Professor Paul Moynagh, Head of the Department of Biology and Director of the Human Health Research Institute at Maynooth University, has warned that Ireland’s high vaccination rate meant that the situation was now “likely to be as good as they are going to get”.
There was no point in delaying reopening any further with no reason to expect case rates to improve in the Autumn,
Vaccines were doing what they were supposed to do, protecting people against serious illness and hospitalisation, he added. There would be breakthrough infections as the vaccine could not give total immunity.
“We are getting very close to — if not already at — the point where things are as good as they are going to get, so that should be reflected in some of the things we are thinking about.”
The Government should have been more ambitious with reopening earlier in the summer, said Prof Moynagh. Events like the concert in the Iveagh Gardens had been pointless as they were set up with no risk, instead they should have mirrored what could actually happen in reality, he said.
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