THE VERY worst of the Covid-19 pandemic has been and gone according to World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Director Mike Ryan.
The Irish doctor said that because many countries had successfully vaccinated their most vulnerable individuals, the world may finally be about to see light at the end of the tunnel.
"The worst of the health impacts of the pandemic are probably coming to an end in countries like Ireland," he told RTÉ.
"But that is not the case in many, many other countries around the world."
Dr Ryan warned of the dangers of new variants, suggesting that all the good work will be undone if the virus is given the chance to mutate to a strain which is resistant to vaccines.
He added that Ireland's vaccine rollout was working well, but needed to be ramped up even further in order to completely suppress the virus.
"Right now vaccination coverage in Ireland is good but it’s not perfect," he said.
"The Delta strain will bring more transmission and there are still vulnerable people. What you don’t want to do is ignite another wave of cases, but at the same time, society needs to open up."
He encouraged Ireland to maintain a "cautious" approach to reopening, stressing that health experts don't fully understand the Delta variant yet, and don't know what the future holds.
The WHO chief added that the success of Ireland's vaccination programme means they should start sharing excess jabs with countries who have a limited supply.
"Ireland is a country that can extend its vaccination to include more and more age groups, but I think Ireland can also lead the way — in Europe and the world — in sharing and driving the process where we can share vaccines with everyone."
