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An adviser to the World Health Organization says Ireland should allow Covid-19 to spread in a “controlled” manner among people under the age of 60.
Johan Giesecke, Sweden’s former chief epidemiologist and a member of the WHO strategic and technical advisory group for infectious hazards, will make the remarks at the Oireachtas coronavirus committee on Wednesday morning.
Several medical experts will appear before the committee, which is examining options to eliminate community transmission of Covid-19.
Mr. Giesecke will advise the Government to allow the controlled spread of the virus among those under 60 years of age and to target the elderly and frail, with frequent testing of staff and residents in residences.
Dr Martin Daly, former president of the Irish Medical Organization, disagrees with that approach. “In my opinion, it is a social experiment since it runs the risk of spreading to our vulnerable groups. Because even with the best will in the world, it will take a special kind of discipline to protect our vulnerable groups.
“I still think we should follow the current NPHET [National Public Health Emergency Team] advice, “he said.
Mr. Giesecke will also tell the government not to build its Covid strategy around a possible vaccine.
They will say there could be a long wait for immunization and that it may not be effective for those who need it most.
It will also urge the government to mistrust the authoritarian and undemocratic decisions of the authorities during the pandemic.
Additionally, Ireland should also stop targeting Covid-free status or even as low as July at the end of the shutdown, the Irish Society for Clinical Microbiology president Kirsten Schaffer will tell the committee.
The “economic and social impact would be devastating,” he is expected to say.
This comes after Dr. Ronan Glynn, the acting medical director, warned that Covid-19 is spreading “disproportionately” among younger people.
The latest figures from the Center for Health Protection Surveillance show that 40 percent of cases in the past two months have been in people between the ages of 15 and 34.
Another 334 cases of the virus were reported across the country on Tuesday.
NPHET will consider whether to recommend further restrictions at a meeting on Thursday. Up to eight counties are in danger of moving to Level 3 restrictions, the same level in effect in Dublin.
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