The Minister for Health has admitted he “made an awful boo-boo” while discussing the coronavirus on national radio this morning.

Appearing on 2FM Breakfast, Simon Harris suggested that the virus is called COVID-19 because there have been 18 other coronaviruses detected in the past.

“Remember this is coronavirus COVID-19 – that means there have been 18 other coronaviruses and I don’t think they have successfully found a vaccine for any,” he said.

The acronym COVID stems from ‘Coronavirus Disease’ with the number 19 taken from the year it arose – 2019.

Apology

In a twitter video this evening, Minister Harris apologised for any confusion his comment caused.

“I was trying to make the point that there have been lots of viruses in the world so far for which there haven’t been a vaccine found and I was trying to make the point that we can’t just wait for a vaccine,” he said.

“We have to see how we can suppress the virus and live alongside the virus and don’t ask me how or why – I can only presume it is a degree of cabin fever after being in this department on a very regular basis for the last while; it may be a bit of sleep deprivation – I stupidly talked about there being 18 other coronaviruses which of course there isn’t, so I can be an awful aul idiot at times.”

Wednesday night update #coronavirus #Covid19 - meetings with @HSELive, new supports from @IrishWheelchair & @alzheimersocirl , @UCDMedicine graduation this week https://t.co/wTH7Rc2Sev

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 22, 2020

He said lots of work is going on around the world to try and find a vaccine but warned “we have to accept the reality that this virus might be with us for quite a period of time – maybe for many months, maybe longer.”

“We have to try and get it to a safe enough level that we can try and live alongside the virus and get back to some degree of normality,” he said.

“So, my apologies for making a stupid mistake this morning, don’t tell anybody but I am human and it happens from time to time.”

Coronavirus

Meanwhile, at the daily COVID-19 briefing this evening, the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan outlined some of the history of coronaviruses around the world.

He noted that the virus itself is called SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 is the name of the disease it causes.

“It is to my knowledge, and I am no virologist, the seventh in terms of individual coronaviruses,” he said.

From left to right, HSE Group Lead for Older Persons Dr Siobhan Kennelly, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn deliver the latest COVID-19 update, 22-04-2020. Image: Rory Walsh/Newstalk

He said the first four “cause common colds and they have been around for a long period of time and mostly cause limited and mild illnesses. “

“The fifth one to come along was SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome which arose in 2002 and ran until 2003," he said.

“You are familiar with the experience the world had then with an overall case fatality of in-and-around 10% if I recall correctly."

He said the sixth was Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which “still exists as a virus in fact but is not that transmissible.”

“It has a reproductive number, in an unmitigated situation, of less than 1.7% so it is not that easy to transmit in comparison to other coronaviruses - but it has a very high case fatality of about 35% so it is good that it is not that transmissible,” he said.

“Then we have this one. So, seven coronaviruses.”

COVID-19

At the briefing Dr Holohan announced a further 49 COVID-19 related deaths in the Republic bringing the death toll to 769.

Meanwhile, 631 new cases have been confirmed, taking the total to 16,671.