Galway COVID-19, local news and discussion

Arghus

Redo91 wrote: »

There’s evidence that around 40% of cases are asymptomatic. Considering the amount of confirmed cases then of course it’s the case that there are many thousands more undiagnosed. There is no evidence that the fatality rate is upwards of 5%. None.

Well that's not true: there clearly is evidence.

24,639 cases and 1608 deaths: that's a fatality rate of upwards of 5% in confirmed cases. You can't deny that. That's not conclusive, but it's evidence. Saying it isn't is arguing black is white.

A lot of the assumptions about antibody testing are not as clear cut as people make out. Most of the arguments rely on the results from a handful of tests and everybody who conducted the tests has said that the results have to be taken with a pinch of salt, given the limited sample size in each case and the question marks about the reliability of the antibody tests themselves.

CruelSummer

CruelSummer wrote: »

You’re right it is very selfish of me that I want the children of Ireland to be freed from their 8+ weeks of imprisonment, no shops, playground, nothing. No education only ‘distance learning’ that has well and truly started running out of steam. Poor children are frowned upon if they enter any shop at all. They can’t really leave the 2km and now 5km zone effectively. And don’t even get me started on the severe loneliness and anxiety I’m hearing of developing in these children. It will be disastrous for their development.
It’s so selfish of me to want cancer screening to recommence to I won’t have to attend so many more sad funerals of parents who leave behind young children.
It’s also very selfish of me to want people to start living instead of hiding in fear, try and get their businesses they’ve spent their lives building back off the ground, try and save as many jobs as possible.
I’ve stated many times on the relaxation of restrictions thread - those who are vulnerable and have underlying conditions should of course take precautions, wear protective gear - adhere to social distancing, etc.
However that does not mean a population of 5 million people should also have to do the same for no reason. The fit and healthy should be out earning, generating taxes and employment and our children should be out learning and developing.
Our reopening plan should be sped up, cases examined closely and keep social distancing for the time being. As for the 5km rule, it’s a complete joke. Families, friends, loved ones separated until July 20th in many cases and for what. Will I catch Covid going 5.5km or 6km tomorrow?
If we get fine weather later this week, are we going to have busybodies heading to the beaches taking pictures of people who dare try and enjoy life?

How many extra thousand people would you have been happy to die, 2000?, 5000?, 10000?

Your post is absolute bottom of the barrel rubbish, Gemma O’Doherty level stuff.

biko

Please discuss in a civil manner

Scienceless

Fernando Muscular Sibilant wrote: »

How many extra thousand people would you have been happy to die, 2000?, 5000?, 10000?

Your post is absolute bottom of the barrel rubbish, Gemma O’Doherty level stuff.

Cruelsummer has a point.. you don't have to like it but to describe it as Go'Doherty level stuff says more about you tbh.

Redo91

Arghus wrote: »

Well that's not true: there clearly is evidence.

24,639 cases and 1608 deaths: that's a fatality rate of upwards of 5% in confirmed cases. You can't deny that. That's not conclusive, but it's evidence. Saying it isn't is arguing black is white.

A lot of the assumptions about antibody testing are not as clear cut as people make out. Most of the arguments rely on the results from a handful of tests and everybody who conducted the tests has said that the results have to be taken with a pinch of salt, given the limited sample size in each case and the question marks about the reliability of the antibody tests themselves.

Ah here I give up. The crux of the matter is the fatality rate is not over 5%. No medical experts will say it’s that high. The only people that do believe it’s that deadly are those taking figures and interpreting them in a way that suits their views.

I’m not wasting any more time on this as you’re clearly not able to (or do want to) grasp a very simple concept but that’s on you.

_Whimsical_

As regards the amount of unconfirmed cases being numerous out there and diluting the death rate, we just don't know that. Of all cases tests carried out in the country so far, only 2% have been positive. Lockdown has radically stemmed it's spread to date. We don't really know for sure what awaits us if we let go the reigns now except that we won't have an economy that can provide us with another round of Covid payment or a health service that can deal with a winter flu season AND Covid, or indeed a health service or A&E capable or providing the capacity it once could due to restrictions of distancing now essential to it's operation.

For those reasons I think we'd be very wise to be careful now, to distance and follow rules, to try and quell an inevitable upsurge. We are an island. With the right management we could have mostly gotten rid of this like some other countries that operated stricter lockdown. It's a real shame if people decide now that it's not worth trying, because as it stands this won't just go away. If we take the chance on letting it run its natural course over years we also risk an economy and a health service strangled by the limitations it'll naturally impose for years.

Worth noting that 17 deaths have occurred under 45 year olds too. That's quite a few young people who'd be alive otherwise. Outside of a lockdown that number will be higher.

Arghus

Redo91 wrote: »

Ah here I give up. The crux of the matter is the fatality rate is not over 5%. No medical experts will say it’s that high. The only people that do believe it’s that deadly are those taking figures and interpreting them in a way that suits their views.

I’m not wasting any more time on this as you’re clearly not able to (or do want to) grasp a very simple concept but that’s on you.

I think you are misunderstanding my point.

I don't actually believe that the true fatality rate of Covid is upwards of 5% I don't believe it's that lethal and I do believe there are unconfirmed and asymptomatic cases out there.

But, equally, I don't have hard evidence of that - and neither do you: no-one does.

Studies into the prevalence of antibodies in communities have thrown up many different results, have been mainly conducted using small groups and many of the antibody tests themselves are far from foolproof and their rates of false positives and false negatives is an unknown variable that has been mentioned in every study I have come across so far. There's evidence there, but it's not conclusive or inarguble.

The only thing that we have at the moment that is unarguble is the current death rate of confirmed cases. Now, in all likelihood, confirmed cases aren't the full pictures - but currently they are the best picture we have. And the death rate in Ireland in confirmed cases is 6.5%. I amn't distorting any figures there: those are the confirmed facts. There's no distortion there.

The only things we do know for certain right now are confirmed cases and confirmed deaths. That very well may not be the full picture, but it's the only picture that exists as we currently stand.

Don't be silly, of course I grasp the point you are trying to make, it's a very familiar and easy to understand argument.

The irony is absolutely stunning when you talk scornfully about people interpretating figures and using them to suit themselves. I'm the one talking about confirmed cases and confirmed deaths; you are the one who choses not to believe those figures and to put more faith in hypotheticals and unproven probabilities.

I find it very interesting that a lot of people who say the national figures are all BS, will often point to the relative low numbers of confirmed cases in Galway as proof that things aren't that bad: so the numbers suit when it's useful.

flazio

Good post Whimsical, but I do need to pull you on one point. "We are an island nation"
Unfortunately, we do not have full control of all of the island. It's all well and good having this form to trace where incoming passengers from air and sea ports are going to be for 2 weeks but nobody in Northern Ireland is going to be getting that form. Someone could easily touch down in Derry airport and be in Letterkenny a couple of hours later having taken a scenic back road across the border. Sometimes you just have to accept you can't control everything.
The economy is a human controlled element, the virus is not. Different people have different ethics about what is acceptable in order to make money flow back and forth.

ChewyLouie

Galway City Council

From today, Monday 25th May, Galway City's cemeteries will return to normal opening hours:

- Monday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Tuesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Friday 8:00 a.m. To 3.15 p.m.
- Saturday 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Sunday (No burials) Main gates open 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Vehicles will be permitted to park in cemeteries - however,gates will close from 11am – 2pm on days that burials are scheduled. During funerals cars will not be permitted to park within the Cemeteries.

what_traffic

ChewyLouie wrote: »

Vehicles will be permitted to park in cemeteries - however,gates will close from 11am – 2pm on days that burials are scheduled. During funerals cars will not be permitted to park within the Cemeteries.

Do City Council have actual "parking plans" in place for funerals? Both Rahoon and Bohermore are located in built up areas.

beardybrewer

I'd love to believe that sniffle i had 6 weeks ago was possibly covid and I'm walking around with antibodies and just don't know it yet. We'd all love it to be true if somehow behind our backs we've built up herd immunity but just didn't know it. However, the inconvenient facts remain until we can do widespread, reliable antibody testing we won't know if that hope is full of crap or not. We have to go on evidence not conjecture. While we can't even trust the official numbers from countries like China, Russia, or Brazil which might indicate a more realistic 3% death rate I do trust our numbers are above board and are the facts we have. So until the facts say otherwise, the official death rate is what it is: 6.5%. A mass antibody testing regime will hopefully roll out and prove otherwise.

Personally I feel we're being overly cautious while other countries like America are being overly shall we say hopeful? While it is frustrating to feel we're going at a snail's pace compared to so many other countries that are opening back up Ireland will benefit in learning from other's mistakes (and hopefully learn what works too). It's a tortoise v. hare scenario. I think we can all agree it would be doubly painful to open back up only to clamp back down again. We're plodding along slow but sure but we'll get there and hopefully with less mistakes than other countries.

grbear

Does anyone what the story is with Herterichs butchers?

I haven't been in the city for weeks so I am not familiar with what their current setup is like. Do you need to order in advance or are they open for walk up business?

Mrs OBumble

what_traffic wrote: »

Do City Council have actual "parking plans" in place for funerals? Both Rahoon and Bohermore are located in built up areas.

Not that I'm aware of.

Rahoon isn't so bad.

But Bohermore has literally space for about two cars at the gates if they park in ways that don't impede the footpath. Zero bicycle parking either (shure can't you just imagine cycling from church to graveyard!) There's no available parking within a reasonable walking distance for the typical funeral-going population, either. Closest is the parking building in Liosbaun and that's a bit of a hike (I don't know how full it typically is). So of course people park on the double yellow, because we've designed the environment to give them no other choice.

Mrs OBumble

grbear wrote: »

Does anyone what the story is with Herterichs butchers?

I haven't been in the city for weeks so I am not familiar with what their current setup is like. Do you need to order in advance or are they open for walk up business?

All butchers are open for walk up business. You just have to queue outside.

Whereisgalway

grbear wrote: »

Does anyone what the story is with Herterichs butchers?

I haven't been in the city for weeks so I am not familiar with what their current setup is like. Do you need to order in advance or are they open for walk up business?

Collerans or McGrath’s are much better

Redo91

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Collerans or McGrath’s are much better

Don’t think they were looking for recommendations to be fair. Herterich’s supply Dela who do one of the best fry’s around. Their sausages and pudding are class. Can’t see how there is anyone else around that is “much better” but to each their own.

biko

This thread is for news, not recommendations.

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

So of course people park on the double yellow, because we've designed the environment to give them no other choice.

You should work in the Council with an answer like that.

grbear

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

All butchers are open for walk up business. You just have to queue outside.

I figured that'd be the case but asked just to be sure. I'd feel a right gobdaw if I went as far as town for good pork shoulder and ended up going home with nothing.

Mrs OBumble

what_traffic wrote: »

You should work in the Council with an answer like that.

What do you suggest they do - boycott their granny's funeral 'cos it's a Bohermore?

Whereisgalway

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What do you suggest they do - boycott their granny's funeral 'cos it's a Bohermore?

Public transport

zell12

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What do you suggest they do - boycott their granny's funeral 'cos it's a Bohermore?

Park responsibly or walk, cycle, bus

Whereisgalway

FitzShane wrote: »

Both Pucan & Taafes posted videos on social media today about 'getting ready'... Do they know something we don't know?

Or are they going to start a takeaway service also?

Turning into resturants I’d imagine

Mrs OBumble

zell12 wrote: »

Park responsibly or ....

WHERE exactly can they do that anywhere around Bohermore cemetery?

How many of you actually cycled or caught the bus from the church to the cemetery for your granny's funeral?

This kind of nutty obtuseness gets public transport and cycling advocates a bad name, and causes people to ignore anything they say.

Mrs OBumble

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Turning into resturants I’d imagine

Both are already restaurants.

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What do you suggest they do?

I would suggest City Council come up with a Traffic Management Plan for there own Venue here. They ask others to do this ALL the time.

Whereisgalway

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Both are already restaurants.

Is that why it’s known as taffes bar?

Mrs OBumble

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Is that why it’s known as taffes bar?

Whatever they're called they serve food. That's the definition of a restaurant.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

WHERE exactly can they do that anywhere around Bohermore cemetery?

How many of you actually cycled or caught the bus from the church to the cemetery for your granny's funeral?

This kind of nutty obtuseness gets public transport and cycling advocates a bad name, and causes people to ignore anything they say.

It won't be a problem much longer as that cemetery is nearly full and the new one (don't know where) was approved a few weeks ago

CruelSummer

I’m very concerned that with the upcoming fine spell, people are going to head to waterways that are not lifeguarded, safe or for swimming at all. Ireland already suffers a very high drowning rate in normal times. I think public swimming areas should be opened to all and forget this 5km rule. Social distancing should remain as a precaution.