Dr Glynn claims it is ‘too early at this stage to say’ if the new strain of COVID has reached Ireland

During Monday’s HPSC meeting, Dr. Ronan Glynn said it was “too early at this stage” to discuss the new strand of COVID-19 that was recently detected in London.

A new strain of coronavirus has been identified that is spreading more rapidly, causing sudden increases in cases in London and Kent.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the news in the House of Commons when he confirmed plans to move London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire to Level 3.

Hancock said: “In recent days, thanks to our world-class genomic capabilities in the UK, we have identified a new coronavirus variant that may be associated with more rapid spread in southern England. Initial analysis suggests this variant. it’s growing faster than existing variants. “

However, he said there is no evidence to suggest that the new variant is resistant to vaccines or more deadly, but that it is easier to transmit from person to person.

During today’s meeting, Dr. Glynn was asked about this new branch of the disease and if there is any indication that it has already reached Ireland.

When asked to provide more details on the new strain of COVID-19 that was recently discovered in London and the potential efficacy of the vaccine to combat it, Dr Glynn said: “It is too early to give people false confidence. At this point, doing so would be pure speculation.

“What I can say with confidence is that if people do all the things that we normally ask them to do, chances are they are protecting themselves just as much from this new strain as they are from the virus that was circulating around here for months most recent.

“Ultimately, I would ask people not to worry excessively about things that are beyond our control at the moment. It is better to focus on what they can do individually and as a family to stay safe.”

In terms of tonight’s announcement, there have been two more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,126 in Ireland.

On the other hand, the HPSC has been notified of 264 new cases.

Later during the press conference, Dr. Glynn was asked if the new variant of COVID-19 has reached Ireland.

He said: “There is very little information available on this at the moment. There is more epidemiological and virological research under way by colleagues in the UK.

“Obviously, we would be interested in the potential effects of this variant, in terms of transmission and immune response, but at this stage it is too early to say whether or not it has such effects. We need to wait for more information to come out. It is too early in this stage to say if that variant has been seen in this country. “