Professor Explains Plan How to End Coronavirus Pandemic In ‘2-3 weeks’

Posts on social media over the weekend indicated that many were not taking social distancing seriously as clusters gathered around in towns.

Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin has warned that the longer people meet and infect each other, the longer this crisis goes on.

Gardai have also warned parents that the ongoing health issue in Ireland is extremely serious and children and teens should be abiding by social distancing.

Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk, a listener asked the professor if, hypothetically, there were no new cases of COVID-19 tomorrow, how soon could things get back to ‘semi-normal’.

‘The virus lasts around two to three weeks in our bodies,’ Professor O’Neill explained.

‘If you can imagine if there are no more infections and if everything stopped now, after 2-3 weeks the virus will go away.

‘It’s a matter of weeks.’

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has previously warned that the outbreak could last until the summer.

‘The longer people meet up and infect each other, the longer this will all last.’

The professor explained that if one was on day 13 of a 14-day infection cycle and goes out and infects someone else, the virus will then live on for another 14 days.

He also referred to Germany who has now shut all restaurants, barbershops and tattoo parlours as well as banning the gathering of groups of more than two people.

‘We should do exactly what they’re doing now,’ he said.

Another listener asked if children can see their grandparents after they’ve been off school for two weeks and have shown zero symptoms however O’Neil insisted that we keep social distancing.

The NPHET has also warned that public spaces such as parks and beaches could also close.

In positive news, O’Neill mentioned that 30 separate trials for a COVID-19 vaccine will run out in April that ‘hopefully is the beginning of something new’.

Grandmother, Age 95, Becomes Oldest Woman in Italy to Recover From Coronavirus

In a stunning example of how wherever there’s life, there’s hope, a 95-year-old Italian grandmother has become the oldest known woman in the country to recover from coronavirus.

Alma Clara Corsini arrived at the Pavulo Hospital in the northern province of Modena on March 5 after suffering from symptoms of the deadly disease.

She was among Italy’s nearly 60,000 people confirmed to have the virus as of Sunday. The country’s north has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.

However, doctors and specialists have been working hard across the country and tended to Corsini throughout her ordeal, making her the first person in Modena to recover from the novel virus.

Earlier in the week, she confirmed:

“Yes, yes, I’m fine … They were good people who looked after me well.”

Gazzetta Di Modena reports that she was able to make a healthy recovery without any need for “antiviral therapy,” while her body showed a “great reaction” despite the infection.

Corsini’s good fortune was even shared by Pope Francis, who took to Facebook to post an image of her with members of the medical team that saved her. In the post, the high pontiff wrote:

“In Italy, a 95-year-old granny is the first patient to be cured of coronavirus. Alma Clara Corsini has won this battle for her life to give us hope.”

Corsini has since been discharged from the hospital and is back at her home in Fanano.

Over the weekend, no less than 1,400 people died in Italy as the country races to control the horrific spread of the novel virus.

All movement has now been banned inside the country and non-essential businesses shuttered as the country continues to stand firmly as the epicenter of the global crisis, exceeding China’s death toll last week despite its smaller population.

Over 6,500 Italians test positive for Covid-19 every day, with the average age of those dying standing at 78.5 years.

On Sunday, an additional 651 Italians died, bringing the death toll to at least 5,400.