"We are literally a week or two away from having the core goal of our vaccination programme achieved."
Immunology Professor Christine Loscher has called for Ireland's planned further reopening on 5 July to be delayed in order to lessen the impact of the Delta variant on Ireland.
Speaking on
Newstalk Breakfast, Loscher said that while delaying the reopening by two weeks would not affect case numbers, it would allow us to finish fully vaccinating the over 60s cohort and thus reduce the impact of the variant.
“My view is that we are literally a week or two away from having the core goal of our vaccination programme achieved,” she said.
“That goal was to protect the vulnerable, those who would get sicker and those who would be at higher risk for severe illness and death."
She added: “The core issue is that the data that came out last week from the HSE shows that the group of 60 to 69-year-olds, only 24% of them have had their second vaccine.
“While I understand completely that we need to start living with Covid, the one thing that we need to have before we start living with Covid is to have people protected and they are the higher-risk people.
“At the moment, there is that gap of that 75% of that age cohort, which represents about 360,000 or 370,000 people around the country – they are the people who are at risk.”
It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team is
to meet today to consider its advice to Government on the continued easing of restrictions on 5 July.
The group are expected to consider a variety of factors including the incidence of Covid-19 in Ireland, hospitalisations, vaccine rollout and the spread of the Delta variant.
Monday's meeting means that Cabinet could make a decision regarding the issue as early as Tuesday.
