We have to try and find a way to live alongside COVID in 2022, the Higher Education Minister has told The Hard Shoulder.
Simon Harris said an Omicron surge in cases early in the New Year is now probably inevitable – but it’s still not clear what that will mean in terms of our hospitals or restrictions on our daily lives.
He said the best way to prevent further restrictions is for people to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
“It is quite possible that you will see, not just in Ireland but across the world, a very significant increase in the number of cases, with this new variant becoming the dominant variant," he said.
“But what that actually means in terms of impact on hospitals, on health crucially and impact on lives is somewhat unknown yet – and somewhat in our own hands.
“What we do know is, the vaccine programme is essential to ensuring we provide protection for people.”
Minister Harris said the “greatest unknown” about Omicron at the moment is how long it might take to peak and how long that peak may last.
“I am being quite clear here because my view on this - and I can’t guarantee it - but my view on this is we have to try and find a way of living with this in 2022,” he said.
“Yes, there will continue to be public health measures in place – of course there will. I think we have gotten used to a reality here around face masks and how we deal with congregated settings.
"But at the same time, we can’t have a situation where we just impose restrictions without a longer-term strategy as to how we actually deal with the variants.
“When I started talking to the people of this country about COVID in March 2020, we were asking people to restrict their movements because we didn’t know how long this thing would be here with us. I think there was a hope around the world that this would come and go.
“Then, later on, when we asked people to restrict, we did so on the basis of providing bandwidth space for people to be vaccinated.
“That has now happened so restrictions in and of themselves - while there might be a place for some - in and of themselves they are not a silver bullet or magic wand either
“It has to be about a longer-term strategy as to how you safely live – with an emphasis on the word live. People have to be able to live their lives with the virus.”
Minister Harris warned that, if this year taught us anything, “it taught us that sadly this virus is not going to just disappear, pack up the bags and head off”.
“This is going to be with us throughout 2022 in some guise,” he said. “It could be with us beyond 2022.
“People have to be enabled and empowered to live and it is our job in Government to do everything in our power to help people live safely.”
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