National Public Health Emergency Team (2020)

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is a group within Ireland's Department of Health that, according to Minister for Health Simon Harris, is currently "overseeing and providing direction and expert advice across the health service and the wider public service, on the national response to" coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[1]

According to The Irish Times, the NPHET to deal with the emerging SARS-CoV-2 was created on 27 January 2020.[2]

Background

NPHET was monitoring the spread of the virus before it was confirmed to have reached Ireland.[3][4] When established in 2020, it initially had a medium-sized room in the Department of Health.[5] It then moved to a larger room as events developed.[5] Eventually, with the spread of the virus, the daily meetings were conducted remotely using Zoom.[5]

The first known case of COVID-19 to have arrived in Ireland was announced on February 27, 2020, in a woman who had been skiing in Northern Italy and had flown back through Dublin Airport, travelled by bus to Connolly station (Ireland's busiest railway station) before exiting into Northern Ireland by train; her case was confirmed two days later.[6] The first known case of COVID-19 in a resident of the Republic of Ireland was confirmed in the county of Dublin on February 29, 2020, in a secondary school student who had returned from an affected area in Northern Italy.[7][8]

NPHET continued to meet after the virus had arrived in Ireland to co-ordinate the national response to the pandemic.[9][10]

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan chairs NPHET, with the support of three deputy chief medical officers.[5] Meetings tend to start with an epidemiology report on the latest viral developments in Ireland.[5] Holohan asks for the perspectives of public health doctors.[5] Two letters are drafted at the end of each meeting, one for the Taoiseach and the other for the Minister for Health.[5] In addition, before each meeting, Holohan gives its agenda to the Minister for Health in a call and queries if the government has anything specific they wish to have discussed.[5]

NPHET has used press briefings to communicate updates, guidelines, statistics and policy changes to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.[11][12][13][14]

After it emerged that the agenda and meeting notes of NPHET had not been published since the end of March, and following calls in Dáil Éireann for be rectified, minutes were subsequently published at the end of April.[15][16] Shortly before this, NPHET published details of its governance structure.[17][18]

Members
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Other members are from HIQA, HPSC and HPRA, as well as consultants, epidemiologists and the Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group.[5]

Photo Member Role
Tony Holohan Chief Medical Officer, Chair of NPHET[5]
Ronan Glynn Deputy Chief Medical Officer[5]
N/A Deputy Chief Medical Officer[5]
N/A Deputy Chief Medical Officer[5]
Colm Henry Chief Clinical Officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE)[5]
Liam Woods National Director of Acute Operations of the HSE[5]
David Walsh National Director of Community Operations of the HSE[5]
David Leach Deputy National Director of Communications of the HSE[5]

Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group

The Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group is a subgroup of NPHET.[19]

It is chaired by Cillian de Gascun, the UCD-based Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory.[20]

The Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group met for the first time on 5 February 2020 in Dublin.[21]

See also

References
  1. Quann, Jack (13 February 2020). "European health ministers meet to discuss coronavirus". Newstalk. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  2. Boland, Rosita (3 April 2020). "Covid-19 jargon buster: What are 'the curve', R0 and the NPHET?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  3. "NPHET monitoring of coronavirus outbreak continues, no confirmed Irish cases". The Echo. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  4. Quann, Jack (31 January 2020). "Emergency team to monitor coronavirus as outbreak declared 'public health emergency'". Newstalk. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. Ryan, Philip (5 April 2020). "Inside the all-powerful coronavirus taskforce - Ireland's decision-makers in a crisis: Our new rulers during this health crisis are a crack team of doctors, scientists and senior civil servants". Sunday Independent. p. 12.
  6. "First Northern Ireland coronavirus case confirmed as 'drive-through' test centre set up at Antrim hospital". Belfast Telegraph. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  7. Libreri, Samantha (1 March 2020). "School to close for 14 days as precaution over virus". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. "First case of Covid-19 diagnosed in east of Ireland". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  9. "NPHET 'concerned' with number of nursing home clusters". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  10. "National Public Health Emergency Team considers testing and current public restrictions". Irish Examiner. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  11. Quann, Jack (15 March 2020). "COVID-19: 40 new confirmed cases in Ireland". Newstalk. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. Quann, Jack (25 March 2020). "Over 230 new coronavirus cases in Ireland". Newstalk. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  13. Quann, Jack (1 April 2020). "New guidelines to help combat COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes". Newstalk. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  14. Quann, Jack (2 April 2020). "COVID-19: Median age of Irish patients who die reaches 82". Newstalk. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  15. Cunningham, Paul (30 April 2020). "Dept of Health publishes further minutes of NPHET meetings". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  16. "Minutes and Agendas from meetings of the National Public Health Emergency Team: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)". 30 April 2020.
  17. Murphy, David (29 April 2020). "Dept publishes details of NPHET governance structure". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  18. "National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) for COVID-19: Governance Structures". 28 April 2020.
  19. "Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team". MerrionStreet.ie. 7 February 2020.
  20. Costello, Emma (4 March 2020). "Coronavirus in Ireland still an evolving situation, says expert". Extra.ie. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  21. "Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team - First meeting of the Expert Advisory Group takes place". www.gov.ie. 5 February 2020.
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