Covid 19 Part XXXIV-249,437 ROI(4,906 deaths) 120,195 NI (2,145 deaths)(01/05)Read OP

saabsaab

saabsaab wrote: »

Pity MHQ didn't come in here last March.

Glad it didn’t

Messi19

normanoffside wrote: »

Do you remember when they told us the lockdown was only a short term solution?

If Vaccine evading variants are the issue, what will change after everyone has been vaccinated later in the summer?

And this lockdown would've been a hell of a lot shorter had we not imported the UK variant. We'd have been out the other side of this by now

hmmm

Corholio wrote: »

But like my post said, what about people who have tested negative here on arrival? You can prove way before 14 days whether you have a 'variant' or not. It takes a magic whole 10 days to see if you have covid, but if it's not a variant it's the same thing. The same variant that hundreds are walking around here with.

It seems to be a fear of some unspecified future variant which evades vaccines. So it has become zero-Covid, because if you're worried about a variant (which doesn't exist currently) that might evade vaccines, you have to keep the restrictions in place for the long-term.

I'm not sure all our Ministers are aware of this and as a consequence are sleep-walking into approving a very new and controversial strategy. I'm not given to conspiracy theories, but the explanation for why we are doing this, along with talk that this is short-term, doesn't make sense.

By the way, I have heard no official mention that this is a short-term restriction. This seems to be an assumption being made by some posters.

gctest50

Lassavirus will be along shortly to spice things up


https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/6934422/horror-rabies-disease-kills-humans-found-bats-australia/

saabsaab

Deleted User wrote: »

Glad it didn’t

A Fan of Covid?

GeorgeBailey

muddypuppy wrote: »

And I'm pretty sure it's completely against my rights as a European citizen.

It's not. Naomi O'Leary was on with Eamon Dunphy talking about it. It's not against EU rules as long as it's not based on nationality. e.g. you can ban people coming from Austria but not Austrians. It also has to not interfere with movement of goods.

Messi19

hmmm wrote: »

It seems to be a fear of some unspecified future variant which evades vaccines. So it has become zero-Covid, because if you're worried about a variant (which doesn't exist currently) that might evade vaccines, you have to keep the restrictions in place for the long-term.

I'm not sure all our Ministers are aware of this and as a consequence are sleep-walking into approving a very new and controversial strategy. I'm not given to conspiracy theories, but the explanation for why we are doing this, along with talk that this is short-term, doesn't make sense.

By the way, I have heard no official mention that this is a short-term restriction. This seems to be an assumption being made by some posters.

Did the US get the same guff when they banned all entry for non citizens? Not even any mhq and away you go. Just a simple you're not getting in here end of.

hmmm

Messi19 wrote: »

Did the US get the same guff when they banned all entry for non citizens? Not even any mhq and away you go. Just a simple you're not getting in here end of.

There's a big difference between an enormous country like the US where most people perhaps don't even have a passport, and a small island which is hugely dependent on international trade and foreign investment and workers.

Besides which the US restriction was imposed because of a real risk when Covid first started circulating. We are putting this in place because we fear some future risk which may or may not materialise.

Goldengirl

hmmm wrote: »

How do we know that? We haven't been told what the criteria is other than something vague about "variants". They could be spinning a wheel for all we know.


We know that the vaccines can cope with all known current variants, and travellers who have already been tested represent a low risk. Meanwhile 400 people a day test positive in this country and then disappear off the radar after their test.

This is being done because Ministers reacted to mobs on social media. If they were serious about reducing risk, they'd be also quarantining the people who we know have Covid.

This is happening because there are at least 2 variants which DO have a moderate reducing effect on vaccinations, and also neutralising antibodies as a result of previous infection, and we can't afford to let them get a leg hold in the country while the majority are not vaccinated .
Once we have a majority vaccinated at least the mRNA vaccine companies may have had time to produce newer vaccines which bypass these variants'.
It's like the Hare and theTortoise here..
And never heard NPHET being called " mobs on social media " before

Messi19

hmmm wrote: »

There's a big difference between an enormous country like the US where most people perhaps don't even have a passport, and a small island which is hugely dependent on international trade and foreign investment and workers.

Besides which the US restriction was imposed because of a real risk when Covid first started circulating. We are putting this in place because we fear some future risk which may or may not materialise.

Current risk as much as future risk I'd say, if not even more. We've 19 cases of Brazilian variant and just under 50 of the South African. They are variants of concern and they're here. Current risk. One Brazilian variant case shut down a whole school. That's how concerned they are. But sure it didn't just blow in with the wind

Goldengirl

zebastein wrote: »

If there is no problem with genuine essential travel, then why are people not exempted from hotel quarantine? Nobody has a problem with that, but they still have to pay 2k.
Ah yes variants of under the bed, even if there is no proof of what variants is circulating in which country. Countries like Germany are France should stop sequencing genom of their test, they would not find any variant and everybody would be happy

Ridiculous comment . Like those saying stop testing so we won't find cases!
Ireland is sequencing too .
Where are you and do you watch any news programs in Ireland or read Irish newspapers ?
Increasingly thinking you're one of the people in MHQ .

Goldengirl

normanoffside wrote: »

Do you remember when they told us the lockdown was only a short term solution?

If Vaccine evading variants are the issue, what will change after everyone has been vaccinated later in the summer?

If you read that post backwards you will have your answer :pac:

hmmm

Goldengirl wrote: »

This is happening because there are at least 2 variants which DO have a moderate reducing effect on vaccinations, and also neutralising antibodies as a result of previous infection, and we can't afford to let them get a leg hold in the country while the majority are not vaccinated .
Once we have a majority vaccinated at least the mRNA vaccine companies may have had time to produce newer vaccines which bypass these variants'.
It's like the Hare and theTortoise here..
And never heard NPHET being called " mobs on social media " before

You'll know from the vaccine thread that the current vaccines are still well above the line which provides protection against the variants you mention. The only indication that any of them may not was a very weak South African study of the Oxford vaccine which had a number of flaws, every other study has shown good effectiveness - and 100% protection against severe disease.

We are imposing a huge cost on the country with little proper justification or scrutiny. I can't find a list of who is on the committee which is deciding what countries will be blocked, and what criteria they are using to decide this.

Goldengirl

Corholio wrote: »

But like my post said, what about people who have tested negative here on arrival? You can prove way before 14 days whether you have a 'variant' or not. It takes a magic whole 10 days to see if you have covid, but if it's not a variant it's the same thing. The same variant that hundreds are walking around here with.

No . Look up variants of concern .
It's the UK variant in dominance here .
Why?
Because it was brought in by trave, l essential and nonessential before Christmas .

Jim_Hodge

Goldengirl wrote: »

Ridiculous comment . Like those saying stop testing so we won't find cases!
Ireland is sequencing too .
Where are you and do you watch any news programs in Ireland or read Irish newspapers ?
Increasingly thinking you're one of the people in MHQ .

Unfortunately people are twisting arguments to get what just suits them. Like someone planning to be married in France in 2 weeks will have huge issues with hotel quarantine with France on the list. Vested interest leads to poor posting.

PmMeUrDogs

A family member started a job around children recently, and is now a close contact and is isolating and getting a test - symptomatic so the test was arranged through the GP.

Because I live with said family member, the GP said I need to isolate too? Is that right when I'm not a contact of a positive case?

I'm happy enough to isolate if it's necessary but I dunno how that'll go down with my job without me being a contact, and I don't think I'll be eligible for covid illness benefit if I'm not a close contact?

Goldengirl

hmmm wrote: »

It seems to be a fear of some unspecified future variant which evades vaccines. So it has become zero-Covid, because if you're worried about a variant (which doesn't exist currently) that might evade vaccines, you have to keep the restrictions in place for the long-term.

I'm not sure all our Ministers are aware of this and as a consequence are sleep-walking into approving a very new and controversial strategy. I'm not given to conspiracy theories, but the explanation for why we are doing this, along with talk that this is short-term, doesn't make sense.

By the way, I have heard no official mention that this is a short-term restriction. This seems to be an assumption being made by some posters.

Donnelly and Eamonn Ryan both said it onthe last 10 days so not assumptions.

Messi19

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

Unfortunately people are twisting arguments to get what just suits them. Like someone planning to be married in France in 2 weeks will have huge issues with hotel quarantine with France on the list. Vested interest leads to poor posting.

Non essential travel. Tough tit I'd say

hmmm

Messi19 wrote: »

They are variants of concern and they're here.

You keep saying "variants of concern" as if that's the end of the argument.

These mutations were "of concern" when they first arose, now they are just yet another variant which we know the vaccines will protect you against. They appear to be no more virulent or as fast to spread as the existing UK variant which is widespread in this country.

We seem to be implementing these restrictions for fear of some future unspecified variant which may occur in the future. That might be something a virologist is worried about, but I'd expect politicians to have the good sense to bring a bit of perspective and balance and point out that we aren't going to keep the country isolated for fear of something that may happen in the future.

Corholio

Goldengirl wrote: »

No . Look up variants of concern .
It's the UK variant in dominance here .
Why?
Because it was brought in by trave, l essential and nonessential before Christmas .

You missed the point, or read it wrong. People in MHQ, if testing positive at all (which the huge majority aren't) could have the same variant (UK one) that hundreds of people here could be walking around with but yet are forcibly locked up for 14 days, unlike the hundreds.

hmmm

Goldengirl wrote: »

Donnelly and Eamonn Ryan both said it onthe last 10 days so not assumptions.

How can it be a short-term measure if the concern is about future variants?

Messi19

PmMeUrDogs wrote: »

A family member started a job around children recently, and is now a close contact and is isolating and getting a test - symptomatic so the test was arranged through the GP.

Because I live with said family member, the GP said I need to isolate too? Is that right when I'm not a contact of a positive case?

I'm happy enough to isolate if it's necessary but I dunno how that'll go down with my job without me being a contact, and I don't think I'll be eligible for covid illness benefit if I'm not a close contact?

I'd isolate until your family member gets the test results back. Are you WFH or actually attending work? Would you be comfortable with the idea of spreading covid when you knew you could isolate?

Stheno

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1380624051949953026?s=19

Jim_Hodge

hmmm wrote: »

How can it be a short-term measure if the concern is about future variants?

I suppose it depends on your definition of short-term. We declared a state of emergency in 1939 because of world war 2: the state of emergency itself was not rescinded until 1 September 1976

Goldengirl

Doctor Jimbob wrote: »

Better close the schools again and go back to 2km then. Sure impose a curfew too while we're at it. Can't risk variants after all, sure they could start in Ireland too.

Imposing harsher restrictions just when we're ramping up vaccination is insanity. Where was the quarantine at Christmas when we were letting any fecker from a hotspot in to run wild around the country?

No.its not insanity .
What is insanity is allowing importation of variants that may fvck up our fledgling vaccination program after all the lockdown we have had to endure because of high numbers after the last one.
And for the third time it is not the variant here that we are concerned with now .
Too late !
It's the Brazilian and the South African ones that both have changes to the spike protein which may render our vaccinations less effective.
So vaccinate safely then lift these inward travel restrictions and hopefully outward as well .
I know which I prefer .
Nothing to do with zero Covid , that ship has long since sailed .

ninebeanrows

How are they measuring the incidence of 'variants of concern'?

What defines a 'variant of concern'?

When does a country get to a level with a level of 'variant of concern' that is acceptable?

It is so ludicrous.

hmmm

Goldengirl wrote: »

So vaccinate safely then lift these inward travel restrictions and hopefully outward as well .
I know which I prefer .

I don't mean to be rude, but it's very easy to say that when you're not affected.

Those 400 new cases we have every day could give rise to a future variant, but there's no suggestion that they should have to quarantine even though they are carrying the disease. We can't do this because there'd be outrage, but it's very easy to impose this cost on Irish people who have to travel or foreigners trying to get into the country.

ElTel

Do we do genomic testing on all positives now?
Are there any clues from the positive PCR test itself that indicates a variant?

Messi19

hmmm wrote: »

I don't mean to be rude, but it's very easy to say that when you're not affected.

Those 400 new cases we have every day could give rise to a future variant, but there's no suggestion that they should have to quarantine even though they are carrying the disease. We can't do this because there'd be outrage, but it's very easy to impose this cost on Irish people who have to travel or foreigners trying to get into the country.

We are supposed to quarantine if we have covid, always have been and that hasn't changed

FintanMcluskey

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

I suppose it depends on your definition of short-term. We declared a state of emergency in 1939 because of world war 2: the state of emergency itself was not rescinded until 1 September 1976

Typical NPHET