IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON FINDING SOLUTIONS

IN THE US it was said George Washington was the only president who didn’t blame the previous administration for his troubles. The fact there wasn’t one probably had something to do with it. Here too there is a spontaneous, almost unconscious reflex to point the finger when things go sideways. By any stretch of the imagination the Government made a complete mess of their announcements on education this week.

They let stressed students and teachers down. But as Adam Harris of AsIAm.ie argues eloquently in these pages today; arguing will not suffice.

His appeal to “the adults to fix this” must be heeded. The week began with firm commitments and promises that could not be met.

As a result we had a humiliating U-turn by the Government on getting Leaving Cert students back to the classroom.

Everyone agrees school-based far more desirable than remote.

If a return to classrooms was not practical then the Government needed to be upfront and admit it. To make any announcements without having teachers on board was baffling. It was Oscar Wilde who said: “It’s not learning is whether you win or lose but how you play the blame.” Assigning fault is important, but right now, finding solutions if far more so.

The ultimate one would be to get ahead of the pandemic. After two weeks which saw case numbers rise by 44,000 there was some positive news. The country is in line for an additional 3.3 million vaccines after the European Union reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million more doses of their Covid-19 vaccine. The agreement doubles the amount of doses from these producers.

There is further encouragement from

Europe with the news the medicines regulator has said it expects drug maker AstraZeneca to apply for approval of its Covid-19 vaccine next week. This too can also be a game changer as if approved, the vaccine would facilitate much easier rollout at a community level.

The key difference according to Professor Karina Butler – speaking on RTÉ – was due to it not having to be stored at cold temperatures and the time sensitivity around administering the vaccine. On the ground at home, we should also acknowledge the exceptional work being done behind the scenes.

Currently 170,000 tests are being carried out here every week, and 95,000 people are being traced. These numbers are impressive and would not be possible without extraordinary effort and commitment.

Ideally such work should be winding down. But the fact 8,200 cases were recorded yesterday and the number of patients in intensive care is now at 100 suggests there can be no let up. Time is of the essence. Two new, more contagious, strains of the virus are already here, and spreading way across the globe.

Only immediate widespread vaccination can stop this tsunami of suffering. With help at hand, we must double down on efforts.

Only immediate widespread vaccination can stop this tsunami of suffering