The members of a new group to replace the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) and guide Ireland through the next stage of the Covid-19 pandemic have been confirmed.
The 20 members of the Covid-19 Advisory Group announced by the Department of Health this evening include former Nphet members Dr Tony Holohan, Dr Ronan Glynn, Dr Colm Henry, Prof Philip Nolan and Prof Mary Horgan.
New members not previously members of Nphet include well-known professors Luke O'Neill and Paddy Mallon.
Other members of the group, which will be chaired by the chief medical officer Dr Holohan, include consultants, professors and lecturers.
The group will advise the Government “on how best to maximise Ireland’s medium to long-term preparedness” against Covid-19 and monitor new evidence on technologies, practices and interventions for its detection and control.
It comes as Ireland transitions “from the emergency phase of the pandemic” to a phase where the focus moves from regulation and restrictions to “public health advice, personal judgement and personal protective behaviours.”
Confirming the group’s members, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said it “includes a wide range of expertise.”
“Our hospitalisations are falling at present, which is reassuring. However, Covid-19 remains a threat and there is no way to know for sure what lies ahead. We need to be prepared.
“The Covid-19 Advisory Group will make best use of national expertise, international data and evidence.
"I would like to thank the members of the group for volunteering their time and energy to Ireland’s ongoing response to this pandemic."
Covid-19 Advisory Group members:
| Title | Name |
| Chair - Chief Medical Officer | Dr Tony Holohan |
| Deputy Chief Medical Officer | Dr Ronan Glynn |
| Chief Clinical Officer, HSE | Dr Colm Henry |
| Chair of the IEMAG | Prof Philip Nolan |
| Chair of the HIQA Covid-19 Expert Advisory Group | Prof Máirín Ryan |
| Chair of the AMRIC | Dr Eimear Brannigan |
| Director, HPSC | Dr Derval Igoe |
| Regional Director of Public Health | Dr John Cuddihy |
| General Practitioner | Dr Tadhg Crowley |
| President RCPI | Prof Mary Horgan |
| Consultant Microbiologist | Dr Anne Rose Prior |
| Consultant in Infectious Diseases | Prof Paddy Mallon |
| ESRI Behavioural Research Unit | Prof Pete Lunn |
| Director, National Virus Reference Laboratory | Dr Cillian de Gascun |
| Professor of Physical Chemistry | Prof John Wenger |
| Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry | Dr Anne Moore |
| Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology | Prof Luke O’Neill |
| Professor, Chair in Comparative Immunology | Prof Clíona O’Farrelly |
| Head of Health Protection Division, DOH | Mr Fergal Goodman |
| Representative of the Department of the Taoiseach | TBC |
