5,156 cases of Covid were confirmed in Ireland today.
Micheál Martin has said that it is “clear as daylight” that unvaccinated people are taking risks for both themselves and the public while they remain unvaccinated.
The Taoiseach made the remarks on Sunday (5 December) as new restrictions come into action in the run up to Christmas.
“We have done well relative to others, there’s a very good, strong booster campaign being administered now across the country,” he said.
“It’s really important that people take up the vaccinations, even those that haven’t taken a first or second dose. It is very important that they consider taking their first or second dose and that people take their booster when offered.
“We know now that the unvaccinated have a disproportionate impact on our health services, on our ICU beds.
“It’s as clear as daylight that you are taking real risks if you don’t get vaccinated, in terms of your own personal health and the health of others.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said it is ‘clear as daylight’ that if people do not get vaccinated against Covid-19, they are jeopardising their personal health and the health of others. | Read more: https://t.co/9kFhi3hGoJ pic.twitter.com/gSFB5ZrVHG
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 5, 2021
“So vaccination is key, but also the emergence of antivirals will be very important early in the new year, in terms of helping to treat people more effectively than perhaps earlier in the pandemic, and there will be a childhood vaccination programme in relation to the pandemic which should commence early in the new year as well,” he concluded.
The comments echo Tánaiste Leo Varadkar sentiments that were shared on CNN earlier in November, where he said that unvaccinated people were “causing a lot of the trouble” as cases continue to rise.
“We do have among the highest vaccination rates in the world – around 94% of adults are fully vaccinated,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the 5% that are not are causing a lot of the trouble. About 5% are not fully vaccinated but about 50% of people in hospital in ICU are not fully vaccinated, so even that 5% can create a lot of difficulty.”
Around 300,000 people are yet to receive a first dose in Ireland, with 70,000 receiving a first dose according to Dr Ronan Glynn from NPHET.
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