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

When do we stop saying that mindless, moronic “hiding under the bed” ?

Absolutely.

Just getting over a dose and hit the oldest two in the house worst ( middle aged!) and reckon would have been a lot worse without vaccination ... now looking forward to a better year hopefully .

The consequences of simply trying to plough through a pandemic and pretend it wasn't even happening would have been very unpredictable. Would Irish people have been okay with tens of thousands of deaths instead of 6000? Also, many people would have been freaked at the idea of literally everywhere remaining open, including all places of work and schools and leisure whilst a deadly virus was running riot. The anti-lockdown brigade would be high fiving each other of course but I'd guess large numbers would not be (and especially when the big second wave last winter and then Delta came along).

Absolutely. Although I think some of those mistakes were seen as mistakes and ineffective at the time and even worse now in hindsight.

I think it is fair to say that the first lock down was completely reasonable. We were in an emergency situation and there were huge unknowns. But at that time it was sold as an emergency and people got on board with it.

But we never completely came out of that lock down - the 9 euro meal, wet pubs, masks bad then good, the frenzy around bank holiday weekend, communions, confirmations, major concern when there were 10 cases or so, the stigmatisation of travel (when we are on an island), and memorably Golfgate (another media storm) which followed the Govt being bounced by NPHET into new restrictions at short notice. The biggest mistake at that time was not to try to open up more that summer so as to give people some relief when things were ok - I remember advice that they did not want BBQs as people would risk infecting each other when they were going to the toilet.

We never really learned from that time. That outdoor was safer - that construction did not need to close - that regulated environments are safer than private settings - that antigen tests is a useful tool.

We also had some howlers driven by media, zero Covid loons and by the opposition. Notably was MHQ which has cost 25 million and putting controls on fellow EU Member States - recalling again that we are an island with an open border to the UK and part of a single market with 26 other Member States with deep economic and social ties. Madness at the time and even more so in hindsight.

Another was not opening in the summer when we had so many people vaccinated. It seemed there was never a right time for public health. And now my biggest fear is that we are using extraordinary restrictions to shield the health service from its failings.

It was clear early on that the NPHET structure was never really fit for purpose yet this has never been fully addressed.

Restrictions are an extraordinary power which have both benefits and costs. That broad cost-benefit analysis needs to be under constant review.

Yesterday - despite all we know about the Omicron variant, NPHET decided to maintain the emergency restrictions it sought in November and early December to control this variant. We have a highly vaccinated population yet we are closing hospitality and culture at 8pm - the State then has to step in to pay for this. Businesses are closing and many others will never reopen.

There will be damage to sports bodies for years to come as they have used all reserves on this and yet we face the prospect of near empty stadiums…5000 in Lansdowne Road next month while Twickenham will be packed to the rafters. This means lack of investment in fitness and sports in the future…

Quite frankly we need a plan now to reopen quickly and at the latest by the end of February. If another variant emerges let’s deal with that then but we cannot continue the policy of trying to avoid another lockdown by not reopening. It’s not working, it is costly and it is demoralising.

where are you getting this tens of thousands of deaths idea from? we have pretty much the same deaths as other countries which did not impose restrictions.

if those many people would have been freaked by that then they should stay home and lock themselves down.

i was in A&e one night and an ambulance arrived with a couple and he was complaining of an ulcer, turns out he had heartburn from drinking cider all day, a petite young doctor found a room for him and just as his gf got to the door she slammed in her face, and from outside we heard the doc give him the mother of all bollickings.....she went through him for a shortcut about all the wasted resources :) ,,...i was proud of her

Petite 😂

He was huge and she was tiny , and she roaring at him 😂😂

Quick question: if you are double vaccinated, have NOT received a booster, but have had covid after being double vaccinated, does the 10 day rule regarding close contacts still apply (see below taken from citizens information website), or is having covid deemed the same as having had a booster?

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and self-isolate.

Close contacts should get tested. You also need to restrict your movements for 10 days if you have not received a booster vaccine. If you received a booster more than 7 days ago, you must restrict your movements for 5 days.

936 in hospital this morning (941 yesterday morning)

161 cases admitted in the last 24hrs, 90 of which had a positive PCR already.

126 discharges

I was in a&e on an august bank holiday and the number in for drink and drugs taking up cubicles was amazing. then an old lady on a chair.

I was hooked up to all sorts so obviously taking up a cubicle with a fairly random internal bleed.

That’s fantastic! Might see a decent drop tonight and possibly stay below the 1000 by Monday.

This is what stabilising hospital numbers looks like:

We will definitely poke up over 1,000 by Monday because of low discharges over the weekend, but all indications are that should be the end of it. We should be back to ~900 cases this day next week, if not lower.