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THE WORLD HEALTH Organization (WHO) today said that “epidemic” overweight and obesity rates are linked to over 1.2 million deaths annually across Europe, calling for swift policy changes to reverse the dangerous trend.
Obesity rates in the region have ballooned by 138% in the past five decades, the WHO said in a new report, and are linked to a series of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Nearly a quarter of adults are now obese in Europe, higher than in any other region except the Americas, the WHO said.
The Covid-19 pandemic is linked to growing waistlines, especially as lockdowns promoted “an unhealthy diet or sedentary lifestyle”, the report found.
“Overweight and obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions across the region and are still escalating,” the health body’s European office said.
“Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, including cancers and cardiovascular diseases,” WHO regional director Hans Kluge was quoted as saying in the report.
Obesity causes at least 13 different types of cancer and is likely responsible for at least 200,000 new cases of cancer per year, it said.
“This figure set to rise further in the coming years,” the organisation said in the new report.
Excess weight and obesity are estimated to cause more than 1.2 million deaths per year, accounting for more than 13 percent of deaths in the region, it added.
Pandemic pounds
The latest comprehensive data available, from 2016, shows that 59% of adults and nearly one in three children — 29% of boys and 27% of girls — are overweight in Europe.
In 1975, 40% of European adults were overweight.
The prevalence of obesity among adults has risen by 138% since then, with a 21% increase between 2006 and 2016.
The report also revealed further health risks associated with excess weight.
“People living with obesity were more likely to experience severe outcomes of the Covid-19 disease spectrum, including intensive care unit admissions and death,” Kluge said.
The authors also noted that the causes of obesity “are much more complex than the mere combination of unhealthy diet and physical inactivity”.
Environmental factors unique to “modern Europe’s highly digitalised societies are also drivers of obesity”, it said, including the marketing of unhealthy foods and online gaming — especially among children.
The WHO called for policy changes to prevent obesity and promote healthy lifestyles, such as taxing sugary drinks and subsidising healthy foods while limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
“Policy interventions that target environmental and commercial determinants of poor diet at the entire population level are likely to be most effective at reversing the obesity epidemic,” it stated.
The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.
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How can retail stay open with these numbers?
@Alan Martin: covid doesnt go shopping
@cork rebel:
He goes to pub though.
@Alan Martin: The problem is personal behaviour. That doesn’t require further closing up and damage to the economy. Is required a strong willed government who is prepared to enforce its rules.
@cork rebel: ya never know. It could be out for sales
@Alan Martin: not if Tony has his way, amazing how numbers rise everytime government don’t do what he says
@Alan Martin: always something, today retail, tomorrow pubs then schools, then it’s cafe’s then it’s non essential then another thing, it’s just words coming out. We just need to learn how to live with it for now. All the BS people just post have split the population into a few groups there keep attacking each other on media like this.
@LangerDan: personal responsibility. That’s it in two words. Unfortunately some people are incapable of that.
@cork rebel: or to school apparently
@Pat Mc Cormack: there are not the same deaths from suicide. The Samaritans confirmed the death rate from suicide is the same as other years
@Pat Mc Cormack: 421 people died by suicide in 2019, or average of 1.15 per day, not 2,200 so far this year from Covid. Stop making figures up, it diminishes the import of these deaths, both suicide and covid
@LangerDan: we need to consider that we are ordered to stay at home. Adopt same rules as Spain and Italy; only leave home to do shopping
@John Peeters: it’s poor leadership constantly allowing people to go to large crowded places..all not essential retail should be closed. And schools should closed now till at least February
@Pat Mc Cormack: the purpose is to stop our poorly run ICUs from filling up. If they fill up you will hear stories of people dying at home.
@cork rebel: nor is Covid-19 educated
@cork rebel: Doesnt go to Schools either apparently!
@LangerDan: 100%. Enforcement. Unfortunately this isn’t something we excel at in Ireland, to put it very mildly.
@Pat Mc Cormack: that’s a lie and you know it.
@Kipper O Keeffe: How he can’t get in.
@Kipper O Keeffe: How like us it can’t get in:)
@Mac Shéamais: I’m wondering how they can make a statement as that as it takes the state years to release accurate suicide data. Well, whatever suits the narrative
@tirnanog1979: are you looking for house arrest? Heaven forbid that people may be able to make these decisions themselves.
@Celtic Spirit: including some of those inside the counter
@Celtic Spirit: I would say social responsibility even more so
@Celtic Spirit: the problem in the “personal” bit. I know lads that refuse to wear a mask because it does not protect them. It is social responsability that is the issue. Taking care of those around you.
@LangerDan: some don’t like to think they just jump in
@nelliekel: is that the same tony holohan THAT was in charge wen all the crap with the cervical checks scandal happen and look what happened people dying he should have stayed away wen he had he time off dr death
@Alan Martin: yes Alan sure id say shut Tescos, Dunnes, Adli etc…and while you are at it the pharmacy. What a comment!
@Fergal Doyle: You know he meant non essential retail, right?
@nelliekel: So he’s making up the numbers ? Just wondering, do you mention this tripe in front of family or friends ? Kinda curious how they react.
@nelliekel: Hans Christian Andersen busy working on tomorrow’s figures.
@Alan Martin: Easy, go to work, open shutters, unlock doors, serve happy festive customers.
@Fergal Doyle: you know I ment non essential retail
@Ray Mulligan: I do Ray and given since March the infection rate in all retail incl non essential before even masks became mandatory was and is to this day is less than 1%.
@Fergal Doyle: It just wasn’t obvious from your response
@nelliekel: it’s almost as if the epidemiologists, virologists and public health officials know what they’re taking about
@nelliekel: Ask yourself, What if he’s right?
@Alan Martin: 2 for the price of 1
@Tony Gordon: personal responsibility comes before social responsibility. Good personal responsibility builds a solid foundation for social responsibility.
@EillieEs: you keep telling yourself that dear.
@nelliekel: nothing amazing about it really. The man obviously getting it right , that’s his job, he’s a professional.
@Alan Martin: Our local bookies was packed today it’s some joke
@John O Brien: What has that got to do with the current situation that he has been tirelessly and consistently correct about? At least he can string a coherent sentence together.
@Niallman: suhp up konp
@Tommy Roche: Are you denying he was responsible for the cervical cancer debacle. There’s ample amount of corroborating evidence to prove otherwise. Not to mention the families who yesterday celebrated Christmas without a mother/wife.
@Niallman: Are you denying he is responsible for the cervical cancer debacle. There’s any amount of corroborating evidence put there to prove otherwise. There also were families who had to celebrate Christmas without a wife/mother because of his cover-up.
@Franny Ando: out
@Franny Ando: I always struggle to understand how that relates to Covid in any way. That’s most likely because it doesn’t though right.
What I dont get is why Denmark (as one example) get their first vaccines today and are administering from tomorrow morning. Another example is UK who administer their vaccines from 7am to 7pm 7 days every week. HSE in Ireland will wait to start four days later (because they all are off for Christmas) and the HSE roll-out plans are to administer vaccinations between 9am and 5pm (office hours) and only Monday to Friday. That shows how important HSE takes this national Covid emergency.
@Kerry Mink: Hungary have already started today.
@Kerry Mink: That’s something I’m very curious about too. I have a suspicion that the 4 day delay is for some completely avoidable reason, most likely that Martin, Varadkar, Donnelly et al can get some photos. I really hope not, but will not be surprised.
@Kerry Mink: this shows how powerful the Unions are in the HSE.
@Fachtna Roe: if you have such little disregard and lack of faith in the political establishment I will happily read your vision for handling this complex, never before met situation along with still running a country during the next general elections. Ping me directly when you run.
@Aranthos Faroth: Seriously did you not get someone to proof read for you before you posted that obvious govt stooge comment. At least try to hide it
They are only Cases.
Nothing more
@Pat Mc Cormack: and the deaths?
@Pat Mc Cormack: and how many of those cases will be alive in 2 months time? Remember, the six confirmed deaths were were “only cases” at one stage!
@Pat Mc Cormack: Ahh no Pat, we were all waiting on your gob$hite comment of open the pubs.
@Joe_X: dying with covid not from covid
@james foley: Someone who can’t be bothered to capitalise the letter of their name certainly can’t be trusted to give sound medical opinions.
@james foley: from/with…still a contributing factor.when I see lads resort to that argument, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel!
@nelliekel: and why did his kidneys fail?
@Spongetron: sure it’s all a conspiracy don’t ya know. Y respond to the trolls.
@james foley: Yes because the Covid does not add any complications what so ever ! Great input there well done.
@Pat Mc Cormack: These are not “cases”, they are positive PCR tests. In the clinical definition for all other diseases, a case also requires signs and symptoms.
@Pat Mc Cormack: oh Pat, please go back and complete your leaving cert
@Diarmuid Hehir: it’s fun, like shooting fish in a barrel
@Joe_X: You tell us Joe!!
@Robert Clifford: I can’t, I’m not a doctor. And I doubt that nellie is either. Hence the reason I will defer to the trained professionals. After all, You won’t want a medical doctor to have repaired your plane when your at 36000 feet, as much as you would not want me treating you for a medical condition.!
@Pat Mc Cormack: grow up honestly.
@Michael Philips: Unfortunately we’re way past science now. Hysteria has set in: https://cormandrostenreview.com/report/
@Spongetron: there was once a daily total of 40 deaths in April
@james foley: covid ended their life prematurely. When it happens to your family you may understand. Doubt it though
@Pat Mc Cormack: how many of the 2000 plus deaths this year were only cases?
@Joe_X: also a contributing factor is pneumonia, flu, a bad fall, a number of different ailments can contribute to death at a certain age. Yet they hide the age in the main headline, they hide the fact that they may have had a underlying condition, they hide the fact that they died with or from covid.. you ever ask the question as to why?
@Michael Philips: If I have bloods taken as part of a general check up by my GP, and it’s Identified through testing of those bloods that I have a disease or Virus which that’s not considered a case?
No need to get treatment for it I suppose either?
@james foley: everyone dies of heart failure brought on by other factors, your point is?
@Aaron O Brien: why don’t you enlighten us all? I am fairly sure that these people would be still alive if not for the CoViD-19, after all, that is the disease that the virus causes, not the virus itself. I’m sure many more people died today that had SARS-COV-2 in their system but was not a contributing factor. You see, that is what you all forget. If you die with CoViD-19 you have the disease. You can still have the virus in your system in which case you die with SARS-COV-2
@james foley: so James, if you get hit by a car and end up on the operating table and die from a heart attack.
Will your family decide that the car accident killed you or the heart attack? Any sane person would know it was the car that did the damage and contributed the most to the situation causing your death.
People are dieing that would otherwise not die due to covid, as such covid killed them.
@Joe_X: so do you think in 2 months anyone who is a case will be dead??? Every day since March there have been cases yet Leo said no extra winter deaths
@Joe_X: shure your sister’s a nurse…ask her…
@Barry Somers: same if you have heart attack and die but are asymptomatic for covid but test positive for covid..which would be the main cause..the heart attack or asymptomatic covid
@seamus toomey: some will.
@Alan Gee: why? He is the one that made the statement, now back it up!
@Joe_X: or better still, you explain his point…..after sll, you claimed to be a doctor!
@Pat Mc Cormack: if we’re were told there would only be 23 cases in ICU on 26th Dec along with 260ish in hosp 6 weeks ago, it would be classified as a roaring success. That doesn’t make headlines though.
@Joe_X: ah no Joe …. you insist that Lockdown is the only show in town and anyone who submits an alternative strategy is selfish. I won’t put myself in the line of your fire.
@Alan Gee: I know what you are refering to and you either misunderstood what I said or trying to intentionly interpret it in a way that puts words in my mouth. Alan is refering to this morning’s article on the vaccine delivery.
Those that put themselves first instead of following the guidelines that are meant to protect us all protect us all are selfish. Those that believe no- one tells them what to do. Lockdowns were not the only guideline I meant, after all they are the last resort, even though you seem to have picked it up that way. What about the wearing of masks, or the max number of people allowed meet, or the €9 in a pub. There are reasons for them all, and you should be capable of understanding the why behind them if you are indeed a doctor as you claim.
@Michael Philips: That is completely wrong statement there…. we do it all the time with viruses like HIV… do you even have the ability to read?
@Spongetron: Probably due to the massive outbreak on the Beaumont and a nursing home in Dundalk. H.S.E refusing to comment tonight on nursing home even though there’s been several deaths over the last couple of weeks.
Samaritans: 116 123
Pieta House: 1800 247 247
@John Harkin: No.
@Gearóid Ó Tuama: No what?
Not good
@Lorrimore: a friend in israel applied for the corona jab.. Had a blood test. Got the result the same day. And is having the jab today..
So why is ireland dragging it’s feet.
@Victor Feldman: what’s that question got to do with Lorrimore’s? i’ll answer though and give a wild guess, different country, different system, different logistics.
@Victor Feldman: write to your TD. They won’t know as much as the experts here though.
@Victor Feldman: it will be interesting to see how many Palistinians get the vaccine?
@Victor Feldman: your friend must either be over 60 or have a preexisting condition if he’s already received the first dose. You make it sound like anyone who wishes can be vaccinated when in fact to date Israel hasn’t received enough doses to make this possible.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-vaccine-drive-moved-up-to-next-wednesday-hmos-told/
Myself and husband have been waiting since 11.30 for a test appointment. 5 hours after i spoke to the nurse. I assume at this stage it will be tomorrow before we get the test, then a day or 2 for results. We are isolating but what about our contacts from previous days? This isn’t good enough.
@Melissa OHara: An how did you become a contact??
@Melissa OHara: good luck with the test and results – I hope you get an early appointment and speedy results.
I know someone got assigned an appointment for this morning on Christmas eve. Others were getting results in about 24 hours but that may have changed and be longer.
I think your contacts are only followed up if you test positive. Remembering that about 95% of tests are negative and it would not be possible to contact the contacts of everyone who is sent for testing. Also remember that the incubation period does allow a few days leeway in following up – I am sure someone has a time related flow chart for all this…
Anyway – good luck with the test and the resutls
@Winston Smith: victim blaming? That’s nice
@Winston Smith: we don’t know if we have it Winston and if we do then I don’t know is the answer to your question. My husband is a frontline worker so it could be that, or i got it doing the food shopping, or one of my children got it. Does it matter? Is it only people who have done something wrong who get sick? We both woke up with sore throats on Christmas eve. I spoke with my doctor who said it’s not a main symptom but they have seen many people start off with it. On her advice we cancelled Christmas dinner with my parents in law. Yesterday as the day went on we both deteriorated and started coughing and having flu like symptoms. So we decided we should get tested. Regardless, if we are +ve I won’t be looking for someone to blame but rather worrying about who I could have made sick!
@Winston Smith: maybe she became a close contact through work, as I did. Or on public transport. There is no sense in blaming people, as nobody sets out to get this and the vast majority have been doing their part. Best of luck Melissa.
@Melissa OHara: God speed with you and husbands recovery. Pay no attention to the trolls, sad people.
@Melissa OHara: I am a close contact of a positive case from last Tuesday and still waiting for hse call as well as others. After isolating since we arranged private tests today and will have results tomorrow. Pointless hse waiting several days to contact.
@Winston Smith: always one eejit
@Melissa OHara: why do you need to be told what to do?
Call your close contacts and tell them you are going for a test as you have symptoms. Untill you have the results they should act as if they had it and isolate, or if they can’t do so, they must extreme their precautions and follow all the already known heath advices at all time.
They might then stop visiting their elderly parents or extreme their precautions at home if they live with people at risk while they could potentially be pre/asymptomatic.
As Niall Ó Cofaigh said the hse can not do this with every person going for a test, but everyone going for a test and their contacts CAN do it themselves. And unless everyone involved can work out when contact was made in relation to incubation time, those 2 or 3 days before having your result can make a big difference in transmissions.
Wish you and your husband a speed recovery.
@Winston Smith: Troll.
@Winston Smith: don’t be so judgemental!
Not looking good at all. Proper lockdown now or we’re in trouble for all of 2021 aswell. No Christmas next year either
@Jonnie Marre: Yes because the previous lockdowns have worked so well.
@Michael Philips: first one almost eliminated covid in Ireland. Unfortunately FFG took no action to keep it out.
@Jonnie Marre: these columns are for Covid Zealots
@Jonnie Marre: you Covid zealot. Lockdowns do not work
@Jonnie Marre: no christmas 2021? Christ the likes of you are painful. Take a day off
@Jonnie Marre: In Kildare, four lockdowns later, and nothing has changed. What’s so different about a fifth lockdown that it will work this time?
@Dan: the first lockdown only worked well because of the time of year. The second lockdown didn’t do so great because we were all indoors with weaker immune systems due to lower vitamin d etc.
@Dan: No, summer did that!
@Jonnie Marre: why do you think the vaccines won’t work?
@Dan: what steps would you have had them take to keep covid out of Ireland?
@Tomo: Did each lockdown cause a reduction (or slow the increase of) cases? Did the ICUs become overwhelmed? If you only measure lockdown success by whether or not it eradicated COVID, you’re going to be disappointed. Every time.
@Jonnie Marre: we had Christmas, it was yesterday, happens every year
@John Murphy: really interesting point except complete bs, are you aware of when your vitamin D levels are the highest. It’s not in the height of summer , it peaks/lags a few months behind the season but good layman input
@geraldo: Source?
@Dan: You must be well rested after your 6 month sleep if you didn’t notice all the actions and plans gov have in place. Thanks to most people being sensible and following the advice our covid numbers were down to some of the lowest in Europe. Your anti government bile is blurring things for you. Anyone can see Ireland has been doing well in comparison to most other countries in Europe.
@Dan: Varadkar wanted to be the guy who opened everything back up before handing the keys to Martin. Wanted to go out as the big hero, but instead it came flooding back and then he can just blame FF if anyone points the finger at him.
@geraldo:
If you look at this diagram from Swiss research the covid rates seem to correlate extremely well with vit d levels. Better than I had expected.
I hope there isn’t much correlation though because this would suggest we have worse to come and it won’t get better until June like last year. https://smw.ch/journalimage/780/780/ratio/view/article/ezm_smw/en/smw.2012.13719/05e52e927e75a34ca71ad241b1fef59742026fe8/smw_13719_fig_03b_conv.jpg/rsrc/ji
@Jonnie Marre: complete horsesh*t.
@Tomo: nothing, as long as l8s3rs like you still walk the earth
@John Murphy: Many studies confirming this now. Seems like we should all be supplementing Vit D, older and more vulnerable especially. It’s not something I’ve heard the gov recommending though, for some strange reason. It’s another example of areas where I feel they could be doing something but just aren’t. Not sure this is a bad thing though exactly; regularly supplementing could bring levels up to a reasonable level. (Super milk in the cuppa tea alone won’t be enough though, unfortunately)
How is it in late june we nearly wiped out covid without facemasks, now we wear them and we have more cases,
@mark o donovan: far more testing is being done. Better contact tracing measures too. All countries have significantly enhanced this aspect of their surveillance measures. Back in June, all this was new to us
@mark o donovan: people are inside buildings far, far more then in the summer.
@mark o donovan: the sun was shining and days were longer. That’s a major contributing factor. -s
@mark o donovan: the same way Australia and New Zealand have barely any cases now, like all viruses – its seasonal would be my guess.
@mark o donovan: Slightly embarrassing this needs to be explained. Is that you trump?
@mark o donovan: Explain how wearing a facemask could speed up the spread of a virus. Without linking some meme you saw on Facebook.
@Bobby: And given that all corona viruses are seasonal by nature. There was no difference in summer months between countries with lockdown restrictions and those without. The virus effectively died out and increased again in November due to seasonality.
@mark o donovan: Because the first lockdown was pretty much a full lock down. Everyonestayed away as best they could from each other. The masks were meant to stop us spreading from each other when close by, but everyone needs to be doing it, but they are not.
Six people died WITH Covid, how many died FROM Covid? These numbers are misleading…and no I’m not anti vaccine, not dismissing the seriousness, just asking for clarity.
@Joan Featherstone: 6
@Ps Tnov: nope, you obviously didn’t read the report correctly!
@Joan Featherstone: What would this clarity answer for you? That younger, healthier people are less likely to die than older people or those with comorbidities? It doesn’t really matter overall if you died as a direct result of covid or not. Please stop with these questions unless there’s actually a point.
@Noel Kelly: it’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Ie died from COVID or with COVID ?
I’ve noticed that the average mortality age from COVID is no longer reported and ask why ?
Does this info not fit with the fear / hysteria propelled by Government and general media.
People should question things and think outside the box.
@Jim Shevlin: What difference would this info do for you, other than prove what you already know?
@Jim Shevlin: Also, I agree people should question things and not just take at face value everything; the key is asking the right questions. It’s obvious from the briefings and even Holohan himself (he said it straight, basically) that their aim is to have everyone afraid enough to take their restrictions seriously. If info is omitted, most likely they didn’t feel it was info most people wanted to know, and for those who do, it’s freely available to look up. It’s also possible they’re redacting in order to feed the fear, I guess. But again: what good does asking did they die with or from Covid? What info do you get out of it?
@Noel Kelly: there is a significant difference…….a very significant difference…..reporting deaths ‘with’ covid implies that all these people are catching the virus and it is killing them….but thats not what is happening…..the average age of deaths is 84…and 90% have an underlying condition….now the scaremongers and anxiety ridden amoung us are being led to believe that over 2000 people have died as a result of getting covid 19 , being admitted to icu and dying as a result…but the actual number of deaths of those incidents is far far far lower…..and it would be good at this stage (10 months later) for us to be told on a daily basis X number of people have died as a direct result of covid 19 and x number of people were already ill , suffering with a different health complication have tested positive and died with covid – but that was not the main cause of death…..its not complicated really
@Dave Hammond: What would be the benefit of people believing Covid is less serious than it actually is ? There are enough out there ignoring guidelines as it is.
@Cliff Burnby: I wouldn’t advocate for the opposite either. People shouldn’t be living in fear or freaking out. Take care, adhere to the restrictions in place (while asking questions), but generally keep a clear head and use common sense. There’s a level of seriousness for Covid but I believe there is a fair amount of people are on one side of a divide or the other. One side overblowing everything and being led along and the other not arsed and making conspiracy theories. Both are as bad as each other. Thankfully, there’s another fair amount taking a balanced approach.
Curfew needed. Gardai with power of arrest needed for breaking curfew.
@Eddie Forde: yeah because the virus will only infect you after 10pm
@Eddie Forde: That won’t be enough. We need a proper 21st century police state with mass surveillance. All human rights should be taken away from us. Anybody that fails to denounce their neighbour for any wrongdoings should be sent to a labour camp. It’s time to end the softly softly approach on dealing with covid.
@Adam Conroy: fu(k me ……do you know how a curfew works?
@mar: that did work in China. If you believe them. Seems like we are doomed to be in lockdown and restrictions for early this year. In fairness some people who are obeying the rules are annoyed at those who are not and jeopardising public health.
@Adam Conroy: house parties are mainly after 10 pm. When large amounts of alcohol are taken all guidelines are out the window. We can’t keep closing businesses on one hand, and turning a blind eye to parties with below cost price alcohol . We need to try something new.
@mar: the worst thing about your comment is that 111 eejits agree with you SMH.
@Aaron O Brien: That’s only because they understand sarcasm (I hope).
That piece of cotton you keep in the glove compartment or jeans back pocket and rarely wash does not stop a virus from spreading, who would have thought.
@Michael Philips: Can you give it a rest about the Face Masks already…… They reduce your chance of getting it or spreading it to others…. What makes you think the people who got it were, or were not, wearing masks?
If you do not want to wear one that’s fine, but stop bleating on about it without any evidence to back it up.
@Michael Philips: no one ever said they stop the virus from spreading, they reduce its spread. I think a part of you knows this but refuses to acknowledge it
@Michael Philips: Well, we’ve tried hand sanitiser too and we’re going back into lockdown. Does that mean hang sanitiser is ineffective too?
@Spongetron: Plus with mask you dont need to brush your test in the mornings before going to work! win win!
@Michael Philips: all those PPE are working with the restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. Had we done nothing how many people would have contracted Covid by now? A lot. So please stop saying that these measures don’t work just because the numbers are high. If we had level 5 restrictions all the time you’d be first to complain.
@Michael Philips: another courageous anonymous troll.
@Michael Philips: Yep, you’re right, they don’t work if you keep them on your back pocket or glovebox.
They do if you wear them though.
@Michael Philips: Who are you talking to? Most people wash their mask every day. If you know someone who doesn’t, talk to them about it.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: Open your eyes. Most people I see walking into shops pull out these dirty dingy masks from their pockets and put them on before entering shops.
@Michael Philips: Ah Dr Philips, Hope you’re well. What a man, a true “Patriot!”
Please close retail, this is crazy
@Whatever: yawn
@Whatever: why?
A lot of panic here I see , jeez relax and look after each other
The current case fatality rate is 1% so probability is 12 of those will die.
.
RIP
@Eoin McLove: cases also doubling each week, so could be over 2000 cases a day by next week.
.
Though hopefully see impact of restrictions in next few days and at the least, numbers stabilise
@Eoin McLove: When you say “current”, what do you mean? Even if we made the big assumption that all 2,200 people died from COVID (not with) and divided that number by the 85k identified COVID cases (the likely number is far higher), I am still left with 0.25%. Please provide workings for your assertion above and please highlight the assumptions you are making.
@EnKy: hi EnKy,
.
Yeah, not very clear alright. By current I mean last few months: we’ve been averaging 500 reported cases a day and 5 deaths a day. CSO did more detailed analysis and got 1% too.
.
Looks like you’re a decimal point off in your calc.
2.5% is too high to apply to case numbers since summer though as we’re catching a lot more infections now alright than first wave.
.
Actual fatality rate for every infection, and not just reported cases, as per WHO, is 0.6%, which makes sense.
@EnKy: It is too early in the day
- it is more like 2.5% not 0.25% – – I rechecked the maths –
Ireland cases – 85,394
Ireland Deaths – 2,200
85394 : 2200
- divide 85394 into both and multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
2.5762934%
I am not being critical – but I think you got the decimal point in the wrong place. – well someone did. On the world scale it is running around 3% as well. I do hope that the 2.5% is based on older figures when you needed two symptoms to be tested and the figure will be a lot lower as we are testing workers and asymptomatic people and close contacts as well as single symptom individuals… but based on probability and existing statistics it is likely that some of those cases today will not see spring or summer and to the families it is immaterial if it is 1 or 12 or 30 or 36.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: thats assuming that everyone who had it actually went for a test too. I wonder what the actual number of cases is..i guess we will never know.
@Derek Gannon: I do agree, which is why I included the requirements for testing when we had the higher death rate. Just from reading about antibody testing, which might indicate how many cases there were compared to those tested, and it suggests that maybe we are detected 10% to 33% of cases (i,e 1 in 10 or 1 in 3). This is based on results from other countries not Ireland… but I really hope we are detecting lots of mild cases and the true death rate will be as low as possible.
@Eoin McLove: I imagine the cases will be over the 2000 in a week. Heading for 3000. Which is where the English numbers are these days per capita. It may take 10/14 days for the figures to stabilise. Also we have the new variant to think about.
@Derek Gannon: last time I checked, WHO were saying their best guess is 0.6% of actual infections died
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: HSE did an antibody study in dublin and sligo after first wave and determined 1 in 3 infections reported.
.
You’d have to figure we’re around 1 in 2 now.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: its a pity there is not more transparency with the numbers though.. ie hospital settings , nursing homes etc. . You certainly sound like you have done your research anyway !
@Richard Williamson: all true.
.
I hope new variant doesn’t get a foothold here, covid is a tricky enough bugger as it is
@Eoin McLove: I think that it inevitably will. Was speaking to a friend living in London early this week. The increase of the infection rate in south east England is scary. That is with restrictions in place.
We will have a difficult few months ahead of us. Another friend told me the R0 of the new variant is about .4/.6 higher than that of regular Covid. He had seen two articles on it. And that is in a restrictions setting.
@Eoin McLove: shamefully dishonest portrayal of the numbers. The infection fatality rate is all important and c. 0.2%, which is comparable to the flu.
@Stephen Conrads: I wonder who is shamefully dishonest? What is wrong with his numbers?
@Eoin McLove: and what is the probability of 12 people in the 80+ age group with an underlying health condition dying if there was no covid ? the scare mongering here is nonsense.
@Dave Hammond: the same probability as myself and yourself dying. 100%. We will all die someday. I’m sure when you are hopefully 80 you would like to live a bit longer.
Cases with no context means nothing. How many in hospital or ICU? How many are even symptomatic?
@Adam Conroy: “How many in hospital or ICU?” – Sure when you look this up come back and tell us…. I know where to get my data thank you – but I will give you a clue – well two starting points
https://covid-19.geohive.ie/search
we await your discoverers – thank you!
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: so 23 in ICU it was 29 a few days ago. Numbers going down.
Why had there been no break down of figures county by county for yesterday or today and why is the Covid app not being updated?
@Una Dwyer: It’s Christmas.
@Una Dwyer: the covid app is normally 12 tot 24 hours behind anyway… but I suspect the priority is not getting the data into the app over Christmas.
You can see some of the hub and app data here – some are updated to 26th while others are not https://covid-19.geohive.ie/search
The information you seek may be here https://www.gov.ie/en/news/7e0924-latest-updates-on-covid-19-coronavirus/
However it seems that some may only be compiled during the normal working week. Here are the latest from the nub stats database linked to above..
ICU Figures are down from 25 on Christmas Day (6:30 pm) to 22 today (26/12/2020 @ 11 am).
Hospital cases are up from 253 at 11 am Christmas Day to 268 at 11 am today (26/12/2020)
@Una Dwyer: that’s a great question. The reason we all downloaded it was for the contact tracing and it’s taking a christmas holiday. Only in Ireland
Well Darwinism plays a huge part in the numbers over the next few weeks. If you start having symptoms over next days to week and you visited you pensioner age parents over Christmas you own what happens to them. If the figures rise that’s partly on you.
Many if us chose to do the right thing. Many didn’t
@Tom Ripley: visiting your parents or grandparents is not the wrong thing to do at Christmas. Anyone can catch this at any time doing pretty much anything. People like you, empathy vacuums, are not what is needed right now…
@David Clements: I agree with tom it is absolutely wrong and if a visitor brings covid to their parents and they end up in ventilator I wonder how they will live with that?
Probably quite easy, people like you seem to justify their selfishness.
With all the figures and how they will explode over the next week or two I’m sure that situation will happen.
Empty vacuum? Empty brain or greed. Not sure you’re fine of them for sure
@sister sexy: one of them*
@sister sexy: “I agree with tom it is absolutely wrong and if a visitor brings covid to their parents and they end up in ventilator I wonder how they will live with that?” ………….. the visitor or the parent or the child?
Why is that anyone with a view different from you is selfish?
What I witnessed in an HSE hospital in 2020 was like nothing I have seen in two decades ….and I’m talking about the psychological impact of Lockdowns. What makes you so certain you are not the selfish one?
@sister sexy: you can visit someone AND take precautions…
@sister sexy: and don’t dare call me selfish on here again from your anonymous account
@David Clements: you’re selfish.
Curfew needed. Garda with power of arrest needed for breaking curfew.
I live in Dublin, the supposed epicentre of Ireland. I’ve a wide enough circle of friends. Very large family. I know one person through a friend of a friend that tested positive for covid. He recovered fully after 7 days.
Similar story when I ask others. It’s hardly reason for panic. I’m not concerned about others opinions on this. Just stating a fact.
@Joe: I know someone who works in ICU and has had to turn off life support on people who have died from the virus (and no they weren’t all old or had underlying conditions) but sure it’s nothing to worry about.
@Sam Harms: I know someone who works in ICU in a Dublin hospital and they were telling me ICU numbers relating to covid were extremely low this time round.
@Sam Harms: I’m talking about my own personal experience, considering the mania and locking the country down, I personally and the sane goes for my family don’t know anyone who’s tested positive bar 1 person and he recovered quickly (60’s). I don’t believe those who’ve died didn’t have underlying conditions or were very old. The survival rate is 99.98%
@Joe: how’d you figure out that 99.98%. Have a look at the maths of others in the comments. I’d say we are looking at a fatality rate between .5 and 1 %. That’s a lot of people.
@Richard Williamson: no it isn’t.. It’s not enough to close down a country and destroy an economy.. 0.5% and 70-80% of people’s lives ruined, our children’s children will be the ones that will be most affected by this.. 10 months in and I still have yet to meet someone who actually contracted this “killer virus”
@Richard Williamson: Infection fatality rate is 0.23%. So it’s correct. This is published global findings (although not widely communicated by RTE or in NPHET briefings).
@Aaron O Brien: You’re very lucky. I know a dozen people that have had it. One of whom died, one of whom still has no sense of taste or smell 7 weeks later and one who is still suffering from debilitating fatigue.
They should lockdown houses.
@Lee Galiezitte: Than build some while there at it.
@Lee Galiezitte: you absolute i’d take
@Lee Galiezitte: you absolute idxxt
Ya something not right with not releasing where the cases are
Curfew needed. Garda with power of arrest needed for breaking curfew.
@Eddie Forde: So you keep saying Eddie. Why not go the whole hog and allow shoot to kill.
@Shay Redmond.: Ok, if you insist.
@Eddie Forde: at least for New Year’s Eve. No reason to be out except house parties
Not loo
Have they stopped giving the breakdown of cases by county or what?
@Sean Dalton: not over the weekends and public holidays I hope… for a while now some stats were not updated daily
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: bit of a weak excuse, if they have the total number to give out they have the county by county numbers, could easily be added to press release without too much extra work.
@Sean Dalton: Sure it’s already listed on the app. Anyone who looks at that can see it by county at a glance. I mean the tracker.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: hasnt been updated in 2 days on my tracker app
@Sean Dalton: I am not using it as an excuse, just i had noticed recently that sometimes the stats were up to 2 days old on the app, over the weekend, so I decided to look further and found this release “As of the week beginning 22nd June, NPHET reports will not be produced on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. Friday’s report will be posted on the HPSC website on Saturday and Monday’s report will be posted on the HPSC website on Tuesday. The daily number of cases and deaths is published seven days a week in the NPHET press release.”
– but the county reports are elsewhere – I wonder about the data processing order…. the total number of tests and results and then some validation and then a breakdown… anyway for whatever reason they are not available and , as I said before, this has been the case but just no one seems to have noticed much before.
Will ye all go and eat your left overs from yesterday, and stop spouting doom and gloom!
How many asymptomatic? Vast majority I’d say.
@Brian Stafford: About 15.6% on average remain asymptomatic.
“A total of 50,155 patients from 41 studies with confirmed COVID‐19 were included. The pooled percentage of asymptomatic infection is 15.6% (95% CI, 10.1%‐23.0%).”
He, J., Guo, Y., Mao, R. and Zhang, J., 2020. Proportion of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of medical virology.
@David Jordan: Uk health minister was quoting 1 in 3 assymptomatics last week.
Just cases. Hospitals plenty of capacity. ICU numbers are their lowest in a while. Much ado about nothing
10.000 vaccines…..jaysus….who decided we only got 10,000….pharma? id like to see a statement of intent and a million vaccines come in. what a joke.
@D.B: you obviously don’t pay much attention to the news
@D.B: think you need to catch up on what you think you know about that number of doses we are getting. Hint….it’s in the millions ;-)
@J: 1st delivery of 10,000. why that figure.
@Jason Ebbs: yah, i know but i wanted more than 10,000 delivered now.
@D.B: Go make them yourself then
Jesus Christ this is overwhelming. Hurry up with that vaccine. At least get the front liners injected
@Anna Carr: vaccine my bollix
@Anna Carr: 4 more days…
@Paul Rooney: Your so insightful. Rare for an anti vaxxer and anti masker to have a profile pic up to. You’re not anonymously raving.
@Paul Rooney: No not in your bollix
@Paul Rooney: The rest of you needs to be vaccinated too
@Paul Rooney: That’s a spike too far.
@Paul Rooney: ouch. Whatever you’re into.
@Anna Carr: vaccine my bolix
@Patrick O’Farrell: not an anti Vader im anti poison.
@Paul Rooney: What?
Track and trace is NOT working. I had dinner with 5 other people last Monday, 48 hours later 2 were confirmed positive. HSE told them they wouldn’t be contacting anyone 24+ hrs out. I’m now self isolating but bizarre to me that we have not been contacted?
@CSR: why do u need to eat with 5 other people during the only global pandemic of your lifetime. You’re wondering why resources aren’t being pumped into contacting u when someone u dined with was tested positive. Surely you’re aware of the procedure. What happens next. What you should do. You can’t be that ignorant! In any case… Chances are you’d ignore the advice on said call if youre the type to be out with 5 people during the most infectious week we’ve had this whole year
@Brianto: In fairness what business is that of yours. They didn’t break any “rules” government guidelines are you can dine with 6 people. Wind your neck in too many interfering busybodies like you about. Mind yourself, follow correct procedures and leave others alone.
@Brianto: wind your neck in! We were within the rules!
A load of more bollix
@Paul Rooney: yes thank you. That’s very informative
@Paul Rooney:
Massive numbers, well done everybody
@Ps Tnov: thanks!
The new vaccine wont work in the new mutant strains with many alterations on the spike protein ( the x taget for the vaccine). 2021 is gonna be another repeat of 2020,
@Merlin Lancelot: Is that you McConkey?
@Merlin Lancelot: and your proof of this is?
@Merlin Lancelot: shut the front door please
There’ll be plenty of house parties for NY, watch the cases rise then, all the lockdowns in the world won’t stop it.
Sheee it. …not good
“Massaging the figures” comes to mind
I hope we are not slowing heading for full up ICUs..
@Munster1: only 23 in ICU atm, lowest for a while. Was like 160 during the first lockdown.
Maybe a proper lockdown like March can help us instead of the half arsed one a few weeks ago
How many in icu and how many discharged today? How many tests carried out..not very comprehensive now is it
@Darren Carroll: The information you seek may be here https://covid-19.geohive.ie/search – there are links to raw data tables…
Test count data and some others some may only be compiled and updated during the normal working week.
Here are the latest from the Hub stats database linked to above..
ICU Figures are down from 25 on Christmas Day (6:30 pm) to 23 today (26/12/2020 @ 6:15 pm).
Hospital cases are up from 253 at 11 am Christmas Day to 268 at 11 am today (26/12/2020)
Be aware that the “discharges” and “admissions” seen on the app does not relate to changes in hospital numbers as some people test positive and are discharged immediately as they do not need hospital care. The best way determine the number is to just look at totals from day to day
Here are fairly details reports on hospital numbers https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/coronavirus-daily-operations-updates.html
hope this helps
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: thank you
6 people who we not told age,if previous health condition died with cv19 not because of it. RIP
Why no county figures anymore ??
@Kipper O Keeffe: not on Sundays or PH recently I think…
Little Johnny just had to come home to see Mammy.
Lovely weather here in Lisbon. Beautiful city,
So many people sneaking off for tests during Christmas dinner! Typical.
Def not a scam
So all these cases were on Christmas Day ???
Old cases, new cases, ???
If it takes four days to get the latest results does that mean we will have a no new cases day ???
Close aerport & gyms
@Martin Bissett: Put the whole country under house arrest. Close all shops and only sell essential foods for nutritional purposes.
@Sal Paradise:
Seig Heil. Let’s round up everyone while we’re at it.
@Sal Paradise:
Let’s round up everyone while we’re at it.
Vaccine cant get here soon enough.
They normally tell us how many are in ICU and how many hospital admissions?
@Sommer Church: they are published – blame the Journal for not telling you…
I have the links and figures in at least two other comments
here is the source https://covid-19.geohive.ie/search
23 in ICU down from 25 yesterday and up from 22 two days ago
268 in hospital up from 253 yesterday and 255 two days ago
@Sommer Church: sure if they did that then the scaremongering headline wouldn’t have it’s desired effect.. HIGHEST NUMBERS EVER, WE ARE ALL DOOMED.. COVER YOUR SNOTS, MASK UP, WASH YOUR B@LLS BLAH BLAH BLAH.. we’ll be grand, the magic vaccine will save us all ( well those st@pid enough to take it )
Look at the amount of people in this photo. Can people not just stay at home?
I’d love to carry on as normal but it’s not normal. Stay the f—k at home you selfish b______s
There was a case confirmed in my daughter’s school today though none of the pupils were exposed to the infection.
So what we still need the updates
How many are the new variant????
The schools should not reopen until we get the numbers under control
A
I think until someone you know/loves gets the virus and shockingly passes away you then understand the need for all this face masking, 2 metres apart, no hugging action that we all need to be adhering too to try and save the people we love!
have your say