Recent coronavirus numbers in Ireland are 'disturbing' but clusters can be dealt with, according to public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally.

Dr Scally says he has been a big advocate for a 'zero COVID approach' across the island, including being very restrictive about people coming in from abroad.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, Dr Scally said there's "always more to be done" until the virus is eliminated.

He observed: “I think the numbers are disturbing - when I hear a report on the radio that the level per population is higher in the Republic of Ireland than in the United Kingdom, I worry. When you know it is consisting of substantial clusters, there is less worry because those clusters can be dealt with.

"In the context of what’s going on, there are these clusters and this repeated problem of food processing plants of various sorts. Clearly that’s an issue that needs to be sorted out, and there probably needs to be special measures there.

“The key thing really is to get the testing, tracing and case-finding down to a fine art.

“You can’t go hard enough after this virus… that means the contact tracing has to be good. There has to be great public awareness of the symptoms, and that has to be reinforced regularly."

'Rollercoaster ride of up and down'

Dr Scally pointed to issues around people isolating as one issue that might need to be addressed - in particular ensuring people have the ability to isolate if they need to.

He said: “A small number of people are not very keen on coming forward for testing, because they know if they test positive they may have to stop working - and they’ve got no means of supporting themselves, and maybe their families as well.

“The economic consequences of going on with this rollercoaster ride of up and down are really, really difficult: the best way of avoiding them is to get the virus down to zero, and put on strict public health controls at borders to make sure we don’t import cases.

“If I was an employer, I would want to do everything I possibly could to help my staff avoid this virus in the first place and not spread it in the workplace or indeed the home place."

He also said it's vital that children get back to school safely when that's possible.

He said: "I’ve been very vocally critical of the fact that it looked to me as if a lot of people were promoting commercial interests ahead of the education and welfare interests of kids.

"I think kids getting safely back into schools safely is extraordinarily important.”