Senator John McGahon- speech from 1 Dec 2021

Thank you very much, Cairlock. Minister, I suppose I'd first like to start off with paying tribute to you and the work that you're doing, while at the same time having to put up with the behaviour of what I can only describe as Neanderthals, in terms of how they've targeted you personally, and the concept of politicians' private homes, and I just want to commend you for the work that you're able to do, while having to deal with that at the same time, and it's very much appreciated by all of us in the Oireachtas, of all political parties and none, and I'd like to put that on the record. The second couple of things I'd like to say in relation to this whole entire debate is perspective, and I feel throughout this last 18 months that at times it's very easy to lose perspective, and that perspective is where we are today with where we were just last year. Last year we didn't have vaccines, last year the concept of antigen tests weren't in use whatsoever, and last year we're having to lock down the entire country at the level of cases that are there today, because we didn't have any way of combating it other than to lock down the country. Fast forward 12 months, we have one of the highest uptakes in vaccination rates in Europe, in the continent, which is incredible when you look at the problems that Austria and other places are having or trying to get their population vaccinated. It's an incredible tribute to the Irish population that we have such high vaccination rates, and I think that is lost on people at some times in this country about how well we are doing in that respect. Where we also are now is we have the vast, we are also now using antigen tests, we are also able to keep the vast majority of our country up and running despite case numbers being at where they are, and that is the perspective that's needed. And sometimes, and I've spoken at it before, we have elements of the media for whatever reasons are happy to play chicken little, are happy to say that the sky is falling in at the prospect of some new variant coming along one day, and then all of a sudden we find out the following day that the symptoms are actually quite mild from the small bit of evidence that we have. The second point about that as well is that we are not in the space, when you look at the second point of perspective is, when you look at the case numbers that are announced every night, I feel it's disingenuous at some times because it has such a backlog cases, multiply in with them in the same time. So it's very difficult for people who are watching it every evening to think, oh God, this is the way it's going. When you actually dig down into the figures of the last couple of weeks, you see a tapering off of it, you see a lessening in case numbers, you see less people coming out of ICU, you see less people, not having to go into hospital, and why is that? Because we're vaccinated, because vaccinations have worked so well in this country, and that is something that I just think needs to be brought into the debate. We need to take a deep breath, we need to take a step back, and we need to have perspective, and to my, like, the term living with COVID has been thrown around so much over the last 18 months. This is what my view of living with COVID is to a certain extent, living with COVID is having vaccinations, accepting that it's in the community, but it's doing our very best to try and keep the country open as much as possible, to the best of our ability, listening to the scientific evidence, and then government making decisions based off that. That is what I think my overall view that it is. In terms of the potential new measures, and I don't want to pre-guess anything, I don't think there is a need at this stage for increased or tougher restrictions coming along, especially when we look at where the numbers are going, and at how well, like, we are now at a point today, and this is forgotten about, because we lose it in the narrative of this chicken little narrative of the sky is falling in. We are at a much better place today than what the NEFET modelling was two weeks ago of the best possible outcome for today. We're in a better place than the best case scenario of the modelling two weeks ago. So we're in a really good place. So I think it would be very difficult to turn around and argue for further restrictions. And the final thing I would like to say, just about the school numbers, like, schools have all of a sudden just become a crazy unsafe place. The virus is thriving in places on people who aren't vaccinated, and that's in with the unvaccinated people, and that's within school children of 9 to 12. That's why we see a huge race there, because this virus thrives on people who aren't vaccinated.