COVID-19

COVID: Fear of deadly second wave in Ireland once air travel opens back up

COVID: Fear of deadly second wave in Ireland once air travel opens back up

A leading virologist claims Ireland could experience a second wave of Covid-19 cases once air travel increases.

The recent trend of a low number of cases is continuing, with just three deaths and 14 new cases confirmed in Ireland yesterday.

In the North, there was just one death and two new cases.

But Lindsay Broadbent, a virologist in Queen's University Belfast, fears there will be another surge in cases.

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“The biggest risk factor for me would be travel and air travel,” she said.

“When those things start to open back up, we could see an increase in cases again which could cause a second wave.

“There are still very high rates of infections in some countries.

“So if we have travellers coming over from those countries, that could cause a second wave of infections.”

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Yesterday, it was revealed that Kerry is the country’s only Covid-19 free county.

It has not recorded a new case since May 18, and according to the latest Cases Profile Last Update statistics from the Covid-19 Health Surveillance Monitor (Ireland), it reached the 28-day milestone on June 14.

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