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Follow the latest coronavirus news in Ireland and around the world on the Independent.ie live blog.
11.01 05/10/2020
Weekly briefing on HSE at Mater Hospital in Dublin, which has been “at the forefront” of the pandemic
HSE CEO Paul Reid:
- there is “uncertainty” if a second wave will occur as restrictions are lifted
- As restrictions are removed, hospitals cannot be maximized, vulnerable groups must be supported, and the cost of investing in PPE and seeking contacts is one that “we have to face.”
- numbers in the ICU continue to drop, confirmed cases have also dropped. They are down 55% compared to the peak. Bed occupancy has increased in hospitals as non-Covid patients are treated
- Non-Covid services are being resumed, but this “won’t be easy.” Three priorities: maintain focus on Covid patients by capacity levels maintained at 80pc to allow surges, protect healthcare workers through international advice, and utilize capacity in public and private hospitals
- Cancer services and time-dependent surgeries will be prioritized.
- radio campaigns and announcements will begin next week to encourage people with symptoms to seek help
- “on time” to deliver 100,000 tests a week from May 18
- 120 employees actively involved in monitoring contacts with routine cases
- PPE: 3 million PPE items were distributed in the last week. Demand for 200,000 masks per day has now increased to 1.2m – over 120m will be delivered from South Korea
- “very unpredictable path” still ahead
HSO COO Anne O’Connor:
- 1.8pc increase in erectile dysfunction attendance, but still more than 20pc compared to this time last year
- 27 waiting in cars, 310 people delayed from hospital discharge due to Covid outbreaks in residential care settings
- 72 people in ICU last night
- 47 community test sites on-site with 30 open
- This week 242 requests for accommodation were made for staff; with 3,010 absent employees with Covid-related leave
Dr. Colm Henry
- 70% of the total number of cases has been recovered in a community setting
Q + A
- the contact tracking application will be bluechip based and will complement the current contact tracking process
- those who will have the application downloaded and have been in close contact with a confirmed case will receive a push notification
- the application is established in late May; It is voluntary, anonymous and users must be over 16 years old.
- Citywest is the only self-insulating facility open at this time
- all staff in nursing homes have been evaluated
- Government “Full Support” Provided for Contact Tracking Costs
- higher levels of asymptomatic cases in large outbreak incidents
- automated way to contact people who are being deployed to help locate contacts
10.46 10/05/2020
Coronavirus cases reach four million worldwide
The coronavirus has infected more than 4 million people and killed more than 279,000, according to a count maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
A total of more than 277,000 have died worldwide, while more than 1.3 million have recovered from the virus.
South Korean President urges calm amid concerns over further increase in coronavirus
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Kim Min-Hee / AP)
The South Korean president is urging citizens not to let their guard down, but said there is no reason to panic amid fears of a further increase in the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
President Moon Jae-in made the comments in a speech on Sunday when his health authorities detected a series of new cases linked to nightclubs in Seoul’s Itaewon district in recent days.
Authorities said Friday that they detected at least 15 infections related to a 29-year-old man who had visited three Itaewon clubs before testing positive on Wednesday.
Previously, the number of cases in South Korea had declined for weeks, prompting authorities to relax its rules of social distancing.
“The group of infection that recently occurred in entertainment facilities has raised awareness that, even during the stabilization phase, similar situations can arise again anytime, anywhere in a crowded, enclosed space,” said the President Moon Jae-in.
Pandemic brings outbreaks of bullying and ostracism in Japan
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A woman with a face mask cleans the menus of a restaurant in Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko / AP)
AP / PA imaging
The coronavirus in Japan has brought not only an epidemic of infections, but also an avalanche of intimidation and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers.
A government campaign to raise awareness appears to be helping, at least for medical workers.
But it has made only limited progress in countering bullying and avoidance that can discourage people from seeking evidence and care, and hinder the battle against the pandemic.
In addition to fear of infection, experts say the prejudice against those who are indirectly associated with the disease also comes from deep-seated ideas about purity and cleanliness in a culture that rejects anything that is considered strange, impure, or problematic.
09/26/05 05/2020
ASTI confirms that it will participate in the calculated qualification process for Leaving Cert
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Problems: ASTI President Deirdre McDonald
Education editor Katherine Donnelly reports
The high school teachers union, ASTI, has confirmed that it will participate in the calculated grading process for the Leaving Cert, but says that students must receive full grades for canceled oral and practical exams.
The 100pc issue for orals and practices is among a number of “major concerns” that the union says it wants to address “as a matter of urgency.”
ASTI issued its verdict on the calculated grading process after a meeting of its Standing Committee that lasted approximately 12 hours, over two nights.
Previously, the other second-tier teachers union, TUI, announced that it would support the calculated grading system, but said it was seeking clarification on a number of issues.
09.02 10/05/2020
Three members of the White House coronavirus task force are quarantined
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Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, listens as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaks during a coronavirus response meeting (Evan Vucci / AP)
Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, were quarantined after contacting someone who tested positive for Covid-19.
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the working group, has become known nationally for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus.
Dr. Fauci’s institute said it has tested negative for Covid-19 and will continue to do so regularly.
He added that he is considered “relatively low risk” depending on the degree of his exposure, and that he would be “taking appropriate precautions” to mitigate the risk of personal contacts while continuing to perform his duties.
LOOK: Companies that do not comply with Covid-19 security measures will be closed
Business Minister Heather Humphreys said Health and Safety Authority inspectors will be able to shut down non-compliant workplaces. She was speaking at the launch of the Government’s Return to Work security protocol for workplaces to be reopened once the closure is lifted.
They include regulations for social distancing, hand hygiene, first aid, and mental health support for returning workers.
08.10 05/10/2020
‘Covid has cost me millions but I can’t complain’
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PEACE OF MIND: John McColgan and his wife Moya stay in their cabin overlooking the Baily Lighthouse in Howth. Photo: Gerry Mooney
The Aer Lingus flight from JFK at 9pm on March 13 to Dublin was not a happy one for John McColgan. On the trip home he was consumed with “the best way to get out of this,” he says.
The day before had not started too badly, even though the number of Covid-19 cases in New York was increasing all the time.
He had lunch in Manhattan with his friend, actor Gabriel Byrne.
That night, John went as usual to Radio City Music Hall on Sixth Avenue to oversee Riverdance, the global phenomenon he created with his wife Moya Doherty and Bill Whelan 25 years ago. During the show that night, the big businessman received bad news from promoter Jim Glancey. It would be Riverdance’s last performance in the foreseeable future.
Top officials cast doubt on plans to reopen schools
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Seán Ó Foghlú said the report was a working document. Photo: Tom Burke
The highest-ranking Education Department official has raised big questions about whether schools can reopen in September, the Sunday Independent can reveal.
Secretary General Sean O Foghlu told opposition TDs during a conference call on Friday that there would be significant accommodation challenges in having to operate smaller classes to meet public health guidelines in schools.
Three people on the call said that Mr. O Foghlu was not optimistic about the reopening of the schools in September, as foreseen in the Government’s road map. One suggested that his comments raised the possibility of installing precast in schools across the country to ensure socially distanced classrooms.
The department said decisions about reopening schools would be based on public health counseling, the return-to-work protocol released yesterday and experiences from other countries.
Reality Bites: Watchdog Warns of Tax Increases and Pension Age as Recession Begins
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Business Minister Heather Humphreys (Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / PA)
The next government will have to consider tax increases and spending cuts to achieve an economic recovery, the state budget regulator warned.
With unemployment close to 30% and the cost of state emergency measures now over € 13 billion and on the rise, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens are being told this weekend to reconsider the proposal “very risky “of maintaining the pension age at 66, as well as discussing increases in property and inheritance taxes in the program for government talks.
The dire warnings came from the chairman of the Irish Tax Advisory Council, Sebastian Barnes, who said the state is now facing the “most dramatic” recession in its history. His comments came yesterday when it emerged that the highest-ranking official in the Department of Education has raised serious questions about the possibility of reopening schools in September.
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