Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the purpose of this session.

Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked an important question about the current R number. I do not want to take Deputy Butler's time. Professor Philip Nolan will provide an update this evening, but I would like to share with the House that we now have four different methods for estimating R. The epidemiological modelling group is suggesting that the R number is now between 0.7 and 1. It is encouraging news that it looks like the R number is now at or below 1. We had been saying it was in or around 1. Professor Nolan will present the graphs to back that up this evening. It looks like we are beginning to see it in a plateau in the hospitalisation and critical care cases, but not yet by any manner of means in a decline in new cases. He will also show this evening - it will be important information - that, if our epidemic had continued at an R rate of 2.4, we would have seen 7,800 new cases and 800 people in ICU today and at least 1,700 deaths by this day next week.

Regarding nursing homes, there will be many opportunities to respond, so I will cede the rest of my time to Deputy Butler.

See this speech in context