Now ye're talking - to a consultant in the HSE [Questions thread]

begbysback wrote: »

I agree, the tone from the very outset has been condescending, the forecast of death rate exaggerated with no specific reasoning, the request that the public are failing to take directions and need to do more, basically asking the public to get tested and if your positive then stay home and hope it doesn’t get too bad, and if it does get bad then all we can do is put you on a ventilator, if we have one which is unlikely given that they are in short supply.

I apologize that I am a bit irate, but unless some of the answers start including some hope then I don’t see any point of continuing the AMA

First off please dont take this as a criticism and i thank you and everyone working in health care for all you are doing for those touched by this virus (and the rest of our sick population)

however i would tend agree with the quoted post, my question is do you not feel it is in incumbent on you to temper your responses somewhat. my worry is that peope will assume that a consultant will know whats going to happen, when the reality is you dont. You have an opinion and a certain amount of knowledge the rest of us dont but thats it.

Any more than an accountant or economost can predict the future of the economy, they can have their opinion, but most of them will be wrong.

The factual answers that relate to the here and now are very useful, your opinion on the future is informative but id worry that people are taking it as gospel.

The UV sterilizer you bought has the lamp in the lid if I understand correctly https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-Ultraviolet-Maintenance-Sterilisation-443853/dp/B07YB7V5QJ . You mention that use this on ready made meals and tins. How is this going to kill the virus on the bottom of the product you put into this sterilizer?

The questions on https://www.amazon.co.uk/ask/questions/Tx2IFDOQ5QXXVHG/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza reference this point. If you lay items flat down, even though the interior surface is reflective, then you will not get UV light on the bottom of your item. You mention you put several tins in it, wouldn't the likelihood that the bottom of your tins don't get full exposure be quite high? So really how effective & reliable is this for sterilizing your shopping as compared to using a liquid disinfectant?

Your rationale for going with the UV sterilizer was that disinfectant wipes will be difficult to replace and are a lot more hassle - compared to Milton applied undiluted with a j cloth I don't see how your rationale holds up. On the availability angle, Milton is not in short supply and neither are j cloths. One bottle and one packet of j cloths would last you months? Buy a few bottles and you're sorted for a year, at fraction the cost of UV sterilizer?

Hassle wise, you'd have your shopping disinfected in a fraction of the time with Milton & a cloth as compared to the time a small UV sterilizer would take? You'd have it done in less than 10 minutes with Milton as compared to 6 hours you mention for the UV sterilizer approach. It sounds like the UV sterilizer is actually adding more hassle; you need to open it, put item in it, make sure it's angled correctly to ensure bottom of item gets exposed, close lid, click on button...multiplied by each item of shopping?

The UV sterilizer you bought is reasonably small and it would not be possible to sanitize all your shopping with this, how do you sanitize items which are too big to fit into your UV sterilizer?

Pseudonym121 wrote: »

There are many ways to disinfect something. The effectiveness of Milton would rely entirely on your technique and how long you left it after before touching it again - they suggest ten minutes lay time per item. I think that, just like masks, they’re a great idea but so few wear them properly that actually they’re largely ineffective for the public. My fear would be the same with the Milton plus J cloth solution. Fine idea but the technique would matter and I fear many wouldn’t do it properly.

Thanks. Your advice on the wearing of face masks was very helpful, in particular the links to videos which educate on how to use them properly. Would you have similar advice or videos that you could share on the technique one should follow if using a liquid sanitizer like Milton to disinfect shopping?

I think advice on the technique would be really helpful to a lot of people. For those who cannot afford or get access to a UV sanitizer, a bottle of Milton will be more affordable and available. Having some knowledge on the correct technique could help reduce someones exposure to the virus and potentially save their life.

Can a person with symptoms request to be tested avoiding the €60 GP fee?

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Also, those who are hospitalised as a result of this, are they going to be billed for their care in the hospital?

Hosp care is tax-financed in Ireland, apart from two charges:

100 for entry via ED

80 pn / max 800 pa if you stay overnight

The 80 pn fee is being waived for COVID patients.

If you've caught it and recovered, isn't there the chance you can still pick it up and spread it for a limited time?

With such a huge pressure on PPE, what of used PPE can be reused now that was not before - after being sterilized

I'm interested in your assessment of your own mortality rate if you get it and in particular whether its changed since you first posted about it.

Originally, you gave yourself a 15% to 20% mortality rate if you caught the disease. I'm wondering if anything has changed your mind on that?

Given that roughly half of our deaths come from nursing home patients that leaves us with something like a 1.5% mortality rate for the rest of the population from the reported cases.

I assume this is grossly inflated due to
- significant gaps in testing
- testing concentrated on the most severe cases

Given that, I imagine you are assessing yourself as being maybe almost 2 orders of magnitude more at risk than the general population excluding nursing home residents.

Does your original assessment still hold?

No question,

Just wanted to thank you ðŸ™♥️

Hi - a question regarding masks - having followed your posts for a while, I realise you are advocating best practise/personal ideal solution.
Specifically regarding masks, I often had to wear one in the oncology out patients - no one advised us how to wear it, put it on etc - simply - in this room we wear a mask. For yourself, for others.
Going forward as a society; does in your opinion - using a layere cotton face mask have any benefit to us? I am not looking at this as "face masks make us invincible" or that is prevents infection from Covid-19 but if it reduced droplet spread in all users by 30% even, is that not beneficial?
And thanks for all the time, energy and sleepless nights you are putting in - there are not enough words to thank you.

Hello OP,

Thanks for doing this I find it very interesting and informative .

I’ve tested positive for Covid19.

I had high temps for 16days, then I did 5 days post fever before I came out of isolation. (Difficult enough with 10&12year old children.) neither husband nor children have shown symptoms. So I’m hoping that’s it. Gp told husband not to work since I showed symptoms and he didn’t do we hopeful we didn’t spread it. But who knows. I’ve no idea where I picked it up..

When can I be considered no longer infectious...? Work are slow about bringing me back, would prefer if I was tested again and negative. But I know that’s not possible here..

Date I first showed symptoms was 21st March.

Hi I have a fairly difficult question to answer

My grandmother who is 93 is in a hse community hospital. There are more than a few confirmed cases within the hospital including 7 staff in isolation.

We get updates daily from the hospital and my Granny has a mobile and rings us upto 5 times a day asking when she can see us as she isn't sick but just needs constant care because of her age and frailty.

Last night her next door neighbour (from her street) passed away, in the same hospital from complications due to coronavirus, we can't even tell her of this as it would break her heart and she has nobody to comfort her.

My question is, with the word that restrictions will be eased gradually and people will be let back to work without a vaccine, this will obviously raises the risk of my Granny getting infected through staff coming in contact with her. Would we be better to take her out while she is fit and healthy now rather than leave her to eventually get infected as most probably will if it is to continue to go the way it is going.

I don't want to not see my grandmother for another year or at all as her neighbours relatives are now going through

Our local doctor said she is in the best possible place but it is so hard to actually believe that at the minute

And thank you for doing so much