The Health Information and Quality Authority has published a review of public health measures that 21 countries have planned to use this winter in the event of a Covid-19 surge.
It says that most countries are taking a "holistic approach" to their winter planning, with many requiring multiple criteria to be considered, like severity of disease associated with a new variant and health services capacity, when determining the threat posed by a surge.
Vaccination for Covid-19 and flu are a significant component of winter surge planning. HIQA said that the test and trace plans for some countries allow for different levels of testing, depending on the situation.
HIQA's deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment, Shelley O' Neill said that many countries are preparing to implement further public health measures if needed.