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THE THIRTY-THIRD DÁIL reconvened today – the second time since the general election result – and the new TDs discussed the threat that the new coronavirus Covid-19 poses to Ireland and abroad.
After four new confirmed cases were announced last night, Health Minister Simon Harris said that schools will be impacted in different ways by confirmed cases, but added that it was important that schools did not act unilaterally, and that people shouldn’t panic.
Here is the latest update on where we are on Covid-19:
There are 9 people on the island of Ireland who have been confirmed to have Covid-19: three in Northern Ireland, and six in the Republic of Ireland
At least two schools in Clare have issued closure notices after it was announced last night that there were four new confirmed cases in the west of Ireland
Italy now has over 3,000 cases, and over 100 deaths. Yesterday Italy announced its schools would close until mid-March to slow the spread
The World Health Organisation has increased the death rate from over 2% to 3.4%
The HSE gave an update at 2pm (no new cases confirmed); a briefing from the Department of Health is due at 8.30pm.
Meanwhile in Qatar, the country’s Ministry of Public Health has indefinitely banned serving shisha at coffee shops and restaurants to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Gulf state took other measures, including the suspension of classes at schools and universities.
The Qatar News Agency tweeted that the suspension will start on 10 March and will continue until further notice.
The Ministry of Public Health issued Tuesday a decision to prohibit Shisha/hookah in all restaurants and cafes operating in the country, starting from today until further notice. #QNApic.twitter.com/THA9ROQgVA
Meanwhile in Qatar, the country’s Ministry of Public Health has indefinitely banned serving shisha pipes at coffee shops and restaurants to prevent the spread of coronavirus,
The Gulf state took other measures, including the suspension of classes at schools and universities.
The QNA tweeted that the suspension will start on 10 March and will continue until further notice.
The Ministry of Public Health issued Tuesday a decision to prohibit Shisha/hookah in all restaurants and cafes operating in the country, starting from today until further notice. #QNApic.twitter.com/THA9ROQgVA
As noted below, the media will be briefed on the latest Covid-19 developments in Ireland at 8.30pm this evening.
Stick with TheJournal.ie for all the latest updates from the briefing.
5 Mar 2020
6:57PM
The Department of Health will be briefing the media on the latest Covid-19 updates at 8.30pm.
5 Mar 2020
6:33PM
Ossian Smyth is an Irish Green Party TD now speaking about the worker who works in the sandwich bar or in a pub, who fear they won’t get paid if they have to self isolate.
5 Mar 2020
6:29PM
Giving some advice on what to tell children in relation to Covid-19, McDonald, having had her own experience, says: “Don’t dismiss their concerns and fears, be honest.”
5 Mar 2020
6:29PM
On large gatherings, McDonald said the medical experts should decide that.
McDonald’s two children attend Scoil Chaitríona, a school that has closed for two weeks after a pupil tested positive for Covid-19.
“My own family has been affected … my son and daughter are now self isolating at home,” she tells the Dáil.
McDonald says her children’s “delight at two weeks off has well and truly passed”.
She said there is no sport, no hanging out with friends, “no craic whatsoever”.
She said the “reality has dawned on them very quickly”.
McDonald thanked those that have sent good wishes to her and her family.
“There is a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty” out there, she says.
5 Mar 2020
6:25PM
Mary Lou McDonald says advice and protection for workers must be guaranteed.
Workers need assurances that they can come forward and will be protected, she says, adding that special attention must be paid to low-pay workers.
She says those that live week-to-week will fear losing out on pay if they are required to self-isolate.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says a meeting of the north-south ministerial council should be convened as a matter of urgency.
“We need to increase capacity rapidly,” she says, adding that no bed should close.
The beds as part of the winter initiative which are due to close on 31 March should not close, says McDonald.
The Sinn Féin leader says beds need to be freed up by discharging those that are well.
This will require more home help hours, she says.
5 Mar 2020
6:19PM
Fianna Fáil’s Paul McAuliffe says the HSE helpline should be open longer and he says test results for people should come back sooner as people who are tested are very stressed.
“If we are in a war, we need a war Cabinet,” he says, urging the government talks to progress.
5 Mar 2020
6:17PM
As regards travel restrictions, Stephen Donnelly asks if flights from the restricted areas should be allowed, stating that people from Italy and the areas affected will be travelling to Dublin this weekend.
He says it is a question that needs to be asked.
5 Mar 2020
6:13PM
Donnelly says the Department of Foreign Affairs website could also be more clear.
Schools have also not been directed to not travel through the hot zones, and Donnelly asks why schools aren’t being asked not to go there.
Fianna Fáil health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly says a lot of people are worried right now, particularly those that are susceptible.
Children are increasingly concerned too as they are getting some false information on social media.
He commends communication from HSE, but he says HSE Facebook messaging has been poor.
He says some information is not being shared, and says when it came to the first case, he saw no reason why the mode of transport used was not revealed.
He says as much information that can be shared should be shared.
Ireland remains in the containment phase, says Simon Harris.
“I understand just how anxious people are about this outbreak,” he says, adding that the risk is low for people who have not travelled to the impacted areas or who have not come in contact with an infected case.
He says health workers are working flat out and should be commended.
This is a public health emergency, he says.
5 Mar 2020
6:02PM
Harris says airports and seaports are directly liaising with health authorities in relation to Covid-19.
The Department of Transport has been in touch with all public transport operators, he says.
Proposals on social protection supports and sick pay will be considered in Monday’s sub-committee meeting on Covid-19, Harris adds.
Health Minister Simon Harris briefing the Dáil now about Covid-19. He says the patients affected will never be named by authorities and efforts to name them on social media is "disgusting".
Harris is briefing the Dáil on the confirmed cases to date, along with the number of tests that have been carried out.
5 Mar 2020
5:53PM
Health Minister Simon Harris is now addressing the Dáil regarding Covid-19.
“This is neither a time for panic or a time for complacency. Our approach will remain both vigilant and proportionate,” he says.
5 Mar 2020
5:40PM
The patient who has died in the UK had been “in an out of hospital” for other reasons but was admitted on Wednesday evening to the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust and tested positive.
The news comes as cases of coronavirus in the UK have more than doubled in 48 hours as the country moves towards the delay phase of tackling the virus.
Some 116 people have tested positive, including 105 in England, three in Wales, six in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland.
Just two days ago there were 51 UK cases.
5 Mar 2020
5:32PM
A number of NUIG students studying on Erasmus programmes in Italy have been asked to return home following the announcement that Italian authorities have closed all schools and colleges in the country.
Ten students who were studying in Northern regions – the centre of the outbreak – have been asked to return to Ireland and to follow the advice of the HSE and Department of Foreign Affairs.
A further nine students have not been asked to return from Italy as they are not studying in the Northern region, a spokesperson said.
Other universities, including UCD which has around 30 students on Erasmus in Italy and Trinity College Dublin, which has 22 students on Erasmus, said they are not requesting their students return but are asking them to inform them if they intend on travelling back to Ireland.
5 Mar 2020
5:32PM
A statement from the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said: “Sadly, we can confirm that an older patient with underlying health conditions has died.
“The patient has previously been in and out of hospital for non-coronavirus reasons, but on this occasion was admitted and last night tested positive for coronavirus.
“The family has been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
“We will not be commenting further and ask that everybody respects the family’s privacy.”
5 Mar 2020
5:25PM
Authorities have confirmed the first coronavirus-related death in the UK.
One patient with underlying health conditions has died after testing positive for coronavirus, the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust said.
Primark has confirmed that it is asking the majority of staff in its Dublin headquarters to work from home tomorrow.
In a statement this evening, the company said:
“In order to test our operational readiness and IT capability should a situation arise where we need to temporarily close one of our offices, we have asked the majority of our employees in our Dublin headquarters and Reading office to work remotely on Friday 6 March.
“We have not had any cases of Covid-19 among our employees.”
Dr Ghebreyesus said WHO is “concerned that in some countries the level of political commitment and the actions that demonstrate that commitment do not match the level of the threat we all face”.
He said:
“This is not a drill. This is not the time to give up, This is not the time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops.
“Countries have been planning for scenarios like this for decades. Now is the time to act on those plans.”
He called on governments to educate their public in knowing what the symptoms are and how they can protect themselves.
He also called on governments to increase their testing capacity, get hospitals ready and ensure essential supplies are available.
“If countries act aggressively to find, isolate and treat cases, and to trace every contact, they can change the trajectory of this epidemic.
“If we take the approach that there’s nothing we can do, that will quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s in our hands.”
"#COVID19 is a serious disease. It is not deadly to most people, but it can kill.
We’re all responsible for reducing our own risk of infection, and if we’re infected, for reducing our risk of infecting others."-@DrTedros#coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 5, 2020
In a press briefing this afternoon, the World Health Organization confirmed that there is now a total of 95,265 reported cases of Covid-19 globally, and 3,281 deaths.
"There is now a total of 95,265 reported cases of #COVID19 globally & 3281 deaths.
In the past 24 hours, #China reported 143 cases. Most cases continue to be reported from Hubei province, and 8 provinces have not reported any cases in the last 14 days"-@DrTedros#coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 5, 2020
Police in Northern Ireland may face 12-hour shifts and cancelled rest days if coronavirus has a serious impact on staffing levels, the PSNI has said.
This afternoon, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne stressed the potential impact of Covid-19 is very much unknown at this stage.
However, he revealed contingency plans are in place if high numbers of his officers are struck down by the disease.
Speaking of the possibility of 12-hour shifts and cancelled rest days, he said: “It’s not a long-term solution but we can use it to boost the number of people available.
“At the moment we are not complacent, and we can use a lot of experience from operating at pace at different times, whether it is dealing with complex investigations or serious disorder to keep officers and staff available to work.”
Byrne said that the PSNI also has to look at “how we will support all our staff through this difficult time because we are dealing with uncertainty, see how we can get them back to work quickly when they fall ill”.
PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne says his officers do not yet have the powers to detain over #coronavirus but that dialogue is ongoing with the Department of Justice over the matter pic.twitter.com/JsLn2AUtHi
The Chief Constable also revealed he is in discussions with Stormont’s Justice Department about securing bolstered powers to enable officers to detain affected people who might be unwilling to quarantine themselves.
He said he hoped powers handed to police in England could be replicated in Northern Ireland.
Asked if he was concerned about the risk to law and order, he responded: “It’s easy to speculate some sort of scenes of a horror film where we are dealing with pandemic and virus, but at the moment our assumption is actually that as people fall ill, that will quieten down the calls for service from us.”
5 Mar 2020
4:40PM
A second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wales, the country’s chief medical officer has announced.
Dr Frank Atherton said: “We have identified yesterday evening the second Welsh case. It’s a patient who has travel history to Italy, a Cardiff resident who has been assessed by infectious disease experts, and who is being managed in a setting in Wales.”
He said the patient, who he said he could not identify but was not thought to have a connection to the first patient who tested positive for the disease, was being treated in the Welsh NHS.
He said the patient was identified from community testing at their home.
5 Mar 2020
4:28PM
Hello, Hayley Halpin here now.
I’ll be taking you through all the latest Covid-19 updates this evening.
5 Mar 2020
4:19PM
Eight of the new confirmed patients contracted the virus in the UK and it is not clear yet whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad.
So the numbers in the Republic of Ireland haven’t changed today (so far), but in England, the Department of Health has said there are 25 further confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said 17 were diagnosed after recently travelling from recognised countries or who were from recognised clusters under investigation.
Included in the above figures are 25 further cases in England.
Following previously reported confirmed cases in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the total number of UK cases is 115.
The HSE says there is an “increasing preparedness” for the possibility of outbreaks/clusters or ongoing community transmission in Ireland, which would see us move into the mitigation phase.
The national ambulance service is now providing a “key element” to the community testing model (swabs can now be taken in people’s homes) which will “alleviate pressure on acute hospitals”.
The HSE says its procurement team has been very active in sourcing key health supplies in what it says has become a “volatile market”.
The HSE has also invested €20 million to increase its ICU bed capacity
Our reporter Nicky Ryan has been speaking to Richard Grogan, employment law specialist, who explained workers’ current entitlements if they have to self-isolate:
RTÉ’s Health Correspondent Fergal Bowers reports a final year exam for RCSI students has been moved forward by seven weeks:
300 final-year student doctors at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have had an important final year exam moved forward seven weeks because of Coronavirus.
The government said people should not be de-incentivised to disclose symptoms or to inform their employer of exposure to Covid-19.
The Workplace Relations Commission has issued a guidance note on Covid-19 for employers and employees, asking employers to be as flexible as possible and explore options as the need might arise.
“The government recognises that the State itself is the largest employer in the country, and guidance will be issued today in respect of the arrangements that will apply to all Civil and Public Service employees
“The government acknowledges that there are a wide range of scenarios where businesses and employees will be potentially affected by the impacts of Covid-19.”
The Taoiseach has asked officials to meet with employer and trade union representatives to discuss how assistance can be best provided.
5 Mar 2020
3:59PM
The government has just issued a statement on income support for employees who are required to self-isolate.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said workers “should receive income support” if they have to self-isolate in accordance with medical advice.
“This will require flexibility and responsiveness by employers and in government social protection schemes,” he said.
Varadkar said proposals will be considered by the Cabinet subcommittee on Monday.
5 Mar 2020
3:47PM
HSE chief Paul Reid told reporters at today’s briefing that the HSE will be taking up the issue of misinformation with social media platforms:
“For us in terms of social media, we’ve had good support today from all the social media platforms. There have been occasions where somebody may post a video, something of a test being carried out on an area.”
He said this is “not good for the public and not good for us”.
5 Mar 2020
3:32PM
Our reporter Christina Finn has an update from the Dáil:
In the Dáil, on a discussion about Europe, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett that if Ireland has to fall foul of intellectual property rules relating to vaccines or rules governing medicine its distribution, that should be done.
He says private hospitals, if needed, must also be used, even if that is against health policy. “If rules or fiscal rules or state aid rules need to be broken then that should be done,” he says.
Boyd Barrett also states that if there is any profiteering on the back of this virus, people and companies should face serious consequences.
If there is an attempt to raise prices or medicine, equipment, hand sanitisers, “it should be severely punished”.
“Severe sanctions should be imposed if there are any signs of that across Europe,” he said.
5 Mar 2020
3:31PM
In international news: NATO has said that it has confirmed three cases of the novel coronavirus linked to its military headquarters in Belgium – a civilian employee and two family members.
The employee had recently travelled to Italy. NATO said the employee and family members had not visited its Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) facility in Mons, southern Belgium, since returning from Italy.
“There are three confirmed COVID-19 cases within our wider SHAPE community,” NATO said in a statement.
5 Mar 2020
3:25PM
Our reporter Rónán Duffy has been looking at public transport challenges:
The use of public transport is one that has been raised in reference to Ireland’s response to the coronavirus.
The National Bus and Rail Union has been raising concern about its members’ interactions with the public. General Secretary Dermot O’Leary told TheJournal.ie that the union has a number of concerns:
“Bus Éireann coaches don’t have protective screens for example. So the drivers feel they are vulnerable, there is a lot of interaction with passengers across the country, north, south, east and west.”
“The other issue is the capacity issue on public transport these days, anyone who uses public transport these days be it trains, Darts, commuter services , Dublin Bus or buses in other cities. Some of these voices you read are saying to keep outside three feet from people with allergies or sneezing or anything like that, well you wouldn’t find three inches on packed public transport.”
In a statement, the National Transport Authority responded to a number of queries and to anecdotal observations that passenger numbers have decline on some services:
“NTA and the transport operators have been engaging with the health authorities. The cleaning practices of transport operators are in line with advice provided by the health authorities. We have no data to suggest that passenger numbers are down.”
5 Mar 2020
3:20PM
This long-read from Vox explains what connection they think bats have with the Covid-19 outbreak:
“Bats are hunted and eaten in China, and in fact were brought into the markets in the case of SARS, and that is how other animals, including people, were infected.”
5 Mar 2020
3:16PM
Some useful resources on the most common symptoms of Covid-19 and mythbusters:
Dr Doyle said that there are some positives for Ireland in tackling Covid-19:
“It has emerged elsewhere so that has given us some time to gather some information to find out about it, and also to prepare. We do have previous knowledge of other Coronaviruses and other infectious diseases. So the principles of management will remain the same, whether that’s from a public health perspective, or a clinical perspective.
“Investigating each of the cases, implementing prevention measures their public health measures and control also control public health measures. And we do know that many of these things work.
“We do have previous experience with pandemic influenza and SARS. We are in a developed world health healthcare system.
“And the other thing is, and I think it’s really important to emphasise at this point is that I think the Irish people are a nation who have solidarity. And we have come through previous crises.”
5 Mar 2020
3:02PM
Cormican also adds this fun fact: “It’s called Corona because some people think that the pictures of it looked like a crown. I can’t see it myself but that’s why it’s called coronavirus.”
5 Mar 2020
3:02PM
Parents of children at the Glasnevin school raised a number of questions at a townhall-style meeting this week, and one was “why don’t you just test everybody?”
Professor Martin Cormican, National lead for infection control and antimicrobial resistance, HSE says that testing contacts too early, before they get sick, can give a false reassurance, and is not the best use of lab testing capacity.
5 Mar 2020
3:00PM
In a Claire Byrne poll, a panel of over 1,000 adults were asked whether they were “concerned about Covid-19 in Ireland”.
The results showed that most people were:
62% of people said Yes, they were concerned
30% of people said No they weren’t concerned
8% said they didn’t know.
The results showed that the group who were most concerned were women (67%) and those aged 55 and over (66%), as well as those aged between 35-44 (63%).
People aged 18-24, and men were the groups who were least worried (57% of each of these groups).
59% of the ABC1 groups were concerned, versus 64% of the C2DEF group.
5 Mar 2020
2:41PM
Dr Sarah Doyle, a HSE Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said that there were “a number of reasons” why Ireland is concerned about the virus:
“It’s new. So we’re still learning about it. There can be considerable individual and family impact.
“There’s no vaccine for prevention, and to no treatment. Because it’s new everybody is susceptible.
“It will have considerable impact on health services, we know that from experience elsewhere. And if there are health care staff infected that will also have an impact on healthcare services.
“It will also have considerable social and economic impacts,” she said.
5 Mar 2020
2:37PM
Our reporter Adam Daly is at a weekly HSE briefing on the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Commenting at a briefing this afternoon, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said about the four new cases in the west of Ireland:
All those cases have been placed in infection control environments have been treated for that matter.
Reid says contact tracing of this cluster of cases is a “significant challenge”.
On the Glasnevin case, he said:
We took a very proactive engagement with the relevant areas involved and decisions that were made very promptly with the communities involved for the public representatives for the area were briefed in detail.
Reid says the HSE will follow that same line of contact in all cases as was done in Glasnevin, ie, issuing letters and meeting with parents.
5 Mar 2020
2:31PM
Our political correspondent Christina Finn is watching Dáil proceedings closely, here’s a quick note from her on what to expect:
“The Dáil is back today for the second time since the general election. There are two matters up for discussion – the European Council meeting held last month and the outbreak of Covid-19.
“It’s a six and a half hour sitting today – so we might not get to statements on the coronavirus until after 5pm.
“The FG parliamentary party meeting met at noon today to discuss Micheál Martin’s latest offer of government formation, but it is understood there was a big focus on Covid-19, where Minister Harris briefed TDs and senators on the latest.”
This was enjoyable: it’s hard to keep politics out of any debate.
Laughter when Ceann Comhairle says @alankellylabour can’t speak now as it is only for party leaders and he’s not the Labour leader yet. Neither is @AodhanORiordain he says
Over at the Dáil, it has gathered today for the second time since the general election.
All party leaders are in the middle of giving a statement on Covid-19.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Social Democrat Róisín Shortall have questioned the usefulness of a Cabinet subcommittee on the Covid-19 coronavirus, which is chaired by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
@RoisinShortall says a special committee on Covid-19 was considered by business committee but it was decided best not to have health officials who are very busy having to appear before a new committee
Elsewhere, the Central Bank confirmed that one if its employees is being tested for Covid-19. A spokesperson added that the HSE has advised them to continue business as normal, and so its premises remain open today.
Employees have been given the option to work from home.
The Central Bank had yesterday advised the firms that it regulates (banks and credit unions, for example) to have a protocol in place to tackle major operational events that might happen in relation to the new coronavirus Covid-19.
Harris also said that it’s important that the public healthcare protocol is followed where there are confirmed cases, and in the case of schools, that they do not act “unilaterally”.
He added that some information will be given to the public through the media about confirmed cases, without compromising patient confidentiality.
Two males and two females in the west of the country were diagnosed with the new coronavirus Covid-19
The Health Minister Simon Harris said he was aware of schools in Clare being closed as a result of this, but said that the advice would be different for each school
When asked if one person had contracted the virus and spread it to the other three here, or if all four had contracted the virus in north Italy, Harris said that he had been informed that it was the latter
“There has been no community spread of the virus,” he said.
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@Imagine !: They’ll stall and stall for as long as possible. Why the festivities haven’t already been cancelled goes beyond logic. The weakest, under-qualified shower of chancers making adult decisions can only result in us, the public taking the pain and suffering. It’s disgusting.
@Imagine !: Just read RTÉ there and they said the 6 nations have confirmed the Ireland v France game is definitely going ahead even though the French government said mass gatherings of 5000 or over were all cancelled. I don’t think any one in any country really knows what’s happening or not happening. So if the parade is cancelled will the committee just ignore the government and go ahead?
@Olivia Smith: yes I am going to the match. I go to all the internationals home and away. It’s the flu, only a handful of people have contracted it in Europe so chances of catching it are very slim. If I do catch it feat rate among people who were confirmed to have it is 3.4% but a lot lower in my age cohort, so not really worried!
@Joe: Forgive me if this winds you up but I hope all the matches are called off. I think it’s very irresponsible for anyone to knowingly go to an infected country and risk catching it and many infecting more here on their return.
@Joe: Nonsense Joe. The Paris half marathon was cancelled at the weekend. That’s not run inside. Rome cancelled their marathon due to be run at the end of the month and we’re getting word this evening that Paris are postponing the marathon on 5th April. Neither of these events are run indoors.
@Imagine !: the Irish people on the island of Ireland couldn’t care who gets in power at this stage. as long as they can protect them from this dangerous mysterious virus that’s landed on our shores .and doesn’t take hold and cause seriously effects on large amount of our citizens across the Island,the hour is nearly upon us
@Sean Murnin: well the law is anything indoors with more than 5000 people. That’s why at the moment the rugby is on. If the marathon organisers decided to cancel that’s their call. The question was are gatherings of 5000 not banned in France. The answer is that if the event is outdoors then no it isn’t. Simple
@munsterman1: The simple fact is that this virus is going to be with us for months, possibly years. We cannot close the country down for that length of time.
Are people going to become infected? Yes they are. Are people going to die? Yes they are. But people die from the ordinary flu, from road accidents, people die from all sorts of things & we soldier on as best we can.
If we close schools, businesses & all gatherings all we will achieve is throwing loads of people out of work. We can’t stay huddled up in our houses indefinitely.
Follow the HSE advice & carry on carrying on.
@Eileen O’Sullivan: what approach do you suggest Eileen? Close the country down until it passes, which could be months? That would put the recession of 12 years ago in the halfpenny place. Is that what you want?
So, mehole can do a u turn about going into government with the party who voters threw out of office, but won’t talk to the party who got them most first preference votes?
@The Risen: first preference votes mean nothing under our electoral system. Is it really that difficult for you to understand. Obviously not the sharpest tool in the box!
@The Risen: All elected representatives have a mandate to form a government. That’s why they are elected in the first place. What is undemocratic is to believe you have a right to be in said government. If SF really want to form a coalition with FF I would suggest a good starting point would have been for their leadership to stop slagging FF off at every opportunity since the election. Electioneering like this is only beneficial before the vote. Pushing potential partners away like this after the vote only shows a certain naivety.
@NotMyIreland: they’d also want to decide how they are run. Their own director of finance today said that the party is run by unelected officials and that Gerry is getting back involved to push for a United Ireland. Any sane person in the Republic of Ireland (hope that annoys you) doesn’t want a united Ireland!
SF only got 25% of the votes, not enough to form a goverment on their own and they are incapable/unable of forming a goveremenrt with the party’s who said they’d enter talks with them.
Other party’s went into the election clearly saying they would not form a goverment with SF, if they backtrack on this it will mean the partys lied to the people that voted for them.
@Joe: I would hope that people who voted for Sinn Fein would already have known this before the election but chose to vote for them anyway, as is their right to do so. I was certainly aware of it as it was common knowledge imo, this is the reason I couldn’t vote for them, even though I wasn’t voting FF or FG either. They also downplayed the united Ireland aspect in their campaign, I know it was in their manifesto and they had been banging the drum all through the Brexit withdrawal negotiations, but during the campaign they said it wasn’t their priority that they just wanted to start the conversation. Post election it seems to be back to the top of their agenda, along with housing and health in fairness. The Republic of Ireland is in no way near ready for reunification, 20 years away imo!
@The Risen:
You seen to have no understanding of the Irish political system. Here in Ireland, we don’t vote people out.
In each constituency the electorate give preferences to people who wish to become TDs. When a candidate reaches the quota of preference votes, they are deemed elected.
@Nigel Hayden: It strikes me that if FF, FG and GP form a coalition then 50.2% of the electorate get what they voted for. Electioneering by ruling people out as partners before an election is exactly that, electioneering! Once the results come in and the political landscape takes shape it is up to the parties to work to the best of their abilities to form a government.
@The Risen: No, they said all along that they would do a deal with FG if it was in the National interest. Maybe you should keep up rather than continually spouting the same old tired first preference vote rubbish. It’s almost the same as Mary Lou saying they’d never work with FF or FG and didn’t want to talk to them, but alas they were out with their caps in hand a few days after Cullinane stepped away from the mic in his local pub and they tried to put a lid on Reada Cronin’s twitter account.
@NotMyIreland: i agree 100% but I doubt a lot of people knew SF’s agenda. Especially considering people voted for candidates who didn’t even campaign for votes and tried to vote for Mary Lou even though she wasn’t in their constituency!
@NotMyIreland: I assume that was a misprint you do know (like everyone else in the country) that it’s the other way round id be supprised if martin wasn’t sued for slander at this stage….
They are saying we are still in the containment phase like it is a temporary beginner phase. If they act correctly now we will remain in the containment phase. That is where we want to stay so we should act now as if we were in the next stage to prevent ever getting there. That is what we call pro active management of a crisis situation.
@Imagine !: Containment phase is the incorrect term for what the government are actually doing which is sweet f all, telling people to self isolate themselves is hardly containment when they could be doing so much more.
@Rachel O’ Meara: closing the relevant schools and contacting those at risk and asking people to self isolate is acting in proportion to the current threat. What are you suggesting, ban all travel? Close all schools? Shut down the entire country and ask everyone to stay in their homes? 3 days of snow and we have seen how quickly the country grinds to a halt once the supply chain is interrupted. So please enlighten us on your protocol for the containment phase of disease control and your contingency plan for the fall out. I have to say above all else coronavirus virus and Google experts have certainly provided much entertainment over the last few months.
@Imagine !: It IS a temporary phase. All the experts working on this are in agreement that it cannot be contained forever and that community spread is inevitable. The UK health authorities said this morning that the chances of stopping an epidemic there is now practically zero. Given the incubation period there are likely now many hundreds spreading the virus in the UK, against an official number of confirmed cases of around 85. They expect confirmed numbers to start spiralling within 4 -7 days.
Maybe now those saying “it’s just a flu” will stop saying that. 0.1% death rate vs 3.4% makes a lot of difference if that thing goes on a rampage and spreads all over the place.
@Michal Rozanski: It is still just a flu like illness though and the majority of people will recover within a couple of weeks. This is not a mass extinction event. It doesn’t warrant 6-7 articles a day spreading panic and hysteria. No way to completely avoid risk but washing hands is a good start. Sneezing and coughing into a tissue or the crook of your arm rather than just letting it out helps reduce risk to the people around you. Panic buying toilet roll is unnecessary…..unless you’re using it instead of tissue! Basically, be smart and sensible, use common sense and stop scaremongering (this is not directed at you personally but at the doomsayers who are calling for the cancellation of everything and predicting1000′s of deaths)
@Mia Ryan: just a flu like symptoms that kills 20 times more than seasonal influenza. Do you have the parents, old neighbours or lost completely touch with the reality?
@Mia Ryan:
I don’t agree with your comment for the following reasons:
1. It’s not a flu like illness. It’s can have flu like symptoms . There are so many unknowns with COVID-19. What scientists are certain about is that it’s not flu or anything like flu
2. “It’s not a flu like illness” (part 2). Flu is seasonal (winter time). COVID-19 doesn’t care about the season or heat or cold.
3. “majority of people will recover within a couple of weeks” – yes they will but a significant number of people won’t. They will die. You are being very flippant. If the mortality rate was 49%, your seeping statement would still be valid.
4. “It’s not a mass extinction event” – probably not but nobody can be 100% sure. What if it mutates like the flu virus and does become a mass killer? We just don’t know enough at this stage to be making statements like this with such certainty.
@Mia Ryan: There has already been thousands of deaths. It’s only a matter of time before it starts killing people in Ireland. Anyone who thinks differently is completely deluded. The elderly and those with underlying health conditions won’t have a chance. It’s bad enough trying to get hospital care under normal conditions in Ireland. So many people are in denial about how this virus will take hold. Even Private Health Insurance won’t get people the treatment and care when the epidemic that is immanently coming takes hold.
Hmmmm…lets see how you feel in 7-14 days shall we? This virus is a worldwide, potential once in a century threat and whether you are a viral denier or a Jeremiah warning of viral consequences, it’s going to affect all of us (even you) in some way…and soon. So if it comforts you to ignore it, good luck. In the meantime most of us will continue to take sensible precautions.
“Harris gives more details on the four people diagnosed with Covid-19 yesterday. There has been no community spread of the virus.”
One of the persons is a health professional that went to work in a hospital after returning from Italy and the Minister says there is no community spread. The same goes to the children that went to schools and instead of a quarantine for pupils and parents , the parents are called to public meetings.
@Isabel Oliveira: until there’s more cases related to this guy then there’s no community spread. It’s fairly easy to understand if you think about it for about 15 seconds.
@Isabel Oliveira: You’re not been treating like children. You’re just acting like it. Grow up for goodness sake. You’re been given the facts as they exist. Those facts will change as the situation evolves. This is a virus. There is only so much that can be done and what can be done is being done. As the situation changes so will the the responses. This is life. I suggest you try to deal with it. There aren’t any magic bullet solutions at the moment only containment strategies of varying hues.
@Isabel Oliveira: I suggest you start asking for accountability from the HSE and the Government instead of finding it normal that a hospital and patients have been contaminated and neither the minister nor the HSE address it . If you want to be treated like a child, fine. I have a family and friends either elderly or with underlying conditions and want more responsibility from the authorities. Not this shambles.
@Isabel Oliveira: What shambles Olivia? Just what else do you expect the HSE and Government to do? Someone went to work in a hospital who didn’t know they had the disease. What is the Govt to do? Wind back the time clock so it didn’t happen? There is only so much any entity can do. In large part this is up to the rest of us to ensure that we take precautions to limit spread. You appear to want someone to make this go away. This can’t happen. It’s not possible. All we can do is try to manage the emergence of the disease. This will take all of us behaving sensibly and not pointing fingers at everyone else and loading them with impossible expectations. Bad things happen. I suggest you try to deal with this like an adult and stop dumping on those who are doing what they can.
Weekly? God forbid this was a real emergency for them.
There should war room set up. Morning briefing and afternoon briefing.
Statements issued to the public after each briefing and ad-hoc updates as and when needed.
@Ted Logan: War room? I was not aware we are at war. Have you started stock piling your bunker yet. Why do we need morning and afternoon briefings , a run down on how many rolls of tissues are left?
@Ted Logan: Get a grip. We aren’t at war. Your panic is embarrassing. Thank goodness we have adults in charge who are actually qualified medical personnel with expertise and not snowflakes.
@LittleBee: maybe look up what the meaning of war room is. And yes, this is a very rapidly changing situation. We need the latest information on local, international and global changes.
We can either wait and see what happens or maybe bit a bit more proactive to ensure the health of our population.
@John R: I’m glad you are comfortable placing all your trust in the leadership of the country. I’m not talking about drastic measures just sensible ones. You know ones that may stop the more vulnerable people in our community from contracting a serious virus.
@Ted Logan: Like what Ted? Just how pray tell do you stop “vulnerable people” contracting a virus other than the manner which is being proposed at present by the HSE and which has been used in all epidemics and cases of contagious disease? What is your unique solution?
@Ted Logan: except it’s not a rapidly changing situation. it’s a closely monitored situation that is progressing at the same speed that was predicted a few months ago. The virus has not mutated and the advice that is give is proportionate for the current risk in a given place and time based on the closely monopoly statistics as they emerge. It you are a person in the hugh risk category then take your own measures to stay save and everyone else can do what they can to be mindful when it comes to their own hygiene. It is a virus that will run its course. Shutting down a country or having a meeting about it twice a day will not change any of that. There are already constant updates reporting facts and the looneys spreading hysteria. Are you suggesting we need more reports?
New evidence the virus has mutated into S and L types. One American who was tested and in a critical condition end of January was infected with both strains of the virus. The new strain binds far more readily with the ACE2 receptors allowing for speedier transmission and disease presentation. See medical article below https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwaa036/5775463
If the government does not cancel Patricks day parade it be a game changer in terms of the well being of the whole population here.
@saoirse janneau: Yes, the L type is the worst one and unfortunately it means that you can recover from one and then get the other. Also, I’m not sure if you are aware but the fact that it binds with ACE2 receptors is one reason it causes damage to organs including kidneys and testes (in males obviously). https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.12.20022418v1
The other route to organ failure is due to hypoxemia caused by fluid in the lungs. Also there is research showing that it can infect the nervous system that in turn may lead to breathing failure. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32104915/
@saoirse janneau: There’s been far too much focus on mortality and not nearly enough on morbidity. No one seems to want to acknowledge the physical toll this disease can have even if you recover. Being left infertile, with scared lungs or with kidney disfunction is not to be brushed off.
@Toon Army: Weekly is sufficient unless things change. HSE and HPSC are having daily meetings to keep all medical facilities up to date and to track/trace any new cases. We don’t need every single detail of these meetings just need to be kept up to date on precautions and warnings. Just because the Journal.ie do 6-7 articles per day doesn’t mean the HSE have to…
@Paraic: Well, looking at Ted Logan’s comment above, it would appear that some didn’t. However, your ability to find offense in the my explanation is duly noted….I’ll be more sensitive around you going forward
@Mia Ryan: I think there is quite a lot the government and HSE should be deciding on. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be happening. Preferring to be reactive to a worsening situation.
@Toon Army: Maybe you should put yourself forward as the person with all the answers, the person with the expertise to defeat this virus. Care to explain to us mere mortals where exactly, in your expert opinion, the HSE are going wrong and what actions you would take to manage the situation better ?
@Toon Army: @Mia Ryan . Dont mind Paraic. Reading his comments makes me me want to throw up my lunch and punch a wall. He is policing any optimistic comments and attempting to discredit them with alternative facts.
Disgustingly arrogant.
tell me this Paraic. has that fatality % of 6% been getting better or worse since this started? i know the answer, im just interested to see how you put a negative spin on the fact that it is improving.
@Tommy Roche: Did I suggest I’d all the answers? A number of places of work have a policy that anyone who has returned from Northern Italy has been asked to self isolate along with any of their house mates for 14 days. Regardless of symptoms. This seems to be a reasonable step in line with the risk.
The HSE is basically on the one hand giving extremely lax guidelines on transmission prevention while on the other telling us it’s community transmission is inevitable. Are they just giving up on containing it? The guidelines to date have been farcical – the arbitrary 15 minute window for ‘direct contact’, the lack of any suggestion to self-isolate for people coming from Italy etc.
@Sinead Merrigan: Harris better fu#king react. The guy has built a lovely nest for the virus. Underpaid, understaffed front liners. Not enough beds for the flu never mind this!! There are 2 people now in the CUH and 8 suspected, will know tomorrow because they left a man with it in a ward for 11 days!! 11 days!!! NOT READY
While I welcome any much needed increase in ‘ICU bed capacity’ I can’t but help wonder where the additional critical care consultants, specialist nursing + support staff and physical infrastructure ie plethora of specialised machinery will come from in the short term?
@Paraic: why? 3.4% mortality rate, not exactly high.
If we were that worried about people dying we’d ban smoking, fast food, sugar and alcohol before doing a thing about C-19
@Joe: smoking, fast food, sugar & alcohol consumption are lifestyle choices though. People know the risk. I don’t think you can compare these as you don’t choose to get infected.
@Joe: 3.5% is the case fatality ratio. If your interpretation of this figure is that your chances of dying from the disease is 3.4%, you are mistaken. It’s simply the crude ratio of deaths to all currently known cases. That includes thousands of new cases who’s outcomes are not yet decided. If you want to know what the likelihood of dying from this is, you have to examine only fully closed cases. The value is currently 6% And if you accept experts analysis that 60% of the population become infected, that’s 174,000 people dead in Ireland. Hopefully countermeasures work, but don’t delude yourself that this is just the flu. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
@Joe: Some epidemiologists predict 60%+ of the population could eventually contract this over the next year or so. Do you think it would be nothing if 3.4% of 60% of the population died in that timeframe? Nevermind if it wiped out a disproportionately higher number of the elderly in that timeframe? It’s not about the status of the situation now, it’s about what it could be down the tracks. Even having a fifth seasonal flu strain in circulation with ‘normal’ mortality rates would bump annual flu deaths substantially. Panic? No. But it’s worth trying to contain, aggressively if needs be.
Has anyone really any interest in listening to a bunch of non qualified numbties stating the bleeding obvious…What could possibly be served by such crap except them justifying their pay and expenses ..
Am I right in thinking the death rates might be much higher, so far let’s take Italy with 3,000 cases of the virus and 100 deaths that being around 3.3%, well of those 3,000 I’m sure they have not all recovered fully so there will be more deaths out of those numbers making the statistics wrong? We really won’t know the true numbers until this virus has stopped spreading.
@Anna Marie O Brien: Yes, I agree, if the number of detected cases match the real number of cases. When you look at Italy the other day “Among the 1,577 active cases, 779 (49%) are hospitalized, 140 of which (representing 9% of active cases) are in intensive care. Among the 124 closed cases, 83 (67%) have recovered, 41 (33%) have died”
Worldwide 57,473 Cases which had an outcome: 54,121 (94%) Recovered/Discharged; 3,352 (6%) Deaths
@Marianne: I’d be interested to know how this money is going to increase ICU bed capacity, it takes time. We have about 200 ICU beds in this country, all of which operate at 90% to 100% capacity, ideally what’s needed is isolation ICU rooms, fully kitted out with the staff to go with them. Right now we can’t even guarantee that. We could have, and should have been planning this months ago.
@Marianne Attached is link to the EU Post Programe Surveillance Site in relation to Financial Assistance to Ireland under which the EU Commission and ECB have power to monitor Ireland capacity to repay until 75 per cent paid back.
Not one cent is paid after NINE YEARS of austerity and DAIL mandated to send B Lenihan deal back to Brussels.
They did not send it back because Kenny decided to implement the terms PRIOR to laying them before the dail for its approval or not and TD did not challenge Taoiseach authority to treat the deal as binding until term approved by Dail ( or amended).
There is agreement between TD and Govt they elect that govt administer all fund under terms of deal and under EU Commission supervision and look at the EU commission report for Oct 19 TOO MUCH MONEY BEING SPENT ON HEALTH.
And that report was sent to parliament yet TD who handed all dail power over fund to govt and EU ( they always leave the EU bit out) to spent more money but sure the govt isnt.
People who go to Italy told to stay at home for 14 days not a mention of quarantine go to a facility for swab cos the EU is ruling the roost thru Merrion Street. Has any voter gone back to their TD and told them we want that deal sent back to Brussels for one way or another dealing with this virus means money . EU Commission is closing purse thru MERRION STREET cos DAIL rejected mandate of the people. I mean TD
Invests be damned! They’re in panic mode. For too long poor deliberately underfunded health services have us normalising a lousy service while FF/FG have lined their friends pockets – the likes of Larry Goodman, Denis O’Brien and James O’Reilly creamed off the money! Yesterday a private ambulance service was listed in the Revenue defaulters list for underpayment! We really need a proper change of government instead of Michael and Leo again. Two cheeks of the same slapped arse!!
Wait till a few of us die then do something that’s the normal for this shower of fukn idiots…First thing done said last week was to stop flights from Italy! But no that would’ve been good thinking by our leaders, now we have 4 in the west and how many more from this hospital worker, all resulting from ? U guessed it they flew in from Italy??? I swear it’s beyond a Fukn joke it’s like they want us culled….
@Dougal67: So you’d stop flights from Italy. Just Northern Italy or the whole of Italy? Would you apply the same logic to the U.K. and Ireland? Should we stop flights from there as well given the spread of the virus? What about France? What about goods being transported to Ireland via HGVs including food? Should they be stopped? What about the Italian person who flies from Switzerland or gets the train to Paris and flies from there?
You do realise that the people who have returned home to Ireland live here? Should we abandon all Irish who are overseas and force them to stay there?
If we followed your solutions we’d all be at each other’s throats in a week. The advice being followed is sound and strategies will evolve as the situation does. Stop panicking. Hysteria is not a good look.
Further to my post on the importance of state funding in dealing with this virus and the rule of the eu on those fund thru Merrion street it is why our dail and govt inept. Totally inept. Self Isolation is what needs to be focused on to contain it and that means state support for people who self isolate after a trip.
This difference between responses in the UK and here is just breathtaking.
It highlighting the tight hold the EU has on the funds thru deal made by B Lenihan that DAIL People do not know where they stand if they do not go into work having returned form say N Italy? Like healthcare professionals who went back to work and now diagnosed. What choice had been offered to him by the state ? The cost of this choice not being available may be v v high . And that is before cost and logistic of setting up and staffing and equipping facilities for self testing ? People need to get on to TD and tell them we want that deal sent back cos the money needed to deal with this virus.
Why isn’t givt able to make decision about self isolation and getting state support.. Quicker people copping on to a dail of 166 td who have yet to elect a taoiseach doing what as givt borrow to pay back c bank. Govt is as paralysed by the deal and only dail can indo it.
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