‘It will get worse before it gets better’ warns Minister Creed
‘CURVE APPEARS TO BE FLATTENING IN CORK’ DESPITE SIX-FOLD INCREASE IN CONFIRMED CASES
WHILE doctors, nurses and others on the frontline are working long shifts to care for people who have fallen ill with COVID-19, the restrictions introduced in the country have led to a significant impact on the spread of the virus in the community.
A six-fold increase in the number of confirmed cases in Cork since March 16, while alarming in itself, falls far short of a mid-March projection of 1,550 cases for the county. This was based on an estimated 30% increase per day in confirmed cases.
Agriculture Minister and Cork North West TD Michael Creed, however, told The Corkman that it wasn’t time for backslapping and warned it would ‘get worse before it got better’.
Public Health expert Dr Joe Barry, a native of Fermoy, told this newspaper that while models had predicted the country would be in a worse position now than we appear to be, the Irish government’s graduated response appeared to be working.
While the figures give some grounds for optimism, they do not allow for any complacency or any indication of a relaxation in the restrictions that have compelled people to stay at home and observe social distancing and handwashing guidelines.
Streets in the county’s main towns and villages have been all but deserted since midnight on Friday, after the new restrictions announced earlier that evening by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has been tasked with ensuring the food chain is sustained through the crisis and he paid tribute to the unstinting work being carried out by farmers and fishermen, food processors and regulatory agencies to keep things moving.
“I salute them, they’re doing heroic work,” he said.
In terms of the overall public health picture, he said the public response had been phenomenal.
“They’re accepting unprecedented impositions on their personal liberty for the common good,” he said.
He said he was cautious about offering any sense that we were turning a corner and warned the COVID-19 situation would ‘get worse before it gets better’.
He paid tribute to the leadership of An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Health Minister Simon Harris and his other colleagues in Government and singled out the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan and his team for their ‘extraordinary leadership’ during the crisis.
For his part, Minister Creed is tasked with overseeing the examination in its ‘granular detail’ the workings of the Department of Agriculture to ensure it supports as effectively as possible the ongoing work to counter the effects of the crisis.
Retired TCD Public Health Professor, Dr. Joe Barry, who hails from Fermoy, has himself been recalled to the frontline, liaising with people in direct provision, the travelling community and the homeless, to help them cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The overall picture is better now than what we thought it might be back in mid March - the restrictions appear to be working and people have accepted them,” he said.