Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has voiced concern at the rise in the Covid-19 reproductive rate, from around 0.6 last month to at or above 1 as announced today.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“The rise in the Covid-19 reproductive rate is worrying and is going in the wrong direction if we are to get this virus under control.
“I would urge everyone to follow the guidance issued by NPHET and to take every precaution they can.Social distancing needs to be maintained and masks should be worn on public transport.
“When Professor Philip Nolan was with us at the Dáil’s Special Committee on Covid-19, he said: ‘If the reproduction rate is approaching 1, I would be sounding an alarm. If it is above 1, I would be sounding a louder alarm.’
“The news this evening certainly sets off alarm bells for me.
“We recognise that this may be because numbers are low, so it is not the case that we need to rollback on reopenings just yet.
“Hopefully there will not be a spike in infections, but it is a reminder that we must remain vigilant and ensure that there are no large clusters of outbreaks.
“Over the coming weeks we will hopefully see the reproduction rate and number of cases fall. Acting together we can defeat this virus.”
