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Coronavirus restrictions could remain in place in Ireland for another year despite the imminent launch of the vaccine, according to a prominent Dublin medical expert.
Hope has been raised that the country will return to normal soon with the Pfizer wonderjab that will be available here in early January.
But Aoife McLysaght, a professor in the Molecular Evolution Laboratory at Trinity College, warned that there will not be a complete lifting of the restrictions until the majority of the population has been vaccinated.
“It gives us a timeline where I think about how long this will last,” he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“It’s not going to last forever, but we’ll probably have something like a year until most people are protected.
“So maybe we should think, what can we do for a year? What can we tolerate for a year?”
Professor McLysaght added that the restrictions must remain in place because of the long-term damage the virus can cause to those who contract it.
Unfortunately, there is not only death as a result of this virus.
“There are also long-term illnesses and I think we shouldn’t forget it.
“Death is the starkest statistic, but long-term illness is also important.
“I think we really can’t underestimate this virus and the effects it has and I think we should think more about protecting the entire population.”
This morning, a 90-year-old Irish woman became the first person in the world outside of clinical trials to receive a dose of the Pfizer injection.
Margaret Keenan, a native of Enniskillen, was struck this morning at 6.45am at a Coventry hospital.
(Image: PA)
The grandmother, who has lived in England for 60 years, was hit just a week before her 91st birthday.
She said, “It’s the best anticipated birthday gift I could wish for, because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Years after being alone most of the year.
“I can’t thank May and the NHS staff enough who have taken such tremendous care of me, and my advice to anyone who is offered the vaccine is to take it; if I can have it at 90, you can have it too.”
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly presented a memo to Cabinet this morning outlining the launch of the vaccine in the Republic of Ireland.
The plan will allow long-term care facility residents over 65 to receive the first doses, followed by healthcare workers who are in direct contact with patients.
Those over 70 will be next, starting with those over 85 and working in five-year bands.
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