{"id":24125,"date":"2021-11-26T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24125"},"modified":"2021-11-27T09:17:14","modified_gmt":"2021-11-27T14:17:14","slug":"varadkar-calls-fourth-wave-the-pandemic-of-the-unvaccinated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24125","title":{"rendered":"Varadkar Calls Fourth Wave The ‘Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Leo Varadkar warned the virus is now looking for people that are not vaccinated (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The T\u00e1naiste has said the fourth wave of Covid-19 is a \u201cpandemic of the unvaccinated\u201d \u2013 and almost half of people in hospital have not received the jab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leo Varadkar warned the virus is now looking for people that are not vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that more than 700,000 people have now received their third dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Government announced on Friday that the vaccine booster program is to be extended to cover all those aged 16 and above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recommendations from the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NIAC) were accepted by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and endorsed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Varadkar said there is \u201cgrowing evidence\u201d of a stabilization in the number of Covid cases and the positivity rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo essentially what\u2019s happening is virus is looking for people that are unvaccinated,\u201d the Fine Gael leader added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCases are actually now falling among the over-75s and starting to stabilize in the wider adult population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Roughly half of the people in hospital at the moment are not vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately children aged between five and 11 cannot be vaccinated yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo they are now more vulnerable and there will be in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a letter to the Government, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nhpet) recommended that children\u2019s play dates and social gatherings should be avoided for two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also recommended extending the Covid pass to other sectors where there is a high risk of transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have seen a very sharp increase in infections among children under 11 in the last couple of weeks, and that\u2019s the basis towards behind the CMOs\u2019 advice, that we want to contain that and put a lid on that,\u201d Mr Varadkar added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny restrictions that the Government decides on next Tuesday will be on foot of that advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are no plans to close retail or hospitality or any businesses at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something that can be ruled out, but the current epidemiological situation doesn\u2019t warrant that because there is now growing evidence that we are now seeing a stabilization in cases and positivity rate and the numbers as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that ministers are meeting on Friday to discuss the new variant that has been identified in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know very much about this variant yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet if it\u2019s going to be a variant of concern, but I think it is fair to say that given our experience with the Delta variant that originated in India, I think governments in the UK and Europe were slow to act on that, and I want to make sure that we are not slow to act on this occasion, so we are going to act quickly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe expect them to make an announcement on travel restrictions later in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ministers are examining the idea of bringing in additional restrictions such as visas and mandatory home quarantine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe legislation has lapsed for mandatory hotel quarantine. So if we introduced that we\u2019ll need to legislate next week to do so,\u201d Mr Varadkar added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that any decisions taken by Cabinet relating to children will be advisory and not statutory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cIt is parents to make their own decisions in relation to how they raise their families but the advice from Nphet and Government is that we believe that when it comes to children aged between five and 11, because they\u2019re not vaccinated, they are now at high risk of getting this virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are advising children in that age group to reduce their number of social interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSchool is fine. Home is fine. But I think other forms of mixing probably isn\u2019t a good idea at this moment in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that it is the \u201chope\u201d of government to keep the hospitality sector and the event sector open across winter, including the Christmas period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat will all depend on what happens with cases and situation in the hospitals over the next week or two,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I do acknowledge the fact that unlike other sectors, for example like retail or construction, hospitality are already feeling an impact because people are cancelling events and are cancelling parties, and we understand that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll certainly be speaking to Mr Donohoe and Minister McGrath to see if there\u2019s anything we can do to help that sector to get through the winter period.\u201d<\/p>\n

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