Young people are “intentionally” contracting Covid to obtain Digital Cert warns leading HSE doctor
Young people are “intentionally” contracting Covid to obtain Digital Cert warns leading HSE doctor
Words: Emily Mullen
Dr. Douglas Hamilton has warned of a growing number of teenagers and young adults deliberately acquiring Covid to obtain Digital Cert
Leading Specialist Registrar with the HSE Dr. Douglas Hamilton has warned of a growing number of teenagers and young adults that have “intentionally” contracted Covid in order to obtain a Covid Digital Certificate. This comes after the resumption of non-essential foreign travel and as indoor drinking and dining reopened on July 26th for the fully vaccinated and those who have recovered from Covid in the last six months.
Speaking to Midlands 103, Dr Hamilton spoke of “a number” of teenagers and young adults who may have deliberately acquired Covid at social events.
Dr Hamilton who operates out of Public Health Midlands has said that his department has been in contact with several concerned parents about instances of this practice.
“They say there may have been parties or gatherings where their children, in the age group of 16 to 25, may have gone with the intention of getting Covid and then getting the Covid cert to give them the chance to travel,” Dr Hamilton told Midlands 103.
Dr Hamilton strongly advised against these practices and reiterated the importance of young people receiving the vaccine over seeking to contract the virus.
A statement issued by the HSE Public Health Midlands, has called this “extremely risky and dangerous” behaviour, they added that the dominant variant currently in Ireland, the Delta variant “has higher morbidity and mortality rates, also for the young.”
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