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10% of people who tested positive for Covid yesterday were vaccinated

Health officials have warned that a fourth wave will break through the protection offered by vaccines.

LAST UPDATE | 20 Jul 2021

THE HSE HAS said 10% of people who tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday had been vaccinated.

Speaking to RTÉ’s News at One today, HSE Chief Operations Officer Dr Anne O’Connor said one in five people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 have been vaccinated.

She said the rates of Covid admissions among vaccinated people are higher in other jurisdictions. Dr O’Connor said for those who are vaccinated and who are admitted to hospital with Covid, their outcomes are better and they are not becoming as sick. 

There were 89 Covid patients in hospital this morning, with 20 people in ICU, and 30% of cases are in two hospitals; Mayo University Hospital and Letterkenny Hospital.

Dr O’Connor said, aside from Covid care, hospitals are “exceptionally busy” with people turning up to Emergency Departments and people coming in for “often long-awaited procedures” and other scheduled care.

“It is a concern for us when we look at the broader picture in terms of that increasing number of people who are testing positive, we know now that the positivity rate in the community is about 9% and we have seen in every surge so far that higher community transmission rate will drive more hospital admissions, notwithstanding the vaccination programme which has been hugely successful,” she said.

Dr O’Connor said there is a greater spread in terms of age groups in the people coming into hospital who are Covid-positive. However she said some of these people are presenting to hospital for different reasons and then testing positive. 

Last night Professor Philip Nolan, chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group warned that a wave of Covid-19 infection in younger people in Ireland will break through the protection offered by vaccines and lead to serious infections among older and vulnerable groups.

In a series of tweets, Nolan said the current rise in cases is “comparable to or steeper than” the early part of previous waves.

He said this will not translate into severe disease and mortality in the same way as before, but numbers in hospital are rising, with 101 this Covid patients in hospital yesterday morning.

Nolan noted that case numbers on Sundays and early in the week tend to be lower and figures over the next few days will be an important indicator.

Cases now are mainly concentrated in older teens and younger adults, he said, but health officials are beginning to see an increase in incidence across other age groups including those aged 65 and older. 

“Incidence in those aged 16-29 years is rising rapidly, is higher than we have seen since the end of January 2021, and higher than the October 2020 peak,” he said. 

“Incidence varies by county, but most counties have a 7-day incidence significantly greater than 50% of their 14-day incidence, indicating rapid growth in those counties.”

Professor Nolan said a wave of infection in young people will cause severe illness and long-term complications in a sizeable minority and will “break through the protection of vaccination to cause dangerous infections in older and vulnerable people”.

“We know what we need to do: support those not yet fully vaccinated to socialise safely outdoors and distanced, and we all need to self-isolate and seek a test if symptomatic, avoid crowds and crowded spaces, and take the basic public health and hygiene precautions,” he said.

Indoor dining

Government officials will meet later today with representatives from the restaurant and pub sectors to discuss guidelines for the safe reopening of indoor dining.

Areas such as social distancing, ventilation and time limits are up for discussion. 

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Restaurants Association of Ireland Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said the RAI has a “bone of contention” over when customers will have to present their proof of vaccination.

Cummins said it should be required at the point of sale in certain premises, such as food courts, as businesses would otherwise have to employ additional staff. 

He said he does not expect that numbers who are allowed to sit together at tables will change.

“We want to make sure everyone is on board, it’s vital that when we reopen our businesses, hopefully from next week, that that is the end, there’s no going back and we have to start living with Covid in the future as an industry and as an economy and society,” he said.

Tomorrow Cabinet will give the final sign off on the reopening of indoor dining in pubs and restaurants.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he is “hopeful” that the plan to allow reopening next Monday will go ahead but government has to be satisfied that it is consistent with what “is necessary from a public health point of view”.

The minister said the vaccination programme is making good progress, with more than 350,000 doses administered each week over the last five weeks.

“We in the battle between infections and injections of vaccinations, we are making such progress,” he said.

He said the country is in a battle with a disease that is “pitiless and always evolving” but the government has to look at “how to have a society that is more safely and sustainably open”.

“Hospitality has been open in many other countries now for quite a while and in fact other countries are now looking at how they can implement forms of a system that’s quite similar to what I hope we’re going to be able to implement,” he said. 

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141 Comments
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    Mute verbal kint
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:27 AM

    Never mind commendation from the Oscar’s, cant get much more of an accolade than stephen hawking saying he’s proud of you !.

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    Mute Charles McDonald
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:54 AM

    Seen this movie. Very good acting. Also shows the amazing strength of mind of hawking.

    A very beautiful mind

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    Mute Dave J
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 1:06 PM

    watched it two or three days ago myself. I thought it was going to be a borefest, but I found it to be an awesome movie in every respect

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    Mute Kian David Griffin
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 11:21 AM

    Wibbly, he knows himself that they contradict each other, what that proves is that he is not afraid to be wrong, he challenged his own theories (which is something a lot of commentators on here would never do!)
    Have you watched the movie? In it they show that he openly admits that he is disproving his initial theories. That is the only way to reach the conclusion he is trying to reach, to keep going one better, challenge what was previously thought (even if it was himself that thought it).

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    Mute Norma Kealy
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 1:54 PM

    My Dad has MND and I can’t bring myself to watch this film but it was brilliant to see Redmayne win .Was a lovely gesture to dedicate his Oscar to all those affected by MND……

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    Mute Conor Murphy
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 12:57 PM

    Did anyone else read the Facebook post in the computer voice?

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    Mute WibblyWobblyWonder
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:44 AM

    This is not going to be popular but here goes….
    I don’t believe in Stephen Hawking. I think he is the worlds greatest piss take that got out of hand and caught on. Just a poor guy in a vegetative state with an artificial voice programmed by someone else. His two alleged books contradict each other with theories that closer resemble religion than science.
    Look closer and engage your facilities and stop believing in all you are shown.

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:50 AM

    You’re a special kind of stupid aren’t you, wibbly?

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    Mute ProudIrishRepublican
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:58 AM

    Just one question Wibbly, do you wear big boy pants yet?

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    Mute Harry byrne
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 11:07 AM

    Thanks for that Humanity Changing Theory Wibbly..Great Input!!!!!!

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    Mute Eamonn Byrne
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 11:39 AM

    I’m quite sure that they were actual books and not alleged books.

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 11:48 AM

    That one’s right up there with “giraffes are a government conspiracy”. I salute you.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 12:36 PM

    I take it you have never seen live interviews with the genius that is Hawking……you’re not a special kind of stupid. Tou and Lord of the realm of stupid…..

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    Mute Susan Adair Farrelly
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:53 PM

    Worlds greatest piss take that got out hand? You don’t “believe” in him? Care to explain?

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    Mute Shanti
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:04 PM

    There’s a reason his books contradict each other.

    The scientific principle is that you follow the evidence, wherever that leads. There’s no place for dogmatism.

    Stephen Hawking has had the sense to hold his hands up and admit when his theories are wrong.
    Hence why he doesn’t dogmatically stick to his guns.

    You seem to see this as a bad thing, but in reality it is simply proof of the fact that the man is only interested in discovering the truth.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:17 PM

    Tulip.

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    Mute Ger
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 12:44 PM

    I was smiling at the first two sentences because I thought you were being satirical. Then I realized you were being serious. Wow. Even Frank couldn’t come up with that level of nonsense.

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 1:58 PM

    Don’t you mean ‘ questioning all that we do not know’, science is about facts rather than blind faith in the unknown.

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    Mute WibblyWobblyWonder
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 1:11 PM

    Hawking cannot do a live interview only one where he has been given the questions in advance so his voice system can be programmed to respond. He could not answer a basic question in real time. The interview you witnessed nearly presents the impression of being live.
    I’m not trying to be provocative but by applying the scientific principles of questioning all we know I feel it does not add up.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:48 PM

    That lends to toir paranoia and not a lack of credibility on his part. You’ve no basis other than your wildly speculative imagination.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:50 PM

    *your paranoi. I’m not as adept with the auld written word as Prof. Hawking

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:50 PM

    Oh I give up!

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    Mute Shanti
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:10 PM

    Wow..
    The man lost the ability to use his muscles, your tongue is a muscle too. So he lost the ability to talk. He was at an opera in Paris and had a seizure and the only way they could save him was with a tracheotomy meaning he lost what speech capabilities he had.
    He communicated for a long time by clicking around a page with one single control, because the only motion he had left was to squeeze with one hand. He doesn’t even have that anymore, and communicates with a twitch of the muscle of his cheek.

    As a result he has to type as though he only had one finger. Can you imagine how long it would take him to respond to any question?

    And yet you would use this as something to base a wild assumption about the man?
    Are you envious that they named a form of radiation after him or something?

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    Mute WibblyWobblyWonder
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 4:38 PM

    For anyone left on this thread, I find it curious that so many respond with such vehemence to somebody questioning Hawkins credibility. I suggest that the same critical analysis that caused Hawkins to revise his initial premise are applied to himself as a real genius trapped tragically inside a lifeless frame ravaged by the horror of MND or perhaps an elaborate creation of an inspiring human story of an active mind at its core that comments on all matters concerning humanity. Truely, I myself would like to believe, as I would in God and Santa.
    One final question….. If we have the technology to allow the millions of people who have this condition to communicate then why is it only used by one?

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:10 PM

    Vehemence? I challenged your points respectfully and you ignored them to post elsewhere with more unfounded accusations. I take it that’s what you do for fun…..

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    Mute Shanti
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:20 PM

    If you take issue with his text to speech module not being more widely available then surely that’s an issue you should take up with IBM?

    They use Professor Hawking as a test subject. His module is essentially the alpha test unit. And it has been used as a model to try and build similar things for other sufferers. The problem is how specific it needs to be, this makes it impossible for some to afford.

    Again, these issues are not the fault of Professor Hawking, who was broke enough himself for long enough.

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    Mute WibblyWobblyWonder
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 1:43 PM

    It may be more fruitful if all of you movie going scientists respond with a logical counterpoint rather than tin foil hat insults.
    A brief history of time published in 1988 espoused Hawkins alleged theories and became a global best seller realising millions of dollars. The world embraced him as a genius. Onwards to book 2, a briefer history of time which was also a global bestseller. Hawking ridicules his initial theories and presents New ones. Result…. Not only a genius but a brave one to admit he was wrong in the first place.
    He is one of the world’s most successful media creations and people follow him blindly.
    All I’m asking is that you all look closer and use your logic in the final analysis. A process that any scientist would encourage.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:47 PM

    In order to know for sure one would have to meet with and talk to the man. Those that have consider him genuine. Your theory is nothing more than attention seeking tinfoil hattery with nothing to back it up but wild unjustified assumption.
    Ailbhe O’Nolan MSc

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    Mute Susan Adair Farrelly
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 2:57 PM

    @ wibbly Questioning and challenging theories is the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. Why do you have an issue with that?

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 3:10 PM

    In addition to Susans comment, finding reliable answers is part of thay cornerstone. Speculation is not a part of the scientific method. Even a basic hypothesis stems from observation, previous findings and logical extrapolation. Your theory has none of the above.

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    Mute Shanti
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 5:13 PM

    Wibbly, the scientific principle is to follow the evidence, wherever that leads. If it disproves your theory, then your theory is wrong. Clinging to it dogmatically is in no way scientific, it’s more religious.

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    Mute Liam Treacy
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    Feb 23rd 2015, 10:59 PM

    It is a great human story. The strength of the human condition.

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