Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----does not reflect the reality of what I have seen as Minister. I have seen the most incredibly dedicated people in the HSE, at local level, and in the Department of Health working 24-7 against a global pandemic. As I stated last week, the villain here is not someone working in the HSE or even some bureaucrat, or even a Minister; the villain is a virus - the worst we have seen in a century - that has taken the lives of so many people, particularly older individuals. I think 90% of people in this country who have died as a result of the virus had underlying health conditions. We know how infectious this virus is and we know how hard it is to keep it out of anybody's home.

I do, however, agree with the Deputy on several points, particularly on the lessons learned in terms of the model of care.

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