Covid restrictions and boosters
Deputy O'Donnell asked about rapid testing, antigen testing in sport, and whether the Covid certificate would be extended beyond 22 October. The Tánaiste said no decisions had yet been made on easing restrictions and that booster advice was awaited.
In the context of the full reopening on 22 October, the 43% increase in Covid cases over the past week and the fact that two thirds of new cases involve under-44s, and with less than 10% of the population driving 50% of hospital admissions and the majority of people who are admitted being unvaccinated, I will ask three questions.
First, with regard to the toolkit, Professor Mary Horgan is heading up an expert advisory group on rapid testing. Where is its report? We need to get rapid testing rolling. The Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications wants to see rapid antigen testing as part of the toolkit.
Second, 370,000 people are unvaccinated. Of those, 300,000 are adults who have not received any vaccine and 70,000 have not received a second dose. What are we doing as a public campaign to get them vaccinated?
Comment on this
Third, will the Covid certificate be extended beyond 22 October?
Comment on this
We have not made any decision yet on the planned easing of restrictions on 22 October. We will do that during the early part of next week, probably on Monday or Tuesday. We will have more data and a better read on the epidemiological situation by then. However, no decisions have yet been made in that regard. We will have to consider matters as we see more data over the next few days.
The vaccine booster programme is progressing. We are waiting on advice from the national immunisation advisory committee, which I hope arrives soon, in respect of a wider booster programme. Israel, which saw a return of Delta, got its numbers down and under control again through an extensive booster programme. The case for something like that is stronger than ever.
I do not know when the rapid testing report is due but I will find out and revert to the Deputy.
Regarding people who are not vaccinated yet, vaccines are still available and vaccine centres are still open. It is a personal choice, but the truth is that, if everyone in Ireland was fully vaccinated, we would probably have approximately 25 people in ICU and 200 in hospital overall today, and there would be no question about easing restrictions on 22 October. It is a personal choice, but it has an impact on other people.