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Ireland is at arguably its \u201ctrickiest moment\u201d as it begins to ease Covid-19 public health restrictions, a senior Government official has warned.<\/p>\nIreland is at arguably its \u201ctrickiest moment\u201d as it begins to ease Covid-19 public health restrictions, a senior Government official has warned.<\/p>\n
Liz Canavan, assistant secretary general at the Department of the Taoiseach, said people can afford to be \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d but they need to \u201cstay vigilant\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a bit more time to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are vaccinated and a higher proportion of the broader population is vaccinated,\u201d Ms Canavan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is working so we can afford to be cautiously optimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be able to look forward to further relaxation of restrictions in the coming months but we still have to go easy for the next while.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe careful and staggered relaxing of restrictions has to be at just the right pace so that we do not get ahead of ourselves so the disease incidence and the protection the vaccine brings are not in balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cArguably this is the trickiest moment and we don\u2019t want to misstep now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Canavan appealed to people to continue to adhere to public health guidelines.<\/p>\n
She said there would be a further easing of restrictions from next week and that the Government would also be considering \u201cwhat\u2019s possible for May and beyond\u201d.<\/p>\n
From Monday non-contact outdoor sports activities, such as golf and tennis, can resume, outdoor visitor attractions, such as zoos, wildlife parks and pet farms, can reopen and the maximum attendance at funerals will be increased to 25.<\/p>\n
Her comments come as the chairman of the GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organization said he believes the Government can still meet its target of vaccinating 80 per cent of the population by June.<\/p>\n
Dr Denis McCauley told RTE\u2019s Morning Ireland program he believes the rollout of the vaccination program is going well.<\/p>\n
The Government has a target of 250,000 weekly doses of the vaccine being administered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vaccination program is going well,\u201d Dr McCauley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re along the European average, we\u2019re doing as well as we can.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you compare us with Denmark, the only difference is they got extra Pfizer so I think we should be pleased.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe infrastructure and the people are working hard, as soon as we get vaccines we\u2019re giving it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr McCauley described the rates of coronavirus in the community as \u201csteady\u201d, adding this was primarily due to the \u201cgood actions of the Irish people\u201d and that the rates were not coming down further because the variant was more infectious.<\/p>\n
Asked about the possibility of the lengthening the gap between the administration of doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines he said: \u201cAny change has to be shown to be a very good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr McCauley also said he believed mental health issues would become a long-term issue post-Covid.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is talking about long Covid but I think one of the specialties that will be experiencing this in the long term is the psychiatric services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are tired and also anxious and depressed,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be one of the long Covid features that we will be treating, even when the lockdown is eased somewhat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will take a long time for the effect of the lockdown to sort of dissipate for these people, so it has been very difficult for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
People aged 64 can now register to receive the vaccine through the HSE\u2019s online portal.<\/p>\n
Registration will be available for people aged between 63 and 60 over the coming days.<\/p>\n
To date more than 165,000 people between 64 and 69 years have registered for the jab through the portal.<\/p>\n
The rollout of the vaccines in the over 70s age group and the high risk cohort is continuing.<\/p>\n
As of Friday, a total of 1,275,828 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered.<\/p>\n
Some 23 per cent of the population has received one dose, while almost 10% have received two doses.<\/p>\n
On Friday morning there were 166 people with coronavirus in hospital, including 48 in ICU.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health confirmed 10 more deaths linked to Covid-19 and 617 new cases of the virus on Thursday.<\/p>\n