Coronavirus: 1,173 new cases confirmed in Ireland

@Paul Cunningham: Inevitable really; its Summer, unvaccinated young population. Bound to spike. No changes needed to current restrictions.

@RJ: just done from 3 devices, open up the country, let the vulnerable cocoon, nobody cares anymore

@Brian Timmons: lol, this time last year 35 cases a day. Research lad.
Long covid, research
Delta variant research
Mutations where new variants establish themselves, research

@oMaraTpe: great contribution, hope it made you feel good

@Paul Cunningham: That’s a mental comment.

@M. Murphy: Thanks professor Murphy

@RJ: do you want continuous lock downs forever or what? Once vaccinated we have to live with the virus. Boosters for the old. That’s it.

@M. Murphy: time to do a proper lockdown and save young lives.

@john smith iv: newsflash: if you’re not dead you’re living with the virus

@M. Murphy: And even better Martin confirmed we’re ahead of all other European countries and their expert medical advice. Probably don’t know what they’re doing with their antigen tests and tracking and tracing and giving people some normality back while the disease is manageable. NPHET are the leading lights. I’m so happy.

@Toon Army: did he actually say that? Wow.

@GrumpyAulFella: He said “wisely our reopening has been the slowest in Europe”. But the reality is we’ve been devoid of ideas to reopen in a safe way and we’ve devolved power to an unelected body that also doesn’t know what it’s about.

@Toon Army: as Ursula said today, “exemplary”, in other words, an example for others to follow. What power have NPHET got? Sure we’re not locked down.

@RJ: low hospitalisations, research lad
Mainly young people getting it now, research
0.1% of first wave deaths were in the people getting the virus now, research
All the most vulnerable in society vaccinated, research lad

@GrumpyAulFella: I’m 100% sure that was Ursula’s genuine opinion too…. And i would imagine it was definitely not off the back of a conversation with Martin where he expressed they are seriously struggling with public opinion and the divisive policies they are introducing – they are politicians! Bit disappointed by you there, you’re normally better than that. I know we don’t share the same opinion on covid issues but always thought you were logical in your opinions still. But there you came across very naive for an AulFella. Ursula still going to be patting our backs in a couple of years no doubt, when we are back cap in hands again and the sick man of Europe.

@oMaraTpe: you mean, YOU don’t care.

@Richy: well for most it’s a sniffle.

@Mary Ryan: *lost

@john smith iv: and for the people it isn’t…?

@John Boland: Get a TShirt with that printed on so we all know to avoid you.

@Richy: A family member and his close contacts at work have it. Picked up by a mandatory rapid antigen test last Monday. A follow up PCR test confirmed. No symptoms whatsoever for him or his colleagues. He’s still as fresh as a daisy with no symptoms, are his colleagues.

@john smith iv: Whats most people, 51% 90% of the population do the other people not count? Have you a hard number of people you are prepared to sacrifice.

@Mary Ryan: oh
… i wondered what a lipstick family was. :0)

@Gary Kearney: are you suggesting the country should aim at zero COVID deaths? I’m not advocating relaxing all constraints, but there are choices to be made, including about how many COVID deaths society is willing to tolerate, just the same as it tolerates a number of deaths from causes such as road traffic

@Dixieblue: texting in the sun doesn’t help :-)

@a: great story.

@Richy: they tested positive with it. Doesn’t mean the will die from it. They isolate for two weeks should be okay after. Stop been a Debbie downer.

@John Boland: disrespectful comment when so many of us have non vaccinated relatives who are medically unable to get vaccinated and yes young . So less crass comments would be kinder but maybe not caring makes you happy on the couch there .

@Colm OS: that’s unfortunate for them but numbers in ICU are barely moving. We should speed up vaccinations. Only one vaccinated person in ICU. Then we have to live with the virus as we do with flu.

The young want to open up.

@Mary Ryan: hope you locate that lost lipstick

@a: cool story bro.

@Richy: Really? Do you not know the age profile of the majority of the cases?!?!! Do you think asymptomatic or someone with a sore throat really cares if they have it. No need to get vaccinated and now will have a green pass. Some are probably delighted. The Covid parties, tiktok videos, no lockdown….. Etc generation.

@Gary Kearney: most people is 99.9999% of people who are vaccinated who either don’t get it or don’t get sick with it. 1 vaccinated person in ICU since April. 1 person. Out of millions vaccinated.

How many people died on the roads in that time? Do you want to stop all traffic and ignore the economic costs. I have no idea what you people want. If you want zero deaths or zero sickness then we can never open up because the vaccines are not 100% and can never be 100%. There will be variants who challenge the vaccines. Do you want lockdowns to never end?

@Richy: why? They caught a virus 99.5% of them, if not more will recover from

@Gary Kearney: Serious question because youre all about keeping restrictions and a slow reopening. How many deaths, icu admissions, hospitalisations do you think is acceptable weekly in order to fully reopen and stay open? We’re going to have to live with covid indefinitely

@In fairness now…: maybe I will ya Xunt

@john smith iv: thankfully cars are not contagious. That’s the difference

@Paul Hedderman: de

@Paul Hedderman: serious answer, this is a highly infectious disease with potential exponential growth if unrestrained hence the fear even if numbers are low but rising

@fintan doyle: Thats not an answer to the question…. Its highly infectious but the at risk are pretty much vaccinated. We’re still vaccinating and of those that arent vaccinated only a very very very small amount will likely get seriously ill (and some unlucky vaccinated) because they have youth and health on their side…… What’s the problem if we continue vaccinating and those that arent at risk get a little sick if not at all. We get to herd immunity faster and life gets closer to normal. That exponential growth can only go so far. If you understood the reason for the vaccine and the effects the virus has on the currently unvaccinated there shouldn’t be such fear over the current wave. Its not March 2020!!!! Daily cases dont mean as much. Check the hospital figures in a few weeks

@fintan doyle: fyi the daily case numbers arent low, they’re massive compared to the start of the first and second waves. Relative to 77k daily cases in the states, or 16k in the UK, or 327k in India…… But hospitalisations, icu and deaths here are low thanks to the good work of the vaccienes. Its a shame all the constant bombardment of the daily cases and negativity in the media and the from govt over the past year and a half has had such a detrimental effect on how people view what’s going on. For some people every day its CASES, ICU, DEATHS, CASES, ICU, DEATHS….. Every day wondering what are todays figures?!?!. That effects the mind…….. The vaccienes has us in a good place, were near the finish line.

@Paul Hedderman: so what was your answer to your question? When you agree that the very small numbers will increase

@Paul Hedderman: also consider that the very small numbers you mentioned occurred during our current lockdown

@Paul Hedderman: 1000 vs 8000 in January is pretty low but worrying. Hospitals are affected by more than ICU admissions, admissions and deaths. Try doing an Emer operation when community levels are high and rising

@fintan doyle: Look up the the daily cases in the previous waves and the corresponding hospital & death stats. If you think this is a lockdown you’re deluded. Indoor hospitality and non essential travel are the only thing not open really and many businesses not fully open because of guidelines. People are going about as if theres no rules and many have been for a long time. Cases havent really been below 200 daily cases since before the 3rd wave because of it despite level 5….. Acceptable hospital, icu, deaths to me would be inline with flu and respiratory figures from previous years. Maybe slightly more. I’ve posted them a few times. Will let you look it up. Nothing closed or no restrictions during any flu season. Zero covid and zero deaths unachievable in short to medium term.

@Paul Hedderman: I still can’t see your answer to your own question

@Paul Hedderman: sure paul all they look at is the number of positive cases. Isnt it amazing that there hasnt being record numbers of people stuck on trollys in our hospitals since this covid started, must be a lot less people getting sick than other years or somthing crazy like that

@fintan doyle: You gain more from finding the info yourself. Its a quick google search!!!

2017 into 2018 season…… 4,713 flu hospitalizations….. Higher end of the curve was a 10 week period with an average of around 320 weekly hospitalisations. So about 45 daily hospitalisations on average. There was 191 icu and 255 death due to flu so about 2/3 per day….. That’s just flu. Theres other respiratory illnesses.

@John Boland: nasty

@Paul Hedderman: you should tell the WHO about google

@fintan doyle: LOL!!! Good one!!!………I hope you are happy with the figures you asked for and i hope they put into perspective the covid hospital data relative to the flu data….. The same killer that we dont put any restrictions in place for. While cases are going up quickly, particularly amongst the younger population, hopefully the vaccienes will keep the vaccinated population safe and hospitalisations low. Uk figures show they are working there with delta. Unfortunately the vaccienes arent 100%

@a: he can still pass it on to others.

@Noel Healy: No, just yesterday and then every now and again

@Noel Healy: also, really don’t understand why people are bothered making comments like that. So what if someone wants to post on an article every day. What’s the obsession with commenting on what other people do when it doesn’t affect you whatsoever.

@Noel Healy: And always the same old drivel. Clearly not a health-care worker who will have to deal with the consequences of this spike. ‘Open the pubs’ will be carved on his tombstone.

@Anthony Keenan: Thanks for the information

@Anthony Keenan: thanks for the stats. But as far as I am concerned, its the fatalities that really count. 280,784 people contracted covid since the beginning of the pandemic. 262,383 fully recovered. And a total of 5006 unfortunate deaths of which the majority were over 80. 1.8% of those who got covid died. So 0.1% of the irish population have died from covid. 0.09% were elderly.

@lelookcoco: you clearly don’t read any of my posts…..

@Tom Mc Phillips: and the amount of people that were in the icu and with long covid…..also if there were no lockdowns the numbers would be much higher especially last year and the beginning of this year. Research the impact of variants etc., stop with that simplistic view

@Anthony Keenan: that is encouraging and shows that vaccines work. But what if this wave is going to be 10 or 20 times greater than previous waves, it seems possible to me. It won’t be the over 80s who suffer this time, it’ll be the under 40s.
It’s a total catch 22 for government, all options suck for some group or another of society.
Maybe for future pandemics we should aim for the ability to vaccinate 1 million people a week and hope the supply chains catch up.

@Daniel O’Neill: it’s impossible for the under 40s to suffer that much from this wave as they are not as vulnerable as the over 80s were. Loads of under 40s got the virus since the start of the pandemic and I the vast vast majority of them are still with us as they generally don’t die from it thankfully. That’s the whole point of people’s ire currently. The first talk was we need to get the vulnerable vaccinated and everyone else should take precautions then we can get back to normality, now it’s everyone needs to get vaccinated with niac looking at potential to vaccinate kids.

@Aonghus O Flaherty: Ah have a wee nap.its this heat…

@Alan Mulcahy: ya but its 79 out of 5 million people. When you have such small numbers percentages will always look high

@Seán Ó Briain: with a fully vaccinated population you’d expect it to plateau. We have to live with it now. Like the flu.

@john smith iv: We don’t have a fully vaccinated population and we’re about 35% off that.

@Sean Dalton: the figure is small, but then there were 50 this day last week, and some of those are likely to be allowed home, so the 79 today could be more than just the difference between the two. I regularly have to check my thinking when I see hospital numbers not changing but there are still admissions which have to be counter balanced by people being allowed home to complete recovery.

Regardless the numbers are lower then one would have without the vaccinations and this is the important thing

@Alan Mulcahy: 60% of what? That could have been 6 people out 10 for example. Don’t try to scare people. 1 out 2 of 50%

@JustMeHere: yes. I was extrapolating into the future in response to somebody who said that hospitalisations would continue to increase. Keep up

@Elaine Phelan: I have a family member just out of I.C.U (30′s) got his Pfizer vaccine earlier this week. They were very ill developed a blood clot. Very fit, non smoker, social.drinker. Thankfully on the mend .Maybe think before you make such ridiculous comments. By the way according to the doctor there have been quite a few incidents like this in that age group.

@Elaine Phelan: I have a family member just out of I.C.U (30′s) got his Pfizer vaccine earlier this week. They were very ill developed a blood clot. Very fit, non smoker, social.drinker. Thankfully on the mend .Maybe think before you make such ridic-ulous comments. By the way according to the doctor there have been quite a few incidents like this in that age group.

@EvieXVI: Read that properly he said they are referred to the hospital. A big difference. That is exactly what doctors do if they perceive what might be a problem. As happened in my family.

@Franny Ando: the stats are about hospitalizations, not referrals. That’s my point.

@Franny Ando: yes but not admitted Franny. That’s the difference. Many people are referred to hospital every day and not admitted. It’s a precautionary thing.

@Franny Ando: yes, it is well documented that an extremely small number of people develop blood clots. I am sorry to hear about your friend. But u am somewhat skeptical that Damp knows “a few people”

@Franny Ando: yes, it is well documented that an extremely small number of people do develop blood clots as a result of the vaccines, and I am very sorry to hear about your family member. But I am highly skeptical that Damo knows “a few people”

@Franny Ando: in fact there were only 8 people in Ireland who got blood clots by July 7th, with 4 millions doses administered https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/health/eight-unusual-blood-clots-reported-in-irish-people-who-got-astrazeneca-vaccine-40658057.html

@Damo Casey: I’m sorry they had “terrible side affects” but thank God they didn’t have any side effects

@Elaine Phelan: This is about Pfizer not AZ. I would prefer to believe the doctor in question. I doubt he was lying. I personally also know of one other person who developed a clot. I’m not really interested in whether you or any other agree or not. Just don’t make disparaging comments because you don’t agree.

@Franny Ando: I haven’t seen anything about blood clots after the Pfizer vaccine. I imagine it would be reported. Have you got anything you can share?

@Franny Ando: I haven’t hear anything about risks of blood clots from the Pfizer vaccine. I just searched and couldn’t find anything myself. I imagine it would be widely reported. Do you have any sources you can share?

@Damo Casey: two of my own family had very bad side effects , 24 hours later they were fine again. thats what happens. I had no effects whatsoever after each of my jabs.

@Hugh Fogerty: not really. Long-Covid cases among the young also matter.

@alan: sure there’s no winning is there.

@Seán Ó Briain: Most people fight off long covid.

@Seán O Ciara: right decision to keep them out of indoor dining and drinking therefore.

@Seán Ó Briain: It’s been proven that most long Covid symptoms are psychosomatic.

@Thunder Snowman: Link? I’d love to read it.

@Nollaig Ó Ceallaigh: https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-dubious-origins-of-long-covid-11616452583

Thats a good article by the Wall Street Journal on Long Covid in the US discussing the potential psychosomatic nature of Long Covid. Personally, i think it is too early to tell if Long Covid is psychosomatic. I think it’s probably a bit of both. I for one don’t think long covid is anywhere near as common as people like to make out and would imagine there is a large psychosomatic element to it. Also it can be used as a very convenient excuse for some people to go on the long term sickie with little to no questions asked. After all a doctor is never going to tell you that you are lying if you present suffering from “fatigue” and long covid is now a gift for some people to abuse, as horrible as that is to say. Either way, i hope long covid isn’t as prevalent as some people here like to make out because legitimate long covid sounds nasty.

@Eoin Jackson: It’s certainly not proof, but it’s an interesting read nonetheless, cheers! I feel though, that even if long covid is psychosomatic, it does deserve some sort of treatment (albeit with a different specialist). It doesn’t seem to be that prevalent from most of the studies I’ve read, but figures change depending on which you read. Some as low as ~12%, some as high as (I think) 56%. Time and research will tell I guess.

@Nollaig Ó Ceallaigh: yes you are correct, sorry should have highlighted that in my comment that this isn’t proof but more a discussion around it which i happened to find very interesting. Personally, I don’t think it can be proved yet, its too early and it needs further research. However I 100% agree with you, if it is proven to be psychosomatic then it still requires and deserves treatment, unquestionably. Mental illness is still an illness like any physical illness and deserves the same level of care and treatment. And I don’t think it will ever be proven to be strictly physical or strictly mental, i feel like it is likely going to be a bit of both.

@john smith iv: And a stick to beat people with…