Covid 19 Part XXX-113,332 ROI(2,282 deaths) 81,251 NI (1,384 deaths) (05/01) Read OP

This is fairly grim briefing. Not that all the rest have been a barrel of laughs but still. Not looking good for next few weeks

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/1231/1187136-nphet-letter-covid/

what next!

No good reason for a backlog or a failing track and trace system.
There are loads of intelligent people out of work who could be hired on a temporary basis to help us stay on top of notifications and tracing.

alentejo wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/1231/1187136-nphet-letter-covid/

what next!

Level 6?

AutoTuning wrote: »

When is that likely to be processed and reported?

Could take several days, probably not until next week.

elynam wrote: »

Need to stop the panic and hysteria here. Testing now is up to 10x what was being done in March/ April time. Also largely only symptomatic people being tested back then. So when we had say 1,000 cases in March you can reasonably assume it was actually closer to 10k. It’s ok to calm down a bit - there is no zombie apocalypse. Hospitals are not overwhelmed and are well capable of managing any surge which may materialise and in fact happens this time of year every year. Appreciate hospitalisations are on the rise and ICU will continue to follow too, but we can be reasonably confident the system can manage. The end is not nigh - at least not yet anyway!

This is not correct.
We are testing a lot more yes, but positivity rate of tests is massively higher this week than it was in first wave ...now 18%
People are piling into A&E and any beds that are available will be used up pretty fast if admissions continue to double every 5 days.
Hospitals may be ok if we get this under control but under pressure and this illness is way worse than normal flu / norovirus at this time of year and takes lot more resources and staff to keep under control and away from non Covid patients .
Elective procedures and and admissions will be next to be stopped.
I don't know where your head is at with the above post .

I think there's a real danger here of the backlog being withheld on today of all days that gives the impression numbers have stabalised at ~1,600 to the general public who aren't aware of the swab backlog, leading to potentially more people taking risks tonight to ring in the new year. If there was ever a day the backlog needed to be cleared, and the reality of the situation presented to the public, today was it.

I've long been a believer that the restrictions don't really work directly and that the main motivating factor in all of this is fear and perceptions of danger (They do work I think, but only if people sense a danger or threat). If people knew that there were now ~4,800 cases a day being detected vs the ~1,600 announced there'd be a much greater respect in my mind for the situation and a reduction in planned socialising tonight. Alas I fear this backlog has happened at the worst time and even if announced tomorrow it'll have been too late to potentially avoid another large mixing of groups tonight, the horse will have bolted.

Anyone know if they'll test close contacts currently in the system? My family and I are due to be tested 2nd or 3rd, haven't got appointment yet. My mother was scheduled for testing(close contact) yesterday but didn't see the text until this morning so was re-referred by GP today. Is she not likely to be tested now?

growleaves wrote: »

I never mentioned myself at all let one painted a word picture of myself as some sort of secret genius.

Yes I disagreed with lockdown from the start, which doesn't mean my position is an 'ideology'.

I also claimed we could get years of rolling lockdowns and now we are.

I believe the contrast (of yourself, with drones accepting & following the recommendations) was implied in your post.

It is good you admit now you are not a secret genius (or even an expert in the relevant fields here?) so that makes two of us!

If that means "outsourcing my thinking to experts" as you call it, that is a price that is often paid to function in this increasingly complicated world.

Yor position on the "lockdowns", or any of the other Covid restrictions or recommendations came from (presumably) personal beliefs about freedom, government/official overreach & control etc. back in March, and it persists due to the same beliefs (aka ideology).

Not that it matters, but I think it is clear that people who fought against and tried to water down Covid-19 restrictions in all European countries got it quite wrong there, and those who believed that the virus should be fought hard and as far as possible eliminated were correct.

Doing that was always going to involve lockdowns for a time, invasions of personal privacy & liberty (contact tracing, testing & isolation) & and semi-permanent restrictions of some freedoms (around foreign travel).

The "lockdown" type policies are a failure in a sense as they are emergency policies we are stuck repeating, but they have at least prevented death and disease + preseved modern healthcare systems from overload.

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Close contacts no longer being tested. System has collapsed it seems.

Talk of if they had to they'd be sending 50k close contacts forward for testing and its not possible.

Irish Independent reporting that two thirds of deaths in December linked to outbreaks in Care Homes + Hospitials.

Ffs I'm sick of this. NPHET + government have learned sweet fa from 1st wave.

Lecture, lecture, lecture all time and blame blame blame all of general population and all along nothing has changed still sh%tshow in hospitials and care homes.