The Taoiseach said new restrictions in the near future could not be ruled out, but insisted that vaccinations offered significant protection against the new Covid variant.
The Taoiseach said new restrictions in the near future could not be ruled out, but insisted that vaccinations offered significant protection against the new Covid variant. S peaking on Thursday evening after another five cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in Ireland, Micheal Martin said that the country was in a very different position to last Christmas due to the high level of vaccine uptake. “As of now, we’re not contemplating any additional restrictions,” Mr Martin said. However, he warned that the pandemic has repeatedly surprised health officials and politicians. He added: “I can never rule out anything in respect of the pandemic because it has had the capacity to throw up new developments.” Mr Martin said that he did not envisage any new restrictions, but warned: “We have a new variant on the scene so we have to be cautious. “Obviously, we will follow the scientific advice in respect of what is happening with Omicron.” Six cases of the new Omicron variant have now been confirmed in Ireland. On Thursday, health officials also said they were braced for more cases of the virus in Ireland. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “A number of other probable cases are under investigation. Although this is a new variant, our early understanding gives us confidence that a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine will offer good protection against Omicron and Delta infection.” “Our current wave of disease continues to be driven by the Delta variant of Covid-19. We know that the public health measures we are so familiar with will break the chains of transmission of Delta, and we are confident they will work on Omicron,” he said. Mr Martin, speaking on the Tonight Show on Virgin Media, said that the timeline for providing vaccinations to children – following approval from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) – was currently being worked out. He indicated that a full plan and a timeline from the HSE could be ready within a week. “This creates a new logistical challenge for the HSE in terms of how this gets organised. I do think we should give them the time to come up with a comprehensive plan, announce it in a comprehensive way,” he said.
