The worst of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of deaths and hospitalisations for many countries, including Ireland, is past, but caution is still needed around variants, WHO director Dr Mike Ryan has said.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme said many countries have done "a good job" in getting their vulnerable populations vaccinated. "So from that perspective, the worst of the health impacts of the pandemic are probably coming to an end in countries like Ireland", he said. "But that is not the case in many, many other countries around the world." Dr Ryan said the gains Ireland has made can be lost, and caution must be taken around variants.