Galway COVID-19, local news and discussion

pjohnson

Yeah the NUIG SU is just a CV excercise. Quite detached from any reality and a bit of a joke.

Used to be relevant but lost it last few years.

Wompa1

pjohnson wrote: »

Yeah the NUIG SU is just a CV excercise. Quite detached from any reality and a bit of a joke.

Used to be relevant but lost it last few years.

When was it relevant?

biko

Back to Corona please.

Storm 10

I give up at this stage when I think of all the things we have given up and other people don't give a damn a law unto themselves it beggars belief.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40235276.html?type=amp&__twitter_impression=true

ben.schlomo

Storm 10 wrote: »

I give up at this stage when I think of all the things we have given up and other people don't give a damn a law unto themselves it beggars belief.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40235276.html?type=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Part of their culture, boss.

Some of the breakdown of the numbers in Galway recently

https://www.rte.ie/news/2021/0302/1200349-covid19-galway/

427 cases in the 18-24 age group, that's out of a total of 775 in the same period.

_Whimsical_

According to figures released by some coroners around the country, suicides in 2020 did not increase on numbers seen in 2019. A little positive news.
It conflicts with the narrative that there has been a silent avalanche of mental health related deaths around the country too which is no harm.

Despite many commentators’ worst fears, and the dire circumstances thrust upon many people by the Covid crisis, suicides have not increased in the past year, figures obtained by The Irish Times indicate.

Charities and mental health experts warn, however, several factors may be protecting people with severe mental health difficulties for now, and fear the fallout post-Covid could be far worse than anticipated.

Definitive suicide data for 2020 will not published by the CSO until 2023 as inquests into suspected suicides will not be completed until later this year or next. Given the backlog in inquests – with coroners’ courts for several months last year – accurate data may not be available until even later.

The Irish Times, however, asked every coroner in the State to indicate how many files on suspected suicides in 2020 they had on hand.

Many declined, given that inquests had yet to be heard, though several provided data on the understanding their location not be published. None show an increase greater than one in 2020 compared with 2019 or 2018, and some indicate a decrease.

In a Leinster county, for example, the coroner recorded 10 suicides in each of 2018 and 2019 and had seven files of suspected suicides for last year. In another (also in Leinster) there were 12 in 2019 with 10 anticipated for last year. A Connacht coroner recorded eight for both 2018 and 2019 and estimates a total of six for last year.

It is a rare, relatively positive note in media coverage of the issue, but important to highlight, says Prof Ella Arensman, chief scientist with the National Suicide Research Foundation at University College Cork.

She says “sensational” headlines – especially in the British press – claiming a “tsunami of suicides” can be harmful.

“Those kinds of headlines could be really harmful for people who are struggling, and who may not be getting their usual, intensive kinds of psychological or psychiatric treatments. If they see again and again the statements about increased suicides on top of so many Covid deaths, it could have a harmful effect on them.”

It underscores the importance of the real-time suicide data being gathered in Cork city and county by the suicide and self-harm observatory, of which she is a member. The pilot project is funded by the Health Research Board.

“Every two weeks we have an update on suspected suicide cases,” says Prof Arensman. “So from March until August, for that period, there was no indication of an increase between 2019 and 2020.” She would like to see this contemporaneous suicide surveillance extended nationally.

GPs – who provide 90 per cent of mental health care – report no increase in suicidality in their practices but they are seeing first-hand the damage of the pandemic on emotional health. “Grief, financial loss, being out of work for the first time and isolation are major events in people’s lives. Individuals are presenting with increased levels of stress, irritability, poor sleep and anxiety,” says Dr Brian Osborne, assistant medical director with the Irish College of General Practitioners.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/coronavirus/suicides-have-not-increased-during-pandemic-figures-indicate-1.4492985

Mrs OBumble

In case anyone is still doubting the impact of student parties and rag week:

https://www.facebook.com/257558294273180/posts/4359708984058070/

dastardly00

It looks like Galway City Central has the highest 14-Day Incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases by LEA in the whole country by a factor of two (09-Feb to 22-Feb) - 1,292 cases per 100k population.

Every other LEA is <600 cases per 100k population.

serfboard

dastardly00 wrote: »

It looks like Galway City Central has the highest 14-Day Incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases by LEA in the whole country by a factor of two (09-Feb to 22-Feb) - 1,292 cases per 100k population.

As Pat McGrath pointed out:

RTE wrote:

the 14-day incidence of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Galway city shows a huge variation across three Local Electoral Areas.

While it stands at 177 per 100,000 people in the Galway City West area, the figure soars to 1,292 per 100,000 people in the City Centre, with 579 cases per 100,000 in Galway City East.

And:

RTE wrote:

The HSE West's Director of Public Health has urged students to avoid house parties and inter-household mixing.

You wouldn't think that people would have to be told to avoid house parties during a pandemic, but that's seemingly where we are.

Storm 10

Galway no longer the highest according to NEPHET tonight

JCX BXC

Storm 10 wrote: »

Galway no longer the highest according to NEPHET tonight

That just shows the county by county breakdown? Galway county was never the highest, and you don't just spontaneously drop several places in a 14 day average.

Galway City Central is, however this data is only released retrospectively.

"Students in Co Galway who breach Covid-19 guidelines are being told to write a 2,000 word essay about their actions."

https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2021/0303/1200616-students-galway/

What next, they'll be told to stand in the corner or sit on the naughty step?

pjohnson

[Deleted User] wrote: »

"Students in Co Galway who breach Covid-19 guidelines are being told to write a 2,000 word essay about their actions."

https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2021/0303/1200616-students-galway/

What next, they'll be told to stand in the corner or sit on the naughty step?

FFS.

I know they probably arent the brightest given the behaviour but surely they should be treated as an adult and not as 8 year olds?

Mrs OBumble

pjohnson wrote: »

FFS.

I know they probably arent the brightest given the behaviour but surely they should be treated as an adult and not as 8 year olds?

I wonder what will happen if they write a philosophical assessment based on civil liberties or one that takes a hard look at the legalities of our restrictions.

WallyGUFC

pjohnson wrote: »

FFS.

I know they probably arent the brightest given the behaviour but surely they should be treated as an adult and not as 8 year olds?

They're probably bright enough but just sick of restrictions, hardly any need for the little jibe there. If I was a 20-something student again I'd probably be at the same and plenty here would be too. Again, it could all have been avoided if NUIG showed a little bit of leeway and refunded money put down on student accommodation at the start of the academic year.


The news today reminds me of the hysteria around Donegal Tuesday a few years ago. A nice distraction from this week's latest vaccine failure by government.

LadyMayBelle

Getting vaccinated tomorrow. Heard from work HR dept, not the HSE. Doesnt give people much notice but in saying that, thankful to be getting first dose. Any idea which of the vaccines is currently being administered up there?

zell12

Outbreak of Covid-19 in 224 Galway City households mainly linked to young adults

there’s been a fourfold increase in the number of cases in the student population as 441 cases have been linked to this outbreak.
The HSE linked the recent outbreak to other areas including the hospitality sector, the retail sector to disability services and also to other parts of the country.

ingalway

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

Getting vaccinated tomorrow. Heard from work HR dept, not the HSE. Doesnt give people much notice but in saying that, thankful to be getting first dose. Any idea which of the vaccines is currently being administered up there?

AstraZeneca

pjohnson

WallyGUFC wrote: »

They're probably bright enough but just sick of restrictions, hardly any need for the little jibe there. If I was a 20-something student again I'd probably be at the same and plenty here would be too. Again, it could all have been avoided if NUIG showed a little bit of leeway and refunded money put down on student accommodation at the start of the academic year.


The news today reminds me of the hysteria around Donegal Tuesday a few years ago. A nice distraction from this week's latest vaccine failure by government.

Well NUIG dont seem to think they are that bright recieving a "punishment" generally doled out to people 10+ years younger than these "adults".


Was there ever a pandemic during a Donegal Tuesday? Or is that just a distraction from eejits partying during a pandemic?

LadyMayBelle

ingalway wrote: »

AstraZeneca

Cheers!

WallyGUFC

pjohnson wrote: »

Well NUIG dont seem to think they are that bright recieving a "punishment" generally doled out to people 10+ years younger than these "adults".


Was there ever a pandemic during a Donegal Tuesday? Or is that just a distraction from eejits partying during a pandemic?

I think the ridiculousness of the punishment is more a reflection on NUIG itself rather than the students. A proper punishment would be suspension, expulsion or students forced to repeat a year but that would probably be open to legal challenges all over the place. Making someone watch an RTE documentary and write a reflective essay on what they did is hilarious, and pathetic. Perhaps the college should leave it up the Gardai to hand out fines and in the case of party organisers, criminal proceedings.


Of course there was never a pandemic during RAG Week, I don't know why you had to ask that question. The outrage just reminds me of the fallout from that. Young people being young people now seems to cause grave offence to some. I'd argue the government restrictions have been felt hardest by young people who are generally at no danger of falling even mildly ill but have been forced to put their lives on hold to protect the old and vulnerable for a year now, something the HSE failed to do twice in the same time (nursing homes). They have been told the next 2 weeks are crucial for the past 50-odd weeks, eventually it wears thin. Added to that, there is no re-opening plan whatsoever and the Government has gone all-in on a vaccination programme that so far has been a let-down.


I don't think the students are doing it out of badness, a lot of the mare literally just worn out. It's human nature.

WallyGUFC

WallyGUFC wrote: »

I don't think the students are doing it out of badness, a lot of the mare literally just worn out. It's human nature.

The rest of us out of a job or working full days on zoom calls in a spare bedroom are equally worn out. Doesn't give us a pass to get all the friends around for a feed of cans, as much as we'd love to.

Former Coach

Galway City central now country’s most infected area, five times the national average. Do people not care about bringing this virus home to their siblings/parents/grandparents?

Pen Rua

Former Coach wrote: »

Galway City central now country’s most infected area, five times the national average. Do people not care about bringing this virus home to their siblings/parents/grandparents?

That's assuming they're seeing those people.

WallyGUFC

Deleted User wrote: »

The rest of us out of a job or working full days on zoom calls in a spare bedroom are equally worn out. Doesn't give us a pass to get all the friends around for a feed of cans, as much as we'd love to.

Same as. I'm sick of not being able to play 5-a-side with the lads, or go for a meal out with the girlfriend, or go for pints on a Saturday night. I'm lucky enough to still be working full time but it's existing, not living. I just think it's a bit rich to be expecting 100% compliance after 1 year of restrictions, and over 2 months of level 5 restrictions in particular, when there is no actual plan to re-open society. Obviously no plan can be given a timescale, but I don't see why certain metrics couldn't be used (ICU numbers below a certain figure, swab positivity below a certain percentage, R number under a certain value).


The students are probably 17-21 years old, I know I was 17 in my first year in NUIG. They are immature, like the vast majority of students. Young people are immature until they experience life. Maybe this episode will make them realise that they shouldn't be at it and they will mature a bit as a result. Calls for expulsion are madness. You'd swear nobody here ever made a mistake in life.

Smegging hell

Perhaps the university authorities could write a 2000 word reflective essay on why, until the Friday before the semester started, they insisted students take out rented accommodation in Galway? It's not as if the move to online teaching was unforeseen.

JCX BXC

I'd also like to know why NUIG has information (that it has disseminated) that the outbreak has been largely controlled with a large reduction in cases, yet no other media outlet or otherwise reports this information?

Doom and Gloom sells, saying Galway had such an outbreak in the last few weeks is a preferred headline for editors, rather than reporting that the outbreak is under control.

_Whimsical_

WallyGUFC wrote: »

Maybe this episode will make them realise that they shouldn't be at it and they will mature a bit as a result. Calls for expulsion are madness. You'd swear nobody here ever made a mistake in life.

I'd say most of us didn't make mistakes that threatened lives, as well as the economy and livelihood of a city, when we were blatantly aware of the consequences of such actions. Students are future citizens - when do we start expecting more from them? I wouldn't expel 17 year olds, but those old enough should be made an example of through fines or expulsion if behaviour is on going. It wasn't one mad weekend that ended in the last two weeks being a disaster for our numbers, it was ongoing behaviour.

Pen Rua

Ah here, come off it with threatened lives, as well as the economy and livelihood of a city, when we were blatantly aware of the consequences of such actions.

These students shouldn't be expelled. That would mean destroying their education, destroying their prospects of future education, their future careers and the future role they would play in society.