Covid 19 Part XXXV-956,720 ROI (5,952 deaths) 452,946 NI (3,002 deaths) (08/01) Read OP

I'd agree there. Just as long as people don't go comparing our hospitalisation rate without taking into account our high positivity rate. But all signs look good. Next week or so will tell a lot about omicron.

Admissions going down while cases have been increasing over the past few weeks. Could be the delta cases reducing while omicron increasing, so trading one variant with another which looks to be less severe.

RTE are great craic

Denmark is starting to see a drop. Its only two days but they test massively. If its there, they'll find it.

Its been interesting watching the evolution of the two main threads here. There are posts in the main thread now that would have earned you a ban on the restrictions thread not too long ago.

Opinions are shifting and some are being left behind. I liked the quote from Pope Francis (am not religious), that could be applied to our politicians/NPHET and their staunch supporters;

“The humble are those who are concerned not simply with the past but also with the future, since they know how to look ahead, to spread their branches, remembering the past with gratitude,” Francis told them.

“The proud, on the other hand, simply repeat, grow rigid and enclose themselves in that repetition, feeling certain about what they know and fearful of anything new because they cannot control it.”

The proud who are so inward-looking are consumed with their own interests, the pontiff said.

Tbf if we're actually at 20k cases a day already and it's had no effect on hospitalisations or ICU, then feck it, the thing is clearly just a cold for the vast majority of people so there's nothing to worry about.

No. Firstly, if it's 20000 cases today, it's only just hitting that number now and it will take a week or so to hit hospitals. Secondly, at the moment, it's spreading among young people who will have low hospitalisation rates. It's possible it will all end up being ok if Omicron has significantly lower ICU rates but we don't know that yet. I think it's going to be a scary couple of weeks.

Scary case numbers for sure but that is currently all that matters to those managing this. We also have no idea what the hospitalisation rate will be but if the research suggesting that there will be at least 40%+ fewer in hospitalisations from Omicron there may not be pressure there anyway. Not keen personally on the guessed at unfound cases as any old number is as valid as the next and it really serves as means of putting the frighteners on people. We will never really know.

I know someone who was tested at the IMI around lunchtime on Tuesday and got their result early this morning.

My experience of antigen leads me to believe they are next to useless. I personally have had 3 positives 3 days running and a negative PCR on third day.

Speaking to friends and colleagues this is a widespread thing. I read recently they produce as much as 50% false positives. And you can’t trust a negative. I don’t see the point in them with those stats.

I know a family that came home from UK holiday about 4 weeks ago and got 5 negative antigen tests at home. The mother had to do a PCR before she returned to work (healthcare). She was positive in PCR and PCR tested the rest of the family - all positive. The antigen tests and PCRs were 48 hours apart.

I also know someone who had 3 positive Antigens, and a negative PCR. A second PCR taken 36 hours after the first by his employer on return to work was positive.

Antigens, we've used them very well in my job and they have been excellent at highlighting some positives that wouldn't have otherwise been found. Other than the one instance, I dont know anyone who's gotten a positive on multiple Antigens and a negative on PCR.

PCR can report false positives and negatives too. Antigens are an excellent tool in my experience and should have been used on a much wider basis throughout the pandemic

PCR tests can detect fragments of the virus long after the person has effectively "recovered". As far as a I know antigen tests detect the virus over a shorter timeframe, in the middle of it's life cycle, around the time it is "shedding". I could be misinformed but that's my understanding.

So.. it's inevitable to have mismatched results in some cases when there's a large population sample.

Poland has reported 17,156 new cases in the past 24 hours, down nearly 40% on the peak of two weeks ago. Only 14 Omicron cases detected so far though.