A full level five lockdown would be the only effective way to suppress the current surge of Covid-19 infections, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has told Opposition TDs.
But the Government is not going to introduce such restrictions and public health advice has not changed, according to Minister Donnelly.
He told opposition party health spokespeople that the BA.2 variant is so transmissible that the only possible way of containing the disease would be for Ireland to move to a full lockdown.
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Sinn Fein’s health spokesman David Cullinane told reporters: “I spoke to Stephen Donnelly last night to get a briefing from him on where things are and what’s being said to him by the CMO and the public health experts.
“He said the advice would be that the only way if you were to look at trying to suppress the disease because of its transmissibility, you would have to go for a full level five lockdown and there is no justification for it.
“He is saying that the advice from the CMO at the moment is no change.
“So tinkering around the edges with restrictions is not going to make any difference because of the transmissibility of the disease which means the only option is for a full level five lockdown and I don’t believe there is any justification for that and any public health justification for it.
“Changes around hospitality are not going to make any difference simply because of the transmissibility.
“That's the public health advice and we’ve to accept that.
“He [Stephen Donnelly] was very clear. He doesn't envisage that could change.”
Speaking on his way into Cabinet on Tuesday, Minister Donnelly said: “The public health advice that I have from the Chief Medical Officer, from the Department of Health, consistently over the last several weeks has been that whilst we need to continue to follow the protocol public health advice it's really important that those who haven't been boosted yet get their boosters.
“There's no consideration of bringing in new measures.
"The hospital system is under severe pressure.
“As we know, there is an increasing number of patients with Covid in hospital.
“What we are also looking at, however, is critical care, and when you look at the critical care figures, about half the patients in critical care are in critical care because of Covid and about half… of them have been boosted.”
Speaking at Leinster House, Mr Cullinane said: “What the CMO is saying regarding the profile of the disease at the moment is that the subvariant is highly transmissible but it’s less severe and the number of people in ICU who are fully vaccinated and are in ICU getting care because of Covid is, 18.
“Every person in ICU is one too many but in the context of the number of cases, it's quite small.
“On that basis what the public health experts seem to be saying is public health restrictions won’t work.
“We also have to trust the public health experts and what they’re saying.”
Minister Donnelly reiterated advice around mask wearing, saying that while the legal requirement has been removed, the public health advice is still to wear a mask while on public transport or in a crowded indoor or outdoor setting, or healthcare setting.
The HSE’s Emergency Department Taskforce is asking that the imposition of public health measures be considered by the Government.
Speaking to Fianna Fáil members on Monday night, Minister Donnelly said the true number of Covid-19 cases in the community is likely to be several hundred thousand cases per week, according to sources at the online meeting.
Senior Government sources have said they would expect up to 2,000 people in hospital “in the next week.”
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