Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to be here to address the House on what was an important issue when the invitation went out and has become decidedly more so since the arrival of this new variant. I very much welcome the opportunity to update the House on the epidemiological situation and the national response. The current level of Covid-19, as colleagues will be aware, is having a profoundly negative effect on public health as well as placing an enormous burden on all aspects of our health service. The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in hospital including in ICU is still very high and more generally the overall level of infection continues to have a disproportionate and very disruptive impact across the system. We are seeing case numbers previously seen only in January this year.

We know the situation in Ireland is not unique. Countries right across Europe are seeing a surge of cases, and we have heard from the WHO's recent warning that Europe is once again at the epicentre of this pandemic. Many EU countries are introducing new coronavirus restrictions. This includes reintroducing measures that we have retained here such as masks and Covid certificates. Some countries are having to go further, including for example the lockdown reimposed in Austria and the partial lockdown in the Netherlands. The situation across the EU remains fluid and uncertain as we all know.

As we have seen throughout the course of the pandemic, Covid-19 continues to adapt and create very significant challenges. The pandemic is not over yet. The most recent challenge is of course the new Omicron variant, B.1.1.529. I would like to advise the House that a number of actions have been swiftly implemented to limit the potential spread of this new variant. People arriving into the State from overseas who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 will be required also to have a certified negative or "not detected" test result. This can be from an antigen test taken no more than 48 hours before arrival or a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. The antigen test has to be professionally administered and certified. It is not just a question of a person buying a test, doing it themselves and showing a "not detected" result. This will be in effect from midnight on 3 December 2021. Air and sea carriers will be required to carry out pre-boarding checks for compliance, supplemented by border management unit and Garda National Immigration Bureau spot-checks on arrivals at ports and airports. This measure will apply for a minimum period of two weeks and will be kept under review with a view to removal as soon as possible, taking account of the overall epidemiological situation and what we find out in the coming weeks about the new variant.

These actions agreed by the Government are intended to limit the spread of the new variant while further evidence emerges relating to its transmissibility, its impact on disease severity, and its potential evasiveness when it come to vaccines and treatments. My Department, the HSE, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, and the National Virus Reference Laboratory, NVRL, have been meeting regularly to review the evolving situation. The epidemiological situation both here and internationally, and all emerging evidence regarding the Omicron variant, will continue to be kept under close review in respect of potential implications for the pandemic.

More generally, the Government has been quick to act on public health advice as we continue to manage this current wave of infection. Just yesterday, we agreed new advice for families in response to the very significant increases in the incidence in younger children in recent weeks. This includes asking parents to try to reduce indoor socialisation for their children aged 12 and younger over the next two weeks and a recommendation that face coverings be worn by children aged nine years and over on public transport, in retail and in other public settings where face coverings are currently mandated for older children and adults. Face coverings are also recommended in primary school from third class and above.

This follows the introduction of a package of additional measures on 16 November to reduce the current level of socialisation across the country and interrupt the spread of Covid-19 in the community. Measures include a move to working from home unless it is necessary to attend the workplace in person. Proof of immunity will be required for entry into cinemas and theatres. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs are closing from midnight. Household close contacts who are fully vaccinated and showing no symptoms should now restrict their movements until they have three negative antigen test results within five days. As colleagues will be aware, when they are identified as household close contacts the HSE is sending out the antigen tests to those people in their homes.

As the booster campaign progresses, we will continue to take a "vaccine plus" approach. This means we will obviously keep vaccines at the centre of our response but there is more that we need to be emphasising as well, that is, continued adherence to basic measures to protect ourselves and those around us. This includes: acting fast, isolating and getting tested if we have symptoms; wearing a face covering where appropriate; making sure that indoor spaces are well ventilated; maintaining social distancing whenever appropriate; and covering coughs and sneezes and keeping our hands clean. We know these measures work. Their impact was highlighted in a significant systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journalin October, just last month.That review showed that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing and physical distancing, are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19. The research analysed the findings from over 30 studies and found, for example, that there was a 53% reduction in the incidence of Covid-19 with mask wearing. This research highlights the continued importance of these basic protective measures.

Despite the current challenges, the steps we have taken together are working to protect our population from the worst of this virus. Our vaccination programme is among the most successful in Europe, with more than 90% of the eligible population fully vaccinated. More than 8.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have now been administered since the programme began in December last year, with more than 800,000 booster vaccines and third doses for immunocompromised administered to date. We all know that every death from Covid is one death too many, and we must do everything we can to keep the mortality rate as low as possible. According to the latest data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, Ireland has the fifth lowest overall Covid mortality rate out of the 27 EU countries, plus the United Kingdom. The booster vaccines are adding further protection. The impact of the recent booster vaccination on those aged 80 and older is evident as the incidence of Covid is no longer rising in this group.

The health system is being supported at this exceptionally challenging time through significantly increased funding, with over €1 billion extra being provided in budget 2022, bringing total investment to a record €22 billion. Before the pandemic, we had just 255 critical care beds, which, we all agree, was inadequate. We are addressing this lack of capacity as quickly as the HSE can add critical care beds. Some €52 million was provided for this year to add additional beds, an increase of 25% to the baseline. The HSE has advised that 42 of these beds are now open, bringing baseline critical care capacity to 297. More will be added over the coming weeks and months. The HSE has been funded to increase capacity to 340 by the end of 2022 or early 2023, representing a 33% increase to the base since the pandemic began. I have also secured a Government commitment to go significantly further than that and bring us beyond the total recommended in the 2018 capacity review. We have also added 11,309 staff to our health workforce since the start of the pandemic, including almost 3,000 nurses and midwives and around 2,000 health and social care professionals. We have permanently funded over 1,100 acute hospital beds, of which approximately 800 have opened to date.

I assure colleagues that the Government and I will continue to do all we can to respond to this stage of the pandemic and we will continue to boost capacity in our health service at the same time. I very much look forward to listening to Senators' contributions to the debate.