Dr. Tony Holohan:

The figure 49 is correct, for the week up to 26 January. We report deaths on a weekly basis and 49 is the total. The total number of deaths reported thus far is 6,136. The Chairman is correct that this has been a fatal disease for some people, even if we can see that the protection against mortality as a severe outcome of infection is significant for those who have been boosted, whereby a real protection can be seen arising from that. There will be people who are at risk, particularly those who have not been vaccinated or boosted or who have significant underlying medical conditions or vulnerabilities. We know, because we have been examining some of this, that the excess mortality rate in Ireland compares well with that in many other countries in what we have observed over the course of the pandemic. That is one factor that will be taken into account when we stand back and assess the nature of the response here.