The country’s top doctor has warned the Indian variant is a “black cloud on the horizon” and has hinted it casts doubt on the further easing of restrictions.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said he is “genuinely concerned” about the strain, 72 cases of which have been detected here.
He added NPHET will keep a close eye on developments which will feed into the advice they give to the Government before any further easing of lockdown.
Dr Holohan said: “In broad terms... the sky is for the most part blue, but there is a black cloud on the horizon and that’s the Indian variant.”
Taoiseach Micheal Martin is set to make an announcement on Friday about lifting more lockdown measures focusing on travel, sport and entertainment.
It’s expected outdoor dining will
be given the go-ahead to reopen as planned on June 7 and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar added he hopes pubs and restaurants can welcome back customers indoors again in “early July”.
But now Dr Holohan has cast doubt and said this variant is “the most concerning” since the emergence of the B117 strain - which exploded here at the beginning of the year.
He added he has to “raise the flag” it is possible the Indian variant “could get in the way” of the current trajectory of the disease in Ireland.
Dr Holohan said NPHET did not have this level of concern about the Indian variant when they gave the Government the go-ahead to make an announcement on the further easing of measures last month.
He added: “NPHET will keep a close eye on this as we move towards the end of May and consider the advice we need to provide to Government on any further easing of restrictions.
“And then the next set of measures that would fall due to be introduced, or not, will be those on June 7.
“So the real question for us to assess over the course of May is are we staying on track or not.
“The disease hasn’t got to a level of, you know, transmission that gives us reason to express concern about the path that we’re on of easing restrictions. The one caveat that I’m going to make to that now is the caveat in relation to the Indian variant.”
The fear comes from a report from Public Health England which will likely show a decrease in effectiveness of the jab in prevention of transmission of this variant after the first dose.
Dr Holohan said: “It doesn’t mean it eliminates it but that there is some impact in reducing the benefit of vaccination, of reducing transmission.
“We are concerned genuinely about the reports we have received and the credibility we attach to them around the increased transmissibility associated with that particular variant.”
He added some of the data collated in the UK has shown “a possibility” the variant could be 50% more transmissible than the B117 strain.
Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory Dr Cillian de Gascun said 72 cases of the Indian variant have been detected in Ireland.
The virologist added 13 of the infections were included in data received by the NVRL over the previous 24 hours and that there were 59 cases identified earlier this week.
He said many of the cases were detected in the East of the country and were identified before India was added to the mandatory hotel quarantine list.
He added: “It is certainly a possibility that it [Indian] could become the dominant variant.”
The news came as the Department of Health revealed 524 new Covid-19 cases but there is no update on deaths due to the cyber attack on the HSE.
Dr Holohan also confirmed he received his first Pfizer jab during the week.
