Economy needs a shot in the arm to help combat the coronavirus

Timely and effective State intervention is vital in times of crisis - and we may be entering such a period right now

EXPEL THE SNAKES: Three Cork towns, Cobh, Youghal and Midleton, have so far cancelled St Patrick’s Day parades over virus fears

Dan O'Brien

Ireland and the rest of the world face a period of unusual uncertainty. Although recent news from China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, gives some cause to believe the health impact and its economic side-effects can eventually be contained, it is likely that things will get worse before they get better in most countries.

Just how serious it could get from a health perspective is the most uncertain aspect of the outbreak. If deaths in Ireland match those in China thus far, around a dozen people would lose their lives over the next three months (the crude death rate from the disease in China stands at around one in 400,000 of the population).