Perhaps the vaccine strategy is not enough on its own. The current vaccines are effective but yet 40% of hospitalisations are vaccinated individuals. Younger people are not at fault, they were not given vaccines initially through no fault of their own. Another variant with a slightly higher resistance to the vaccines could throw a huge spanner in the works.
I read two articles in the Irish Times. The first We can live with the virus? This is dangerous wishful thinking has pertinent quotes:
“We have lived through multiple occasions where we hoped for the best but didn’t adequately prepare for the worst, and this has not served us well.”
“Having already seen the virus evolve to be more transmissible, and partly vaccine resistant, multiple times in the space of a year, it would be foolhardy to bet on that not happening again.”
On the same front page is an article on how difficult it is for the Irish tourism industry.
Tourism recovery: ‘We’ve a mountain to climb to reconnect Ireland’
““Unfortunately, it came too late by comparison to other European countries, who were ahead of us with very positive announcements at early stages,” says Ruth Andrews, chief executive of the Irish Tour Operators’ Association (ITOA), which represents the country’s 34 largest inbound tour operators, bringing in 11 per cent of overseas visitors to Ireland. Tour operators are “still operating on losses equivalent to 95 per cent” of 2019’s business.”
I am sure Ruth is lovely and all that but STFU whining. We can live without our tourism for a bit. We should, and everywhere else should, be banning trips that are purely for tourism reasons. Stay away unless it’s absolutely necessary and even then quarantine first. Continue vaccinations and continue all the other containment measures at the same time and lets get it done.
