“We’re at a point of unease and apprehension as to what might happen next.”
Health Service Executive (HSE) CEO Paul Reid has said that the Government are focused on avoiding the "dark days" of December and January amid concerns over the Delta variant.
He said that there is reason for both caution and optimism as 38% of adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and almost two-thirds of adults have received a first dose.
He also said that the country is now at a point of "unease" in spite of the increase in vaccination.
Speaking at a HSE press briefing on Thursday, he told reporters: “We’re at a point of unease and apprehension as to what might happen next.”
He added that 84% of Covid-19 cases are in people aged under 45 which demonstrates the “continued strong benefits” of vaccination.
Reid also said the increase in recent cases in relation to the Delta variant is “concerning”, but that its growth is inevitable.
He said that any advice given to Government over the coming days will be focused on preventing what happened in the “dark days of January and February”.
“There’s no doubt, as sure as night follows day, this is going to go in one particular direction,” Reid said.
“The truth is we don’t really know precisely how the Delta variant and other possible variants will affect us, really, at this stage."
