Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Nabarro for being with us today. I have several health questions. It is clear that having an underlying condition, such as a heart condition or a respiratory condition, may exacerbate one's experience of the virus if it is contracted. If it is to be the case that we are going to have to live with coronavirus for some time I am concerned about what underlying conditions may increase the chance of a person contracting the disease in the first instance. For example, the National Council for the Blind of Ireland has observed that people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired cannot socially distance in the same way as others, or cannot be expected to physically distance all of the time. I am also concerned about people with neurological conditions, including dementia and others, which make it difficult to remember and process information in the same way. Obviously, this is complex and evolving public health information.

I appreciate this is the earliest point in a complex virus but do we have any sense or perception yet of what the long-term implications of the virus might be on an individual who has had it and recovered?