Dr. Tony Holohan:

We are prepared for a situation whereby we might see an increase in influenza. The conditions in the population, now that it is vaccinated and protected against Covid, are more conducive to the transmission of flu. In terms of immunity, there might be reasons to theorise that we may be more vulnerable than we otherwise would be to transmission of flu. We have examined the experience of the southern hemisphere, as we always do, during its winter, which was our summer just ended. We are gaining some reassurance from that. We will have a major response to flu in prevention terms, not least of which will be our flu vaccination programme, which we hope to be in a position to commence in the coming weeks, as usual. We are-----