Gerry Killeen: How have we let ourselves sleepwalk into such a vulnerable position?

We should demand better from the people who seem to be leading us through, rather than out of, this pandemic — but we should also expect more from ourselves

Nphet have finally accepted that mask-wearing by our unvaccinated primary schoolchildren is a good idea, but that comes too late for the dozens of citizens struggling in ICU right now.

As difficult as things are for us here in Ireland, I remain optimistic that we can find our way out of this pandemic next summer with a proactive, pre-emptive, technically informed Covid-19 elimination strategy, similar to those that have worked for measles, rubella, polio, and several other viruses.

New Zealand, Victoria and, most encouragingly of all, New South Wales have started steadily reeling in their delta epidemics over recent weeks, while Queensland has maintained its elimination status throughout.