Irish Examiner view: Lockdowns alone not enough to defeat Covid

Countries that have avoided the worst of the pandemic are now finding out that high vaccination rates are the only long-term solution to the crisis

A nurse holding a bottle of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Picture: PA

For the past few months, Australia and New Zealand have been held up as examples of how to deal with the Covid pandemic. It is true that, in Australia’s case, repeated lockdowns have been very effective in keeping the virus at bay.

However, recent events in the city of Melbourne show that lockdowns are only a temporary solution and that, in order to reopen society fully, extensive vaccination is needed.