Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response

Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice

Dr. Cillian De Gascun:

I will say just one thing about the second wave and then answer the Deputy's question. There is a problem with this new virus. When we have studied previous pandemics, they have all been influenza viruses and have all come with second and third waves. This virus is not influenza. SARS did not really get to a second wave; MERS has not got to a second wave. That is the challenge for us in trying to anticipate what will happen with this virus. The other human coronaviruses tend to be seasonal and to peak in the first month or two of the calendar year. From a virology perspective, we are concerned about winter but-----