Report on how Covid-19 was handled due at end of year

The independent review assessing Ireland's response to the Covid-19 pandemic is on track to complete and publish its final report by the end of the year. This non-statutory evaluation, chaired by Professor Anne Scott, has met with key personnel involved in managing the pandemic, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and the former Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan.

The panel has also engaged with members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and received public consultations, resulting in over 7,000 responses.

In the lead-up to a live streamed debate featuring experts on future emergency management, the evaluation panel intends to incorporate insights from people's experiences and societal functioning, addressing Ireland's resilience and human rights during the pandemic. Upcoming consultation reports will focus on long-term residential care, including the perspectives of bereaved families.

The review team has met with various government officials, including Tánaiste Simon Harris and former ministers for health, to gather insights into decision-making during the crisis. The pandemic lasted approximately two years, from March 2020 to February 2022, resulting in over 1.7 million confirmed cases and more than 9,600 deaths in Ireland, with global death tolls surpassing 7 million.

Despite ongoing circulation of Covid-19, vaccination efforts continue in Ireland, alongside regular detection of cases in the country.