeks of restrictions, raising the question of the success of the original measures taken.
Lockdowns are not inevitable, he said, adding that we must consider whether it is possible to protect the vulnerable from the virus, while at the same time allowing society to move and operate more normally.
He said the committee would hear the views of other countries today, including Sweden, and said this is important so as not to risk being insular in our response to the virus.
McNamara clearly said that there is great concern that the spread of the virus is causing hospitalizations.
There are no easy answers, he said, but added that messages about gathering and limiting movements, especially for young people, could have more nuance.
He said some committee members want to ask more questions about the success of the testing program.
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