Mr. Paul Reid:

I thank Deputy Butler. I will make a couple of points on her comment that the wrong approach was taken. If one looks at what was happening and the timeline that it was happening on across Europe, what learnings were happening as the disease spread from China and particularly as it spread through Spain and Italy there were definitely indications that older people were more vulnerable. However there was limited information about the impact in longer-term care settings and indeed in nursing homes, right up to and including the middle of March and indeed later in March when it became very evident.

Evidence of the transmission of the disease, particularly as we experienced it in Ireland, was that people who were elderly and frail did not experience the symptoms that were projected as part of the normal case definition, that is, they were not symptomatic. The transmission occurred through non-symptomatic persons, residents and others.

I will comment on the overall approach. Dr. David Nabarro was before the committee last week. He outlined the approach we have taken in Ireland. He said that he could not think of more things we could have done to protect citizens and elderly people. As CEO of the HSE I am wide open to learning lessons. We will fully embrace the advisory committee or expert panel that has been established. We have to understand the lessons.