# The government's response to Coronavirus



## Susie2017

I am wondering are individuals coming back from affected areas including Italy are still not being quarantined or told they MUST self isolate. What are we waiting for ? Why are we not cancelling all major gatherings like parades on St Patricks Day. What is the point in delaying these measures or are vested interests taking precedence? The Italian health ministry has warned their hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed. The death rate certainly appears to be many multiples higher than rates for influenza.


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## odyssey06

Italy has declared itself unsafe by closing schools, universities, theatres etc

In response, our DFA should issue a do not travel alert for Italy.
It won't stop everyone going\coming back, but it will invalidate travel insurance for that country and will stop many from travelling there.


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## Thirsty

More cases this morning - how on earth is there even still a debate about the St. Patricks Day parades? Or flights coming in from Italy?

We did better with the Foot and Mouth in 2001.


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## hydrocarbon

The HSE have made some basic mistakes.

1) Lab Test criteria

Since Feb 24 the WHO have recommended expanded testing based on symptoms not just travel history/close contact with known cases, with the following recommendation:

_Immediately expand surveillance to detect COVID-19 transmission chains, by testing all patients with atypical pneumonias, conducting screening in some patients with upper respiratory illnesses and/or recent COVID-19 exposure, and adding testing for the COVID-19 virus to existing surveillance systems (e.g. systems for influenza-like-illness and SARI)_

The HSE retained very restrictive criteria. The expanded criteria might have helped with the Cork case, due to the long delay between onset of symptoms and isolation. The USA/CDC have allowed expanded testing from Feb 26, due to both medical and media pressure.

2) Travellers returning from Italy

The USA, UK and New Zealand all recommend self-quarantine for 14 days for travellers returning from or transiting through Northern Italy (or Italy). In Ireland the advice is  "if you feel well, then keep to your normal routine". The HSE are ignoring multiple documented cases of transmission with no symptoms or only mild/non-specific symptoms. The HSE model of how the disease works doesn't match with reality. Many universities in the USA require 14-day self-isolation of returning students/faculty not just from CDC Level 3 (e.g. Italy, S. Korea) but also Level 2 (e.g. Japan).

Best practice is Singapore and Taiwan, but that bar is impossibly high for the HSE/Irish government. Ireland should at least be trying to match WHO and USA/UK guidelines.


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## josh8267

Daddy Ireland said:


> Big jump in deaths Italy today. 49 deaths today added to 41 yesterday.  Deaths gone over 4% of cases.  Good ol Ireland allow in all the Italians for the postponed game.  As stated before utter madness.


Good old Ireland has not put in place social security for people or companies who need to self Isolate yet to stop the spread within
Ireland Can wait until Cabinet sub committee meeting on Monday no hurry it's seams, and a Doctor the Leader of our Country no less,


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## Max Weber

AS per usual it takes someone to die in order for the conditions to change in ireland.


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## hydrocarbon

_"Asked about the conditions of patients, Mr Holohan said they had not done an analysis, but there was no reason to believe the picture here was different to the international situation where most cases were mild_"

80% of cases are mild/moderate (not "mild"); 20% severe/critical. But nobody wants to talk about the 20%.

The WHO reported that of the severe/critical cases in China 75% needed oxygen therapy/supplementation, 25% mechanical ventilation. Average hospital stay for these cases was 3-6 weeks (not days). Also studies report lung scarring/fibrosis for some recovered patients. Too early to say if this is irreversible.

The coronavirus should be viewed as potentially causing long-term lung damage. Yet it is still all systems go for the big St Patrick's Day parades. Madness.


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## johnwilliams

hydrcarbon 
"Yet it is still all systems go for the big St Patrick's Day parades. Madness" i agree  asking people not to attend if not feeling well ,problem is kids will want see parade so parents will go (people will be up against each other (sardines)for above minimum contact time trying to get best view look at dublin parade via tv
keep thinking of that lotto ad guy  ara shar (spelling) it will be all right 
.


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## KoalaB

It is trite to say but public health is macro and involves more than the assessment of any individual‘s health risk. There are for example significant fiscal consequences if a country is designated as a “do not travel“ destination both for insurance companies and airlines (and of course politically). 

We can and should all make our private health decisions for ourselves. I think plenty of people know that anyone travelling is mad and that anyone going to big gatherings is also a bit mad.


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## hydrocarbon

KoalaB said:


> It is trite to say but public health is macro and involves more than the assessment of any individual‘s health risk. There are for example significant fiscal consequences if a country is designated as a “do not travel“ destination both for insurance companies and airlines (and of course politically).
> 
> We can and should all make our private health decisions for ourselves. I think plenty of people know that anyone travelling is mad and that anyone going to big gatherings is also a bit mad.



The issue with public parades is not so much that the people who attend may get infected (that's their choice) but that they may go on to infect people who didn't attend - e.g. a few days later they sit beside someone on the bus or train and transmit the virus to someone else. That's why I don't view it as just a private health issue. The lessons of Philadelphia in 1918 or the Wuhan potluck in 2020 still need to be learned. The parade was cancelled in 2001 due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak and held later when the crisis was over - no reason the same thing cannot be done again.

Overall a country's reputation will be enhanced by taking effective measures to limit the spread - I doubt there are many people in Taiwan saying they overreacted. For example they should be in a good position to attract future investment from companies that want to diversify their supply chains, reducing future risk.


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## MrEarl

I'm far from impressed with our government's response to date


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## Saavy99

All flights from Italy should have been banned weeks ago, it's just horrific what's unfolding over there, with not near enough intensive care beds to cope with the critically ill. I shudder at the thoughts of the same happening here.


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## Ceist Beag

We are now in the position Italy were in a few weeks back. They went from 20 to circa 7500 cases in that time. We really need to learn the lessons here - and put them into practice today, not in a few weeks time! That should mean a ban on all mass gatherings including St Patricks Day events.


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## Peanuts20

Saavy99 said:


> All flights from Italy should have been banned weeks ago, it's just horrific what's unfolding over there, with not near enough intensive care beds to cope with the critically ill. I shudder at the thoughts of the same happening here.



And then people jump on a train to Nice or Zurich and fly home from there. You could also have argued that all flights should have been banned from China weeks ago, or Korea or Japan or anywhere else. It's easy to be wise retrospecitvly but we also need to put this in proportion. What happens the next time someone in India or Russia or anywhere else gets a virus no one has seen before. ? Is there an automatic protocol put in place that that country is locked down for a month. Who would travel anywhere if that was the case?


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## odyssey06

Minister for Health Simon Harris has said there is a moderate-to-high risk that Ireland will follow a pattern seen in other EU countries in regard to the Covid-19 outbreak such as Italy, France and Germany.








						Three new cases of Covid-19 in Republic of Ireland
					

Three more cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland, bringing the total number to 24.




					www.rte.ie


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## Saavy99

Peanuts20 said:


> ? Is there an automatic protocol put in place that that country is locked down for a month. Who would travel anywhere if that was the case?



Chinese locked down cities containing 50 million, now they appear to be getting on top of this vurus.

 We had ample time to learn from them.


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## David_Dublin

Saavy99 said:


> Chinese locked down cities containing 50 million, now they appear to be getting on top of this vurus.
> 
> We had ample time to learn from them.



Totalitarian states tend to be able to enforce these types of things a little more efficiently than liberal democracies - they have some practise!


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## Saavy99

David_Dublin said:


> Totalitarian states tend to be able to enforce these types of things a little more efficiently than liberal democracies - they have some practise!



In that case we will just have to watch how it will pan out in Italy.


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## galway_blow_in

David_Dublin said:


> Totalitarian states tend to be able to enforce these types of things a little more efficiently than liberal democracies - they have some practise!


 Indeed and what's more the populous tends to be more willing to put up with the accompanying loss of liberty


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## David_Dublin

Just to be clear, I think we will suffer the impact of not taking earlier & more decisive action. I was just pointing the above out as a matter of (regrettable) fact.


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## odyssey06

David_Dublin said:


> Totalitarian states tend to be able to enforce these types of things a little more efficiently than liberal democracies - they have some practise!



South Korea and Singapore aren't totalitarian, authoritarian perhaps but they are handling this much better than Italy.


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## Daddy Ireland

The cabinet sub committee speaking now will frighten many people.   Queues at the shops very shortly.


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## Daddy Ireland

Oh how we may rue having those Italian supporters over the weekend.  Italy is horrific.


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## seamus m

How stupid were we to let continuous flights in unchecked from italy.what a joke more worried about their economic stability than our own people's lives another almighty cock up


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## Romulan

odyssey06 said:


> All air traffic to *Denmark* from areas severely hit by coronavirus, will cease later on today, the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said.
> “Effective from later today, all air traffic to Denmark from red areas will be suspended,” she said, referring to areas hard hit by the coronavirus such as northern Italy, Iran and South Korea.



And Denmark can do this and we cannot because?


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## Purple

Daddy Ireland said:


> The cabinet sub committee speaking now will frighten many people.   Queues at the shops very shortly.


I was in Lidl last night and there was no toilet rolls but there was plenty of wine. Some people really do have screwed up priorities.


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## Brendan Burgess

Are we doing better than the Dutch









						How Dutch false sense of security helped coronavirus spread
					

Flawed advice that only those with symptoms can spread virus contributes to slow response




					www.irishtimes.com
				




Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Email App

_The position of Dutch authorities was that only people with symptoms could transmit coronavirus. It was repeated by the government, national and local health authorities, justifying a cascade of decisions that allowed the [broken link removed] to keep up a “business as usual” attitude even as the virus exponentially spread.

The problem was, it was wrong. As early as February 21st, Chinese doctors published a case of apparent asymptomatic transmission; German doctors wrote to the New England Journal of Medicine on March 5th to warn of a case near Munich. The World Health Organisation advises transmission without symptoms is possible.

Despite this the Dutch government and health authorities stuck to looser quarantine advice than other European countries up to the time of publishing, telling people who had travelled from [broken link removed], outbreak spots in [broken link removed], and [broken link removed], that they need only self-quarantine if experiencing symptoms.

As well as being underpinned by a flawed assumption, the advice relies on people knowing whether they have symptoms or not. This is questionable: Chris Higgins, a GP in [broken link removed], provoked an outcry after treating 70 patients while he had what he thought was the tail end of a mild cold, before he tested positive for Covid-19._


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## odyssey06

The thing with the australian doctor is a bit much... he came back from an unaffected area with atypical symptoms for the virus. 

But HSE advice was much the same as the Dutch re transmission without symptoms.


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## hydrocarbon

From journal.ie report:
_"Speaking this evening, health officials said ‘socially restrictive actions’ – visitor bans – at nursing homes are not necessary and were not recommended by health authorities.  Dr Tony Holohan said it would be appropriate that they be lifted_."

Many countries have introduced visitor restrictions on nursing homes/long-term care facilities, and for good reason. Older people are very vulnerable, as are the staff, who may not have the necessary PPE, for example. For an example of what can go wrong look at the Life Care Center in Washington State -120 residents, at least 19 deaths due to COVID-19 out of 26 total, 50+ others testing positive; 180 staff - 70 with symptoms (they haven't all even been tested yet). 10 other nursing homes in Washington State with cases. Yet in Ireland the government is telling private nursing homes* to roll back *sensible measures put in place last Friday by NHI (and which do not amount to a total ban). 

In my view Tony Holohan should be removed from his position - his advice is reckless and irresponsible, and seems predicated on the belief that Irish people are basically easily-fatigued child-like simpletons. The advice from front-line doctors in Italy is to take this seriously and see the inconveniences and restrictions to normal daily routines for what they are - relatively minor compared to watching people die because of a lack of ICU beds, medical staff not going home for two weeks to protect their families etc, and they were talking about the total lockdown of the country, not the relatively tame measures Holohan wants to undo.

In Ireland it has often been left to the private sector/institutions to take action while the government buries its head in the sand. For example Trinity College followed many US universities by first by requiring quarantne for travelers for badly affected countries, and then moving lectures online (measures also attacked by Holohan in his press conference). NHI took a proactive stance and now finds itself being told to undo measures. The airlines themselves that have stopped flights to Italy rather than a government directive as in some other EU countries. No political leadership at all and a chief medical officer acting way beyond his remit and who seems to think he should be dictating policy for all public and private institutions. Perhaps he should be focused on improving testing policy, sourcing PPE and the implications of proven asymptomatic transmission.


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## Brendan Burgess

Good balanced article from Paul Cullen 









						Coronavirus: Irish approach to outbreak under increasing scrutiny
					

Given events elsewhere, public concern that authorities have been slow to act is mounting




					www.irishtimes.com
				




_o have the Irish authorities done the right things, at the right time, that will enable the State to contain the threat posed by the virus? Or have we set up the conditions for an explosion of cases similar to what has been seen in Italy?

These are difficult questions to answer. In the fullness of time, there will be answers, some imbued with the perfect vision that is hindsight_


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## Purple

We have a 20% higher infection rate per head of population than the UK but significantly less than countries on the mainland.


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## Odea

I suppose the lads coming back from Cheltenham will be OK.  Hopefully the boats and planes will be sprayed....
Every picture you see from China, South Korea etc have teams in full protective gear spraying everything that moves and doesn't move.
Somehow I get the feeling that our stocks of sprays are a bit like the grit we put on the roads when they freeze.......on order.  It seems we are just playing for time here while we order everything in.


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## michaelm

Odea said:


> Every picture you see from China, South Korea etc have teams in full protective gear spraying everything that moves and doesn't move.


The spread seems to be primarily person to person.  The spraying is mainly for show.


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## SlugBreath

I notice that the Irish Government is publishing statistics of cases for Southern Ireland separate to Northern Ireland. It sounds better that we have less cases this way.
I think that they should be included together.


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## Brendan Burgess

SlugBreath said:


> It sounds better that we have less cases this way.



I don't think that the Irish government can be held responsible for the cases in the North?


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## michaelm

NI cases are included in UK figures.


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## Purple

SlugBreath said:


> I notice that the Irish Government is publishing statistics of cases for Southern Ireland separate to Northern Ireland. It sounds better that we have less cases this way.
> I think that they should be included together.


They are reporting cases for the entire country, not just southern Ireland (I take it that you are referring to Munster and the bottom half of Leinster?). They are not reporting cases from Northern Ireland as it is part of the UK. By the same measure France are not reporting cases which are in Belgium.


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## Odea

Brendan Burgess said:


> I don't think that the Irish government can be held responsible for the cases in the North?


Do you not think that they should be reporting cases for the island of Ireland? Then break it down in to various areas/counties.


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## Purple

Odea said:


> Do you not think that they should be reporting cases for the island of Ireland? Then break it down in to various areas/counties.


Why? We are aware of the cases in Northern Ireland but the Irish government and the Irish Health Service is only responsible for cases in Ireland (which, for clarity, is the name of this country).


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## elcato

hydrocarbon said:


> In Ireland it has often been left to the private sector/institutions to take action while the government buries its head in the sand. For example Trinity College followed many US universities by first by requiring quarantne for travelers for badly affected countries, and then moving lectures online (measures also attacked by Holohan in his press conference). NHI took a proactive stance and now finds itself being told to undo measures. The airlines themselves that have stopped flights to Italy rather than a government directive as in some other EU countries. No political leadership at all and a chief medical officer acting way beyond his remit and who seems to think he should be dictating policy for all public and private institutions.


Trinners and the airlines dealt with it when it was too late. The virus got in there. Even if the guberment insisted on either of these they would probably have been told where to go unless they were willing to hand over the dosh they were going to lose.


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## Purple

elcato said:


> Trinners and the airlines dealt with it when it was too late. The virus got in there. Even if the guberment insisted on either of these they would probably have been told where to go unless they were willing to hand over the dosh they were going to lose.


Under EU regulation if an airline doesn't maintain 80% usage of an airport slot the airport can withdraw it. That regulation has now been put on hold and so the airlines are now able to suspend flights. To put that in perspective Aer Lingus's Heathrow slots are worth €1.2 billion or over half the value of the entire airline.


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## Sophrosyne

hydrocarbon said:


> The airlines themselves that have stopped flights to Italy rather than a government directive as in some other EU countries.



That is because the government is following WHO recommendations for international traffic, rather than ignoring them as other countries have done.


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## Purple

Sophrosyne said:


> That is because the government is following WHO recommendations for international traffic, rather than ignoring them as other countries have done.



The WHO are the people taking the lead alright.
I have to say that given all the great work done by Bobo and Bob Geldof over the years it's  great to see another rock band doing such great work on Covid-19.


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## odyssey06

Trinity College defends its decision to close... in summary "*We listened to the experts, including our own*":








						First death of patient in Ireland with Covid-19
					

A woman with an underlying illness who contracted Covid-19 has died in the east of the country.




					www.rte.ie
				




The Trinity College decision to cancel lectures, and some smaller classes, *goes beyond current Department of Health advice,* which is that schools and colleges should remain open and that teaching should continue. Asked about this a spokesperson said the college had to follow "the best advice that is available to us". He said Trinity College was listening to the Health Service Executive, and also to the World Health Organization, as well as to experts from within its own academic staff.


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## odyssey06

Nicola Sturgeon, on another reason to ban mass gatherings:
There is a “big question mark” over whether large-scale events such as football matches should go ahead as *Scotland*’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has warned. Sturgeon warned it is highly likely “significant numbers” of people will get the virus, with 36 cases confirmed in Scotland so far and the first case of community transmission north of the border reported on Wednesday.
She said that while cancelling mass gatherings did not have a significant impact on reducing the spread of the virus, such events tie up resources that could be used elsewhere. She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:


> _*Mass gatherings, football matches for example, they need to be policed, they need to have emergency medical ambulance cover.*
> We are going into a period where our emergency services, our NHS in particular, will be under significant challenge and significant pressure, we may see all of our workforces affected by high absentee rates because of sickness so there’s a wider issue here about whether cancelling those kind of events is the right thing to do to reduce pressure on our front-line emergency workers.
> From a wider resilience point of view, then I think there is a big question mark over whether large-scale events like that, whether it is sensible to allow them to proceed at the moment._


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## Odea

SlugBreath said:


> I notice that the Irish Government is publishing statistics of cases for Southern Ireland separate to Northern Ireland. It sounds better that we have less cases this way.
> I think that they should be included together





Brendan Burgess said:


> I don't think that the Irish government can be held responsible for the cases in the North?





Purple said:


> Why? We are aware of the cases in Northern Ireland but the Irish government and the Irish Health Service is only responsible for cases in Ireland (which, for clarity, is the name of this country)


We now have a situation where there are different containment measures for the Six counties and the Republic.  An invisible line in the ground separates us. 
Being an island, should we not try and work together?


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## Ceist Beag

Who said we're not trying to work together? The Irish Government cannot make decisions for the people of NI. However there is no doubt plenty of collaboration going on behind the scenes between the health organisations and politicians on both sides.


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## Purple

Odea said:


> We now have a situation where there are different containment measures for the Six counties and the Republic.  An invisible line in the ground separates us.
> Being an island, should we not try and work together?


I take it that you are referring to Ireland when you talk about "the Republic" and Northern Ireland when you talk about the "Six counties"?
Why can't you refer to this country by its correct title? (By the way "The Republic of Ireland" is the name of a football team, not a country).

Anyway, we are and will continue to work closely with the UK. There are around 40 flights a day from the UK to Dublin. I don't think Northern Ireland is our main concern.


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## Odea

Ceist Beag said:


> Who said we're not trying to work together? The Irish Government cannot make decisions for the people of NI. However there is no doubt plenty of collaboration going on behind the scenes between the health organisations and politicians on both sides.


A joint announcement today about school closures and attendance at events would have shown that we are working together. This suggests to me that there is not much collaboration......but you seem to know differently?


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## Odea

6 counties in the North and 26 in the South.....divided by an invisible line in the ground and we can't come together to make a joint announcement.


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## EmmDee

Odea said:


> 6 counties in the North and 26 in the South.....divided by an invisible line in the ground and we can't come together to make a joint announcement.



Policy is decided in Westminster not in Northern Ireland. Is your suggestion that Ireland should have held off making a decision until London were ready to make one?


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## Purple

Odea said:


> A joint announcement today about school closures and attendance at events would have shown that we are working together. This suggests to me that there is not much collaboration......but you seem to know differently?


Thankfully the Shinners aren't in power. They kneecap collaborators.


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## TrundleAlong

Purple said:


> I take it that you are referring to Ireland when you talk about "the Republic" and Northern Ireland when you talk about the "Six counties"?
> Why can't you refer to this country by its correct title? (By the way "The Republic of Ireland" is the name of a football team, not a country).


I think when you are talking about Ireland but referring to the North and the South it is OK to refer to the South as the Republic.


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## Purple

TrundleAlong said:


> I think when you are talking about Ireland but referring to the North and the South it is OK to refer to the South as the Republic.


I refer to them as Ireland and Northern Ireland. 
If I'm talkabout the island of Ireland I refer to it as the island of Ireland. For 70 years the Brits wouldn't refer to this country by its correct name. I don't think we should do the same.


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## hydrocarbon

For a different model of how to prepare for/deal with coronavirus than was adopted in Europe see

https://www.wired.com/story/singapore-was-ready-for-covid-19-other-countries-take-note/

Key elements are immigration/travel controls and early widespread testing, along with social distancing measures. There's a basic political problem in that the EU seems to fundamentally oppose travel controls. Widespread testing also seems to have been strongly resisted also. At last some decent social distancing measures have been put in place, but without the first two elements will be less effective.


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## DeeKie

hydrocarbon said:


> For a different model of how to prepare for/deal with coronavirus than was adopted in Europe see
> 
> https://www.wired.com/story/singapore-was-ready-for-covid-19-other-countries-take-note/
> 
> Key elements are immigration/travel controls and early widespread testing, along with social distancing measures. There's a basic political problem in that the EU seems to fundamentally oppose travel controls. Widespread testing also seems to have been strongly resisted also. At last some decent social distancing measures have been put in place, but without the first two elements will be less effective.


The lack of a cordon sanitaire is a key issue. That and people who are socially irresponsible.
Ireland can’t make the North do anything so it’s wishful thinking to argue otherwise. We can only seek to request and lobby. We saw that with Brexit. So let’s be realistic and not distracted.


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## odyssey06

Irish authorities are reportedly trying to identify 10,000 beds around Ireland as a contingency for coronavirus, *Rory Carroll* reports from Dublin for The Guardian:
The Health Service Executive is attempting to source beds in hospitals, hotels, military barracks, student accommodation and other sites for a possible surge in cases, according to RTE.
The National Public Health Emergency Team said the [broken link removed]announced on Thursday – such as closing schools and universities and banning big public gatherings – may slow infections so that 200 people a week catch the virus over five weeks instead of 500 people a week catching the virus over two weeks. The goal is to give health services and society time to handle the pandemic.


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## Purple

Where are the figures of 1.8 million people being infected coming from?
There are 11 million people in Wuhan where the virus first spread. They didn't know it was there for months and yet only 70,000 people have contracted the virus (80,000 in the entire country). If we have the same infection rate that would be around 30,000 people. Their dead rate is 5%. That would translate to 1500 deaths here.  That's assuming that we have the same infection rates and the same death rates and since we knew about the virus before it got here, unlike the Chinese, we should have better containment and treatment outcomes. last year about 100 people died from the flu here. 222 died here of the flu in 2018.


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## odyssey06

I think the Chinese figures pre-late January cannot be trusted - lot of Guardian articles about this.
Then, the lockdown measures they put in place once they acknowledged person to person transmission were severe - far greater than any European country. Other Asian countries e.g. in Singapore & S Korea you cannot go out without a mask on. It doesn't stop you getting infected rather it does limit super spreaders from infecting you. This is especially important if reports that you can transmit the virus before symptoms develop (seems more prevalent 24 hours beforehand) are true.
Against that the WHO did not think there were large number of mild \ undetected cases in the figures when they visited China in late February.
Yet Ireland, UK other EU countries are working from models which have ranges of 20% - 70% of the population infected.


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## Purple

Still though, less than 1% infection rate in Wuhan...


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## odyssey06

Purple said:


> Still though, less than 1% infection rate in Wuhan...



I read that South Korea has run 240,000 tests and has 7000 cases which is 3% infection rate.
How much of that is down to severe containment \ mask wearing versus the disease being not that transmissible... I don't know.

On the other hand, the number of cases in Ireland from N Italy, and whole families getting it via 'local transmission' suggests it is transmissible person to person. Hmm.


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## EmmDee

Purple said:


> Still though, less than 1% infection rate in Wuhan...



.... as far as we know. People may have contracted it but not shown symptoms and therefore not recorded

If an area is put into lock-down, the infection rate will be restricted. But it is really just managing the spread. As restrictions are eased, infections will start again - until there is "herd immunity" (either through infection or vaccine). For most, the symptoms will be fine. For some, not so. And managing the rate of the latter is what they are trying to do. But the advice seems to be that up to 60% infection rate ultimately will be where it gets to before the rate of immunity makes further spreading ease off. Getting there without breaking the health system is the challange.

An interesting comment by a virus expert on Newsnight last night - in an ideal world, you would put all high risk people in the north of Scotland for two weeks, gather everyone else in the South of England and infect them all, allow them to recover and then re-integrate everyone. Gives you 60% immunity. It seems that the UK strtaegy is based a little on this - don't try to stop the spread. Instead try to manage it. A risk - but if they pull it off it is a quicker path to normality.


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## BOXtheFOX

Brendan Burgess said:


> I don't think that the Irish government can be held responsible for the cases in the North?






Purple said:


> Why? We are aware of the cases in Northern Ireland but the Irish government and the Irish Health Service is only responsible for cases in Ireland (which, for clarity, is the name of this country).



Good to see that there are comments being expressed about this...….

From a Boards poster....



"This is to me an amazing little side story just unfolding, Unionist and Loyalist commentators saying basically **** what downing street is saying, we are all one island and need to act in unison about school closures etc,


_Other unionists disagreed. “Since coronavirus doesn’t give a damn about borders or identities it makes sense for NI to follow immediately,” tweeted Alex Kane, a unionist commentator.

Jamie Bryson, a loyalist blogger, said Northern Ireland had to recognise it shared an open land border with Ireland. “Regardless of the rights or wrongs of that open border, it is a reality. We face a health crisis that could result in deaths of many people. It is sensible to coordinate the approach between both jurisdictions.”_


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## odyssey06

The National Public Health Emergency Team has *changed the threshold for Covid-19 testing*. It had been the case that if people had returned from an at-risk area and had symptoms, they were to contact their GP. ow, the at-risk area is no longer a condition and if people have symptoms, they should contact their GP. This is expected to result in a big rise in testing.









						Big rise in testing expected as threshold changes
					

The National Public Health Emergency Team has changed the threshold for Covid-19 testing, which is expected to result in a big rise in testing.




					www.rte.ie


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## odyssey06

A drive-thru Covid 19 test facility is understood to have opened in Cork city with medical staff in protective clothing swabbing referred persons through their car windows. Contractors worked in recent days to bring two disused buildings at St Mary's Campus in Gurranabraher on the northside of the city up to speed for usage by medical personnel.








						Drive-thru coronavirus test facility opened in Cork city
					

<p>A drive-thru Covid 19 test facility is understood to have opened in Cork city with medical staff in protective clothing swabbing referred persons through their car windows.</p>




					www.irishexaminer.com


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## odyssey06

Prison service preparing contingency plans including controlled early release of some prisoners








						Coronavirus: Talks underway to reduce number of people in prison in a 'controlled manner'
					

Concerns had already been raised about how the Irish Prison Service would cope with Covid-19.




					www.thejournal.ie


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## WolfeTone

Some humour, anyone? 

UK Gov 4 stage plan


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## RedOnion

odyssey06 said:


> I read that South Korea has run 240,000 tests and has 7000 cases which is 3% infection rate.


No, it's not a 3% infection rate.
There are 52m people.
They have about 153 positive cases per million people.


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## odyssey06

RedOnion said:


> No, it's not a 3% infection rate.
> There are 52m people.
> They have about 153 positive cases per million people.



I was assuming the have done so many tests we should assume the positive cases percentage scales up to the general population eg drive through testing. But it is an assumption.


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## RedOnion

odyssey06 said:


> I was assuming the have done so many tests we should assume the positive cases percentage scales up to the general population eg drive through testing. But it is an assumption.


No. That would assume that the testing is completely random, and that there are over 1m undiagnosed cases.

What they have done in terms of tracking and tracing close contacts of positive cases is incredible. Read about 'patient 31'.


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## BOXtheFOX

Maybe they need to have a look at this.








						LIVE NOW! Dublin Cam
					

EarthCam is taking viewers to the heart of Dublin, Ireland with its live streaming webcams! Perched on top of the Temple Bar Pharmacy, experience the energy and excitement of this popular city.




					www.earthcam.com


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## odyssey06

I think tomorrow or Monday we will move to Level 3 like France and pubs and restaurants will be closed.


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## john luc

With all the wall to wall news I'm confused about what exactly is the different approach the UK government is doing from that of the rest of Europe including Ireland. I hear they are planning a herd immunity policy which would mean they let the virus infection run its course and if your lucky you are in the 40%. If this is so then will Ireland and Europe not have to ban all UK citizens from entering as we and Europe are doing a containment policy.


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## Daddy Ireland

john luc said:


> With all the wall to wall news I'm confused about what exactly is the different approach the UK government is doing from that of the rest of Europe including Ireland. I hear they are planning a herd immunity policy which would mean they let the virus infection run its course and if your lucky you are in the 40%. If this is so then will Ireland and Europe not have to ban all UK citizens from entering as we and Europe are doing a containment policy.


Not able to answer your specific query.  However, I understand UK are alone in adopting this high stakes herd immunity approach which will probably involve asking the older generation to hunker down.  They would be different wouldnt they.  Some gamble with people's lives and sure if it backfires the NHS will ultimately be a lot slacker.  Many scientists have come out against this approach.  Wonder what the older generation think of it over there ?


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## seamus m

Hard to see how and why our pubs are open with social distancing. What about toilets with a few beers in ?.A lot of people can't help themselves and normally it only affects them now we have to take some of these choices away.


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## Clamball

The risk of the government going into an even deeper lockdown is they know people won’t keep it up.  Some parts of China have been in lockdown for 7 weeks.  Plus business stalls, people will be laid off in droves.  It is a terrible balancing act, terribly difficult decisions to make.

As for the UK, herd immunity is achieved by vaccination. This is why we push vaccination for measles hard, if it drops below a certain level, then people start getting measles. Some vunerable parts of the population cannot get vaccinations and they rely on the 95-97% of the population who have been vaccinated to protect them.

this is why there is a mumps outbreak in the cork/Kerry area currently.  18-20 years ago vaccination rates dropped.  These kids are now in colleges and IT’s and there are clusters of mumps outbreaks.

So being a non medical person I don’t understand the approach the UK is taking.   How are they protecting the at risk groups?


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## noproblem

We'll see when it's all over who the smart asses were and weren't. Just because of the herd mentality now starting to be prevalent in Ireland doesn't mean the Irish approach is the correct one. It is what it is at the moment, time will let us know and not amateurs throwing around ideas, etc. Flavour of the month at the moment is "close the pubs", next week it'll be????????.


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## odyssey06

The UK are trying a different plan to build up herd immunity.
Ministers are planning to give police in the UK the power to arrest people with coronavirus who are not self-isolating, the health secretary has confirmed. Over 70s and those with high risk conditions may be asked to self-isolate for 4 months.
They are going to ramp up production of ventilators etc 
They expect lots of people to get sick and recover, and only a small % of them will need ICU because they are in the low risk group.
When the isolation period is over, they hope that with herd immunity, better treatments  \vaccines and capacity in the NHS they can manage this going forwards.
_(I'm not endorsing their strategy, just summarising it)_


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## noproblem

odyssey06,
Your post above is a very interesting take on the UK's response v the rest. I certainly cannot argue against what their response is v others. We all hear of the vulnerability of the older population and the high %'age of that age group who may need intensive care, very difficult to argue against it. This is who they're targeting and maybe they're right? In the animal world only the strongest survive and make the herd all the stronger for it. As blunt as that seems in a human sense, this seems to be the British response and saves huge resources in believing the younger population will heal quicker. Will it prove to be the right tactic? Maybe it will and if so would bring Britain back to better health an awful lot quicker and with massive savings. Time will reveal an awful lot.


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## odyssey06

The UK strategy is out of step with the rest of Europe... but they seem to be basically saying containment won't protect the most vulnerable \ or that they can't sustain the economic costs of containment for months. 

After 4 months because of herd immunity once the isolation period is over - fewer vulnerable people will get sick \ complications as the virus will find it harder to circulate and they can manage that number with the increased capacity they are lining up in the NHS. Rather than trying to contain it in wider society, they are going to isolate the vulnerable until the threat is down to a manageable level. 

Until then they want to reserve the NHS capacity for the 60-80% of the population still  in circulation who get complications in the process of acquiring the herd immunity.


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## seamus m

It's certainly not the answer to any frontline nurses who at the moment must be petrified going to work not for themselves I might add.


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## Purple

odyssey06 said:


> They are going to ramp up production of ventilators etc


Are there companies in the UK making ventilators? I’m not aware of any. The UKs response seems strange to say the least as it’s predicted on the assumption that older people/ higher risk groups don’t live in the same households as lower risk groups.


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## Purple

seamus m said:


> It's certainly not the answer to any frontline nurses who at the moment must be petrified going to work not for themselves I might add.


What do you mean?


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## odyssey06

Purple said:


> Are there companies in the UK making ventilators? I’m not aware of any. The UKs response seems strange to say the least as it’s predicted on the assumption that older people/ higher risk groups don’t live in the same households as lower risk groups.



Yes, lots of 20 somethings still at home with older parents what about couples where one a diabetic etc

They are actually talking to carmakers about switching production...








						Coronavirus: UK manufacturers urged to consider switching to making ventilators
					

Matt Hancock claims PM is talking to carmakers but some question move without more specialist medical staff




					www.theguardian.com


----------



## seamus m

I was just not overly impressed with no problems attitude to the pubs been open this morning and this evening's attitude to UK's stupidity in my eyes.350 people died in Italy in 24 hours another 1000 there in last 5 days alone while under lockdown...I believe we are doing the right things only too slowly and  with too many thick people not doing the right thing that can't be thrusted we have to take option away from them.We called for isolating our skiers to no avail ,for no Italians in Ireland  for match another mistake  .We called for lockdown before  they done it now I see that it's prob not enough . In my oppion we won't have to wait to long to see consequences to Boris s mistakes which will also cost us ie Cheltham.not only the people there but the people crammed into bookies fighting for the same air to breath..I also believe the main suffers mentally in this will be our nurses who will have to care for a lot of careless while trying to stay safe for their own loved ones..


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## odyssey06

SIMON COVENEY HAS told Irish people who wish to return home from Spain to get on a flight before midnight on Thursday.  The Tánaiste today held talks with his Spanish counterpart as well as the chief executives of Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Spanish airports will remain open for a number of days to facilitate the exodus from the country. 








						Irish people in Spain who want to come home told to return by Thursday night
					

Spanish airports will remain open for a number of days to facilitate the exodus from the country.




					www.thejournal.ie


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## noproblem

seamus m said:


> I was just not overly impressed with no problems attitude to the pubs been open this morning and this evening's attitude to UK's stupidity in my eyes.350 people died in Italy in 24 hours another 1000 there in last 5 days alone while under lockdown...I believe we are doing the right things only too slowly and  with too many thick people not doing the right thing that can't be thrusted we have to take option away from them.We called for isolating our skiers to no avail ,for no Italians in Ireland  for match another mistake  .We called for lockdown before  they done it now I see that it's prob not enough . In my oppion we won't have to wait to long to see consequences to Boris s mistakes which will also cost us ie Cheltham.not only the people there but the people crammed into bookies fighting for the same air to breath..I also believe the main suffers mentally in this will be our nurses who will have to care for a lot of careless while trying to stay safe for their own loved ones..




You may well disagree with my position but please don't bring attitude, etc, into what I consider a debate and thankfully one is entitled to debate these things. Neither you or myself or indeed anyone else can say for certain who's position in procedure is the best one going forward. Great Britain have theirs, Ireland (eventually) took theirs, yet allowed thousands come home from Cheltenham without any testing whatsoever and then lambasted them as being irresponsible for going there. Thing is, they were all entitled to go there. Why didn't the Govt do something about that in the first place? Same with the rugby game v Italy, cancel the game but allow the Italians arrive en masse and mix very socially with no procedure whatever in place? The mind boggles. My point about GB's protocol in dealing with this virus is not an attitude, it's very simply asking a question and who's to say if their unpopular decision against Ireland's (now) popular decision is the correct one? If one is to take the opinion of a leading Irish consultant that at the minimum 50,000 people will need seriously intensive care and taking the fact that 20% of seriously ill patients are dying, that shows a minimum fatality of 10,000. Mother of divine mercy I can see how hugely serious this outbreak is, I understand it in the same way everyone else that reads about it does, I can see a scenario that now with all the testing starting next week we may well see hundreds of thousands of people getting the virus and thankfully huge numbers will fight it successfully but of the 20% that get hospitalised they're looking at 20% of those who might be fatalities. That could end up being a very huge number but hopefully it won't happen. These 20% rather than the 80% are the people GB are targeting, because they believe the other 80% will fight it themselves. Britain may change it's mind in what they're doing, it may not. You're well entitled to disagree with their choice but please do so in a responsible way. Ireland's choice may well prove to be the right move, it may prove disastrous. Who can say? I certainly cannot, nor can I say that another country made the right decision. However, we may well find out but it will certainly get a hell of a lot worse before it gets anywhere near better and thinking that in 2 weeks time all will return to some order is pie in the sky. We've made our bed and now we sleep in that bed.


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## seamus m

noproblem said:


> You may well disagree with my position but please don't bring attitude, etc, into what I consider a debate and thankfully one is entitled to debate these things. Neither you or myself or indeed anyone else can say for certain who's position in procedure is the best one going forward. Great Britain have theirs, Ireland (eventually) took theirs, yet allowed thousands come home from Cheltenham without any testing whatsoever and then lambasted them as being irresponsible for going there. Thing is, they were all entitled to go there. Why didn't the Govt do something about that in the first place? Same with the rugby game v Italy, cancel the game but allow the Italians arrive en masse and mix very socially with no procedure whatever in place? The mind boggles. My point about GB's protocol in dealing with this virus is not an attitude, it's very simply asking a question and who's to say if their unpopular decision against Ireland's (now) popular decision is the correct one? If one is to take the opinion of a leading Irish consultant that at the minimum 50,000 people will need seriously intensive care and taking the fact that 20% of seriously ill patients are dying, that shows a minimum fatality of 10,000. Mother of divine mercy I can see how hugely serious this outbreak is, I understand it in the same way everyone else that reads about it does, I can see a scenario that now with all the testing starting next week we may well see hundreds of thousands of people getting the virus and thankfully huge numbers will fight it successfully but of the 20% that get hospitalised they're looking at 20% of those who might be fatalities. That could end up being a very huge number but hopefully it won't happen. These 20% rather than the 80% are the people GB are targeting, because they believe the other 80% will fight it themselves. Britain may change it's mind in what they're doing, it may not. You're well entitled to disagree with their choice but please do so in a responsible way. Ireland's choice may well prove to be the right move, it may prove disastrous. Who can say? I certainly cannot, nor can I say that another country made the right decision. However, we may well find out but it will certainly get a hell of a lot worse before it gets anywhere near better and thinking that in 2 weeks time all will return to some order is pie in the sky. We've made our bed and now we sleep in that bed.


 Response not attitude was word I should have used.At least Ireland I believe is trying to make the next right desicision.The  UK like trump seem to be making it up as they go along .The isolating the older people only came long after the numbers dying went through the roof.I believe the UK like trump will change its position because soon they will put not a number on the deaths but a name.In my mind this is something that I have already done and none do I think of as weak.Responsibly I have decided that if I can get one name offthat list by getting them to stay at home I will. Not all these names are old but their time here is worth all the money in Ireland


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## Purple

odyssey06 said:


> Yes, lots of 20 somethings still at home with older parents what about couples where one a diabetic etc
> 
> They are actually talking to carmakers about switching production...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Coronavirus: UK manufacturers urged to consider switching to making ventilators
> 
> 
> Matt Hancock claims PM is talking to carmakers but some question move without more specialist medical staff
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theguardian.com


The idea that a robotic production line which makes cars can be switched to making ventilators is utter nonsense. It’s like saying that a line producing cans of beans can do it. The companies that make ventilators have international supply chains, need injection moulded plastics, machined parts, electronics, VDU’s, silicone tubing and rubber, clean rooms, test equipment, ISO13485 certification etc.
That’s up there with the worst of the BS that came out of the UK government at the height of the Brexit debate. From a standing start it would take 6-18 months to start making ventilators, assumingbthat you hire experts from companies that already make them and piggyback their existing supply chain.


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## losttheplot

Sounds like they plan to source them from Trotters Independent Trading. There's very tight regulations around medical devices. Is this where UK manufacturing standards are heading once they're out of the EU.


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## Sophrosyne

noproblem said:


> You may well disagree with my position but please don't bring attitude, etc, into what I consider a debate and thankfully one is entitled to debate these things. Neither you or myself or indeed anyone else can say for certain who's position in procedure is the best one going forward. Great Britain have theirs, Ireland (eventually) took theirs, yet allowed thousands come home from Cheltenham without any testing whatsoever and then lambasted them as being irresponsible for going there. Thing is, they were all entitled to go there. Why didn't the Govt do something about that in the first place? Same with the rugby game v Italy, cancel the game but allow the Italians arrive en masse and mix very socially with no procedure whatever in place? The mind boggles. My point about GB's protocol in dealing with this virus is not an attitude, it's very simply asking a question and who's to say if their unpopular decision against Ireland's (now) popular decision is the correct one? If one is to take the opinion of a leading Irish consultant that at the minimum 50,000 people will need seriously intensive care and taking the fact that 20% of seriously ill patients are dying, that shows a minimum fatality of 10,000. Mother of divine mercy I can see how hugely serious this outbreak is, I understand it in the same way everyone else that reads about it does, I can see a scenario that now with all the testing starting next week we may well see hundreds of thousands of people getting the virus and thankfully huge numbers will fight it successfully but of the 20% that get hospitalised they're looking at 20% of those who might be fatalities. That could end up being a very huge number but hopefully it won't happen. These 20% rather than the 80% are the people GB are targeting, because they believe the other 80% will fight it themselves. Britain may change it's mind in what they're doing, it may not. You're well entitled to disagree with their choice but please do so in a responsible way. Ireland's choice may well prove to be the right move, it may prove disastrous. Who can say? I certainly cannot, nor can I say that another country made the right decision. However, we may well find out but it will certainly get a hell of a lot worse before it gets anywhere near better and thinking that in 2 weeks time all will return to some order is pie in the sky. We've made our bed and now we sleep in that bed.



The UK has confined testing to the most serious cases – those who present in hospitals.

Everyone else who is sick and have typical coronavirus symptoms such as a fever and dry cough, are being told to self-isolate for 7 days and crucially are not being tested..

Therefore, the UK figures on reported confirmed cases are meaningless for both containment and scientific analysis purposes.

In addition, although the elderly and those with underlying conditions are the *most* vulnerable, that does not mean that younger people with no underlying conditions cannot die from this virus

By contrast, the main message from the WHO briefing today was "test, test, test. Test and isolate *every* confirmed case."

“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. “You have to know where the virus is.”


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## odyssey06

_Posting here for people to compare \ contrast with Irish \ UK approach:_

In the country's first national address by a prime minister in over 40 years, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte laid out three possible scenarios that affect how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the Netherlands...
"It won't take days, or weeks," he said of that drastic vision. He laid the scenarios out to dissuade people from thinking that as a population the Netherlands can quickly build up a controlled herd immunity. "But we must realize that it can take months or even longer to build group immunity, and during that time we need to shield people at greater risk as much as possible," Rutte said. Thus, to be able to control the spread of the virus, he advocated, "that we try to use measures to smooth out the peak number of infections, and spread it out over a longer period. With this approach in which most people will only get minor complaints, we build immunity and ensure that the healthcare system can handle it."








						"I'm counting on you": Dutch PM asks country to unite in fight against coronavirus
					

In the country's first national address by a prime minister in over 40 years, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte laid out three possible scenarios that affect how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the Netherlands, pledged his support for workers and all business owners, and asked that the...




					nltimes.nl


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## SPC100

__





						Government Publishes National Action Plan on COVID-19
					

The Cabinet Committee on COVID-19 has approved a National Action Plan. The Plan has been prepared following a comprehensive process involving all departments and key agencies.




					www.gov.ie
				




You can download the 57 page pdf from the link above.


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## odyssey06

Seems like we are, like the UK, going down the route of cocooning vulnerable groups until a vaccine or herd immunity develops, based on the ministerial broadcast.


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## Thirsty

We need to ditch this 'herd immunity' idea for the present.

Keeping at risk groups out of circulation is an excellent idea, provided that the necessary supports are in place for those who need them.

I am in a risk category, and made my plans almost two weeks ago, I expect to be in isolation for some time to come. I'm lucky that I can work from home and am able to look after myself.

If you are in this category and still think it'll be ok, have a look at some of the images from Italy of hundreds of patients on ventilators, face down on beds.

President Trump may have been right in saying that you're 'probably not going to die'; but a very large number of people probably are.


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## Sophrosyne

Thirsty said:


> We need to ditch this 'herd immunity' idea for the present.




Yes indeed!

Herd immunity _might_ happen naturally but with the coronavirus who knows when this would happen and for how long?

The UK government has backed away from Sir Patrick’s Vallance’s pronouncements.

'Herd immunity is a scientific concept, not our goal or a strategy'

“Health Minister Matt Hancock has alongside Downing Street distanced himself from claims the government's aim is to create 'herd immunity' as part of its virus strategy, following mounting criticism.

The row blew up after Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said public gatherings such as football matches were not being abandoned as quickly as those in other countries because it would be beneficial if a proportion of the population could be exposed to the new virus - and build up a 'herd immunity' to it - otherwise Britain would be vulnerable to future epidemics.

Mr Hancock has insisted the government's overriding objective is to save lives amid the coronavirus outbreak.”


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## seamus m

Mr Vallance makes Boris and Donald look clever .They have all jumped out of plane with the schoolbag instead of parachutes.Italy is unfolding before their eyes on their trajectory .A lot of the last of the great British people and their resolve will die with the virus.


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## odyssey06

Interestingly in the UK: The Department for Education has published a list of “key workers” whose children will be prioritised for schooling during general closures because of coronavirus. Schools are being asked to continue to provide care for a number of children but will be closed to the majority from Monday 23 March. Those working to provide essential goods and services are exempt from general closure of schools.









						Key worker: official list of UK personnel who can still send children to school
					

Those working to provide essential goods and services are exempt from general closure of schools




					www.theguardian.com


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## SPC100

We would have more healthcare professional available if we had a solution for childminding for their children.


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## odyssey06

Hopefully the below will start to work through the backlog of tests.. symptomatic people (not related to close contacts or travel) referred for tests earlier this week are still waiting for an appointment based on social media reports.

From RTE:
More than 10,000 people in Ireland have now been tested for the Covid-19 virus...  35,000 extra testing kits are available and "ready to go" from today, and a further 20,000 kits will arrive next week, he said... Construction has started on a new drive-thru testing centre for Covid-19 in Co Offaly. The new facility is based in Tullamore and is one of several additional test centres that are to be installed in the coming days around the country.


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## odyssey06

Don't panic... it's not martial law. Reports that LE Samuel Beckett is being used as the hub on the Dublin quays for a temporary testing centre.


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## SDMXTWO

The fact that they are looking at a place to store the remains is a significant scare.


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## llgon

odyssey06 said:


> Those working to provide essential goods and services are exempt from general closure of schools.





SPC100 said:


> We would have more healthcare professional available if we had a solution for childminding for their children.



While providing childcare for children of essential workers is a good idea I don't think the UK have found the solution.  

That's quite a long list quoted in the Guardian article, only one parent needs to be on the list.  Children who are eligible for free school dinners are also exempt from school closures. The same criteria applies to the creches.  I'd expect the schools and creches to have lots of children present on Monday, it will be the opposite of social isolation. And remember this includes Northern Ireland.

Furthermore, the parents will be out working and at increased risk of getting infected, like the children. It will be a real melting pot.

My wife and myself are in roles on this list but here in Ireland there are no provisions. However we have made new arrangements where our children can be minded at home when we go to work on Monday. Up until last week they had always gone to creche/afterschool. I'm glad that we don't have similar arrangements here to the UK but the Northern Ireland situation will do us no favours.


----------



## llgon

Good to see that some schools in NI are not going to open on Monday to provide this childcare.  A primary principals group in Co Fermanagh have released a statement.









						Coronavirus: Schools 'not opening' and principals want more clarity
					

The Fermanagh Primary Principals Group has informed parents that they will not be opening schools to provide safe childcare for parents of key…




					www.impartialreporter.com
				




'The statement also said that the Group believes the safest place for their children is “at home” at this moment in time.'

'The list was broad though and sparked comment that with such a large grouping the point of closing the schools to help increase social distancing, a key component in the fight against the pandemic, was being missed. That schools would be nearly as full as if they were still open.'


----------



## odyssey06

ABOUT 40,000 PEOPLE in Ireland are waiting to have a Covid-19 test, the HSE has said. At a press briefing in Dublin this morning, HSE officials said the wait time is typically four to five days. However, some people have been waiting for over seven days. People were again told to self-isolate while they wait for their test.


----------



## Thirsty

The main point of testing is to get a handle on what sort of numbers will need oxygen and / or ventilator. 

If you dont have those numbers it makes it hard to plan the capacity for the coming week / 10 days.


----------



## Purple

odyssey06 said:


> ABOUT 40,000 PEOPLE in Ireland are waiting to have a Covid-19 test, the HSE has said. At a press briefing in Dublin this morning, HSE officials said the wait time is typically four to five days. However, some people have been waiting for over seven days. People were again told to self-isolate while they wait for their test.


Yes, there's a global shortage of tests. We also have to ramp up the infrastructure for testing centres and labs to process the tests.
So far the response from the government, healthcare sector and public sector has been exemplary.


----------



## mathepac

Simon Harris (the same Harris that said the horsey crowd returning from Cheltenham  were grand and didn't need to be checked for symptoms or tested for the virus but then got sick) - issued the plea, "Come back to Ireland please, all nurses and doctors..."

Now we discover:

* No pay for student nurses.
* Registration fee of €350
* 90 Day wait for overseas qualified nurses.

And no, none of this is being mentioned by RTE or FG as they PR themselves nightly in front of cameras.


----------

