Ireland’s journey from the epicenter of the epidemic to the childhood vaccination manifesto – Economy and Finance

After countless months of nostalgia, I landed from New York to Ireland, waiting for the pandemic to end in mid-February. Dublin airport was completely dark and empty. Same goes for most other parts of the country, I’ll find out soon.

January is the end of the Irish epidemic Breaking 8000 in one day I own brawl Social birthday contrasts with the contagious nature of the delta variable. Health services are underfunded in the country Resource request From the private sector, they hardly avoid running out of intensive care beds. Lots and lots of people died.

By the time Valentine’s Day came, the worst of the crisis was over, but its shadow still loomed. In the darkest days of winter, when the sun rises at eight and sets at five, the people of Ireland Limited Within 5 kilometers of your home, unless you are traveling for essential reasons. Police checkpoints straddle both country roads and dual urban roads to make sure we don’t go any further.

Except for basic necessities, shops selling all merchandise are closed. An alcoholic essential, but controversial is that Children’s shoesRestaurants, bars, churches and libraries have been closed for several months. No leaving the country for non-essential reasons, the police checkpoint at the entrance to Dublin’s only airport imposes fines on violators.

Over time, the rules loosened gradually, but very slowly. Before meeting my parents, I spent eight weeks in the countryside, living 100 miles from my base in Dublin. last country It has reopened its bars and restaurants in Europe to offer indoor services, however, entering Limited Give it to people who have been fully vaccinated and those who can show they have recently recovered from Covid or have tested negative.

Friends said the rigors of the winter lockdown and a desire to avoid repeating the same mistakes was one of the factors that made Ireland’s transition from the Covid black spot to the vaccine spokesperson I’m leaving now. It is expected that 90% of adults will have at least one injection within the next week.

Brian McRaith, chair of the Irish Vaccine Working Group and former president of Dublin City University, said the country’s cautious approach to vaccines has boosted public confidence in vaccines. Break time They cited security as an excuse earlier this year.

“I think this is an important factor in comparing Ireland to other countries,” he said of Ireland’s success in fully vaccinating its population against the European Union and the United States.

The delay in vaccine release is partly due to discontinuation, but primarily due to supply issues March NS AprilThis forced the program to be reviewed quickly and was subjected to widespread criticism. This took a tough few months, but had beneficial side effects.

“When a new age group is announced, it will cause a lot of excitement and the fact of the shortage may be one of the reasons for that,” McKraith said.

Friends and acquaintances in the Republic of Ireland register as soon as they obtain their age group. People in Northern Ireland and the United States had had enough vaccines before and hesitated if they could be forced to take them.

Locals have cited various other reasons for the high number of vaccinations in Ireland. They include a lack of far-right political forces and a strong sense of community to bolster vaccine movements in other countries, as well as a high degree of “common sense,” trust in authorities and people who want to do the right thing.

Some say linking vaccinations to recreation rooms is also an important factor, especially for young people.

Whatever the reason, picture teenager a line Vaccines off-center without an appointment are quickly becoming like pictures of empty streets in Ireland at the start of the pandemic. In the past two weekends alone, nearly 40,000 people have been vaccinated.

The sights in these centers are hopeful and inspiring, and the smiles are as long as an Irish summer night. When my temporary situation is over, this is the Ireland I hope to remember long after the pandemic winter gloom has subsided.

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