{"id":23608,"date":"2021-10-23T11:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23608"},"modified":"2021-10-24T10:01:55","modified_gmt":"2021-10-24T14:01:55","slug":"martin-this-winter-will-be-key-in-battle-against-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23608","title":{"rendered":"Martin: This Winter Will Be Key In Battle Against Covid-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Up to 150 people could be in intensive care with Covid by the end of November, the Taoiseach has warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miche\u00e1l Martin also said he believed there could be an annual vaccine against the virus in the future and added that he could not predict when the country would return to normal following the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with Newstalk FM, Mr Martin said there was concern about the growing number of Covid cases in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, there were a further 2,466 confirmed cases, with 457 patients in hospital, 90 of those in intensive care units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Taoiseach said: \u201cThere are a lot of things going on. First of all, we are in a much different space than we were last year in the sense that we have vaccination and 93 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is concern out there, and I am concerned about the rising numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about Nphet modelling for case numbers over the winter, Mr Martin said: \u201cThere is the optimistic model, there is the pessimistic model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could be looking at up to 150 in ICU by the end of November. That would be serious in terms of the wider impact on the health service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut if we all collectively behave, what I mean by that is watch ourselves, be a bit more cautious about how we go about in congregations, we can pull this back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Taoiseach said antigen testing and booster vaccines both had a role to play in combating Covid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy own view is that, given where we are now, I think antigen has a role. Some sectors have rolled it out effectively, I know there have been trials in universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people were fully vaccinated, there was a phase when people felt they didn\u2019t need to do any tests at all. We now know if you are vaccinated it doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t get infected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe antigen has a role in that respect, but it is a role that supplements PCR tests, and they are both working together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoosters will work and will give the extra protection that people require. The research is increasingly showing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the over-60s, I think this will be significant in preventing high case numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin continued: \u201cI actually think into the future we will be looking at an annual Covid vaccine for the time being, just like we have the flu vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScience, in the end, and medicine will catch up with this virus and in the meantime we\u2019ve got to use all of the weapons in our armory to try and hold it at bay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Martin said he had always felt that this winter would be a key stage in the battle against Covid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cIt is very difficult to predict with Covid because we have to watch for any potential mutations and new variants, that is always a worry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is very, very difficult to predict when we are going to return to the kind of normality that we experienced before the pandemic. I always felt that we would have to get through this winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are different phases of this pandemic. We are now in a new phase with a fully vaccinated population, boosters and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n

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