Variants of Covid-19 with no link to international travel detected
Dr Mary Favier said that the reference to small numbers meant “numbers could be contained on one hand”. File picture: PA Wire
A leading medic has said that Covid-19 variants with no link to international travel have been detected in the State.
Dr Mary Favier, a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), said a tiny number of cases had been discovered.
According to a report in , the issue was first noted in the minutes of a Nphet meeting last month.
Dr Favier explained: “The virus reference laboratory are doing a very good job. They are checking for variants in many, many samples.
“And some of them have been found in very small numbers, that are associated with people who have not had any travel background.
“So there is a lot of extra work going into that. That’s the big area of concern."
Dr Favier, speaking on Newstalk, said that the reference to small numbers meant numbers that "could be counted on one hand".
She added: “It’s a marker and we need to be vigilant about it.”
Dr Favier urged people to be “very vigilant” over the Easter weekend or we could be regretting it in two weeks.
She urged people to continue to social distance and follow the restrictions this weekend.
Gardaí have echoed the calls for people to comply with restrictions.
Last week, they reminded the public that travel to holiday homes or for family visits is not considered a reasonable excuse for travel under the current Covid-19 restrictions.
The comments come as HSE chief Paul Reid said that “thousands more” are due to be vaccinated today.
Mr Reid also called on people to be careful this weekend, saying: “We are on the exit route from an awful year if we can safely steer the course for a little while.”
The country is currently approaching one million Covid-19 vaccinations, with 840,561 doses having been administered as of March 30.
Some 603,802 people have received their first dose, while 236,759 people have got their second jab.
It is expected that the one millionth vaccine will be administered next week.
Mr Reid said that around 900,000 people will have gotten a jab by the end of the weekend.
On Friday, Nphet reported that a further eight deaths and 591 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed.
The case numbers have remained high in recent weeks, with the B117 UK variant of the virus being highlighted as a possible reason why.
