Focus on getting numbers down permanently rather than saving Christmas says professor

(Above) Professor Kingston Mills.

A local immunology professor says that the focus should be on keeping Covid-19 rates down permanently rather than to “save Christmas”.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mullingar native Kingston Mills, Professor of experimental immunology at Trinity College Dublin said that Ireland's infection rates were currently among the lowest in Europe and predicted that the country will exit Level 5 restrictions next month.

"I think the key issue for me is that while we've done a great job getting those numbers down we've got to keep them down.

"In order to do that we need to ensure when and if the restrictions are eased, we don't go back to parties and travel."

Professor Mills added that it was “disheartening” that people were being encouraged to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines “to save Christmas”.

He said that rather than concentrating on getting the numbers down in time for the festive season, the focus needs to be long term.

"The idea that we should all be locked up for five weeks to save Christmas is ridiculous.

"It's more important to get the pandemic under control, get the economy back to working again, and get normal life back again.

"It is realistic, the vaccine will certainly help it, but prior to the vaccine, we have to rely on other measures.

"It could be another year before the general population is vaccinated.

"We need to put in place measures that are long-term and not short-term to control the numbers,” he said.

If Covid infection rates start to rise once the country exits Level 5, Prof Mills says that we will quickly be “back to square one”.

"Who wants to be back in lockdown in January even if you had a Christmas with all the activities that go along with it.

"I certainly would prefer to have no more lockdowns and have life back to normal on a long-term basis," said Professor Mills.