The mood music seems to be headed in the "lockdown" direction. I have no idea if we are headed for a "lockdown" or not.
But if the government takes further steps, I hope the steps are *proportionate*.
The current situation does not deserve a Level 5 hard lockdown.
If more steps are needed (and I hope they are not), then high risk activities such as nightclubs should be targeted. Not everything.
Like here?
president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland, Dr Colman O’Loughlin: “There’s only pessimism and carnage. There’s no optimistic scenario.”
This episode of Naked Science gives a good account of current understanding of how and why vaccinations both offer great protection against severe illness and initially offers great protection against transmission and then wanes over time.
If you deduct the 63% of ICU admissions who were from the unvaccinated population since April, would ICUs need to be protected?
The elephant here is what Irish ICU capacity was to start with. Looks very much like lockdowns to protect a service that has serious underlying structural issues.
Seems a sensible suggestion at this stage. I remember hearing they wasted a lot of stock and money last time the pubs were closed. It seems a possibility at some point this winter again.
Tell us more about your insightful two cents worth on how the whole thing is exaggerated, that you gleaned one day by popping into an a&e department.
Vintners association telling pubs not to buy too much stock.
Have you any idea how much alcohol affects our hospital system every year.
This isn't true. They dont plan that far ahead. Its week to week.
It's boosters, they've given out that many third shots. Once they get to 200% vaccinated they'll be grand though, or maybe 500% just to be safe .
Chatting to a work colleague this morning, he tells me his wife who works in a salon in Limerick was informed by their manager yesterday that they have be given an "early warning" that they may have to shut for a few weeks, starting 6th December. No idea who gave the warning officially but it wouldn't surprise me one bit at this stage.
My money would be on non essential services being shut as a "circuit breaker" tactic, ( pubs, restaurants,gyms, hairdressers etc) but I thought they might leave it till January. However with ICU in Limerick now being declared full, I guess everything is on the table.
I'm noticing amongst work colleagues as well that their faith in vaccines is beginning to dwindle. The dressing room is on the verge of being lost IMO
And each person gets two doses.
Blown what out of proportion?
I was in an A&E hospital setting this evening. All seemed very relaxed. Young staff some of which behind screens had masks below their noses, in very close proximity to others with masks pulled right down,, etc. I honestly believe the media has blown this right out of proportion. Just my 2 cents worth.
Ah I understand where you're coming from. Media loves misery!
Last year in April we peaked at 1k cases and we locked down, Oct 1300 and a lockdown, Xmas we had a lockdown and peaked at 8k cases.
We pretty much had half our cases from April 2019 - April 2020 and like 3 lockdowns, since that time we have slowly reopened and have had the same number of cases.
Just remember a key point... it's not as bad as the media make out!
Well, I have a bit of sinking feeling about this situation now.
Before there was the hype about the race for vaccines.
Now there isn't even any hype. It's just..."this sucks"
Don't worry I don't speak for the Government here, it's just my opinion.
The reason Covid hit so hard was it was novel, nobody had any immunity to it. We now have vaccines which despite all the shite you read, still prevent serious illness. They don't prevent transmission completely (looked good with Alpha, but not so with Delta)
It's a pandemic, it's not like a world war, where almost overnight the opposing side will surrender unanimously and it's all over.
Look if you have underlying conditions or elderly the vaccines will help a small bit but not to the level people will hope.
A lot of people who died with covid had underlying conditions and average age is something like 80.
THey were on the way out anyway. Covid just made it quicker which is terrible to say.
That's not exactly a promising situation going forward
And it sounds like there's a serious gap in planning here.
If a person had to bet whether we'll still be facing lockdowns this time next year, honestly, you'd have to bet that we will.
This globalisation thing is working out great!
A friend, who had legitimate business being abroad during the pandemic, was coming back here during the height of restrictions and his plane was half full, and just about all of them were Indian, into the prison block of Ireland.
I can't remember whether it was before or after the Indian variant. Sure no big deal!
Nothing makes sense anymore, it's like lunatics running the asylum.
Too bad about the vaccines not being very effective, but sure they tried their best, I'm sure.
Yes people are still getting sick. However the majority in ICU are unvaccinated. With the exception of boosters and new drugs, deaths will be hard to avoid. I think we're now at a point where unfortunately deaths will occur and has to be accepted. ICU capacity is the next big issue, with the majority unvaccinated, it would be easier for them to just get vaccinated.
How will this end?.... when the unvaccinated eventually all get exposed, so between their recovery and other's choosing vaccines, Covid will not be novel anymore.
New Vaccines being developed as we speak. I guess it's just possible that the period of cures for (almost) everything that infects industrialised mankind is over? Lasted 1950's untill now, not bad.
Loads of people who work in Gibraltar, live in Spain. Makes sense they would want to vaccinate the people who spend their working day in the country.
But people are still getting sick and ending up in hospital and in icu's.
It's not a brilliant endorsement for the efficacy of these vaccines.
So is it just really a case that nobody knows **** all about where we're heading? Is that the plan, just trip about the place until "something" happens?
It's not exactly awe inspiring.
Been known for ages, they were vaccinating Spanish workers.
Forever ever? Farcical haha
vaccines still prevent severe illness. nobody is saying boosters ever few months and forever. It's a novel virus, we as a whole don't know how long or what it will take to get it to the epidemic stage.
Well, Gibraltar has administered 95K doses which is 141% of the population, which is weird. Figures are wrong maybe due to visiitors getting injections?
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wa.vanillicon.com/v2/a46418388544fe9f8f6352b57fb2f921.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://www.boards.ie/applications/dashboard/design/images/banned.png)
