Unvaccinated are 'the new vulnerable' as 994 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed

Dr Tony Holohan has said unvaccinated including children should avoid "high-risk, uncontrolled indoor settings" in his comments on the latest case data.  Picture: Denis Minihane.

994 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed by health authorities in Ireland. 

The latest rise in daily reported case numbers comes as the Tánaiste has described the unvaccinated as "the new vulnerable". 

Those who are not fully vaccinated are "the new vulnerable" and should live the coming weeks "like it is March 2020", the Tánaiste said.

80 patients are receiving treatment in hospital for the coronavirus with 22 of them in intensive care.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan has said unvaccinated including children should avoid "high-risk, uncontrolled indoor settings" in his comments on the latest case data. 

The CMO included indoor hospitality in this warning and said he knows this advice is difficult to hear, especially for the parents of unvaccinated children. 

Dr Holohan said the rate of vaccination-70% of adults having received one dose and 60% of adults fully vaccinated against the virus-is a "great cause for hope". 

Public Health advice remains under review for the future reopening of society, the CMO said, and included the return of children to schools in September as part of this. 

Delta Spread

Leo Varadkar said the spread of the Delta variant over the coming weeks poses a huge threat to those who have yet to receive their complete vaccination.

The current surge of case numbers has come earlier than expected, but was not a surprise, he added.

"At the start of the pandemic older people were those most at risk and we asked them to stay at home and that saved lots of lives and prevented a lot of illness. 

"Now unvaccinated people of all ages are the ones who are most at risk. These are people who are not fully vaccinated. 

They are the new vulnerable, and they are at greater risk over the next few weeks than at any point since this pandemic began, I need to emphasise that very strongly.

"The message to people who aren't vaccinated is to get vaccinated and to take every precaution as though it was March 2020 when it comes to what you do between now and then."

Mr Varadkar, who was launching a support scheme for the events industry alongside Culture Minister Catherine Martin, said that in places like Scotland where the Delta variant has taken hold, 95% of those contracting the virus or being hospitalised were unvaccinated. 

He said this proved that vaccines were working, but that those without them must be careful. He said Scotland's peak had hit 3,000 cases a day, but had begun to recede.

Any Delta wave in Ireland that followed the Scottish experience would "be manageable", but would see deaths, he added. 

The Tánaiste said there is "no doubt" in his mind that indoor hospitality would reopen on Monday, July 26, but he added that another winter of restrictions is likely before the Covid pandemic is fully seen off. 

He added that Nphet had been asked to examine the resumption of children's summer camps and religious ceremonies. 

He said that he could understand how people would see it as incongruous that the Government is warning people to be careful while planning further reopenings, but said that the profile of the pandemic has changed.

"We're in a different phase of the pandemic than we were before. At the start of this pandemic, we said to elderly people, you're at the highest risk, we want you to stay at home, we want you to have no social contacts or very few social contacts because you're the ones who are vulnerable, that has now changed. 

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said that he could not say when the coronavirus pandemic would end, but said that he believes it will not be before next spring.

"The new vulnerable are people who are not fully vaccinated, of any age group, and they are now at more risk than ever. 

"And that's why we're saying to them, get vaccinated, make sure you're fully vaccinated, but until you're fully vaccinated - you are now at very high risk, and you need to treat the next few weeks, as you would have treated this pandemic back in March or April of 2020. And that's a hard thing to say. But it is the truth.

"We can make sure this curve turns again, we've done it before."

Mr Varadkar said that he could not say when the pandemic would end, but said that he believes it will not be before next spring.

"Nobody thought the pandemic will go on for this long. Certainly, I didn't. And it would be a very foolhardy person who was able to say to you now when the pandemic is going to be over. 

"I've always said that I thought we'd just get through at least another winter, and that is still my view that we'll need to get through at least another winter before we can safely say the pandemic is behind us."