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

I totally disagree. It’s 2021 not 2020. Vaccines work and we are vaccinating 50-60k a day. I have done my bit and I’m fully vaccinated and won’t be going into a “ inevitable “ lockdown for sure.

I think we've done the right thing by slowing down parts of reopening so as to build a bigger vaccine wall, and helping to ensure that people who want a vaccine can get one before Delta is left off the leash was the correct choice for society. I doubt most people however will support restrictions if Covid causes a big problem in unvaccinated people.

The biggest problem will be how to assist people with weak immune systems, and I expect we might need case-by-case interventions rather than general lockdowns (e.g. visiting a nursing home might be partly restricted, hospital staff may need regular boosters, masks on public transport).

20% of the hospitalizations are vaccinated people, do the maths, 30% of the population of Ireland aren't adults, 32% aren't vaccinated, 20% of vaccinated people are in hospital. We still have about 40% of the population able to be affected. We're a long way from the end game still

Among the 20% are people admiited with other issues and happened to test positive. A very very small number of vaccinated people are becoming ill enough to be admitted because of covid. You seem to be itching and looking for reasons to have a good auld lockdown that doesn’t surprise me .

Things are moving on. Indoor dining is opening, international travel has begun. There’s no one planning lockdowns. As a fully vaccinated person the days of the 5km limit for me are long gone. The government have said themselves the link is breaking between cases and hospitals.

she was saying we would be 6000 cases a day by end august. not challenged at all by o connor. but at least I got the grass cut

Have cases broadly plateaued? Or could we see the Ni equivalent of 4500 in the coming weeks.

1377 last Saturday.

You're misunderstanding my point there Fintan. You should cool the jets.

Cases will almost certainly go up - it's hardly irrational to point that out. Stating that alone isn't a forecast of misery

But now the question is whether that - rising cases - is as much of an issue anymore. That's the question that no one has the answer to at this moment in time.

Obviously vaccination has made a huge difference and will continue to make a huge difference. 1400 cases now doesn't have the same implications has it had at earlier points of the pandemic, clearly it doesn't - the hospital figures speak for themselves.

It could easily turn out to be entirely manageable and a phase we can get through and push on with further reopening and less restrictions. I'm not forecasting doom there - you just jumped to conclusions off your own bat.

Philip Ryan with his article in Independent about gov going against Holohan's advise and letting children to dine with their parents indoors was the worst one for today. What has Irish journalism turned into?

Another drop in UK cases today. 31,795 cases.

And 1,307 in Scotland which sounds promising, since they seem to be the ones some politicians (such as Leo Varadkar) are looking at for predictions. They've got 478 in hospital and 60 in ICU.

Nolan has been out and about pushing the current models and so far there is no sign of them taking anything else into account. The big question IMO is whether that link between hospitalisations and cases has been broken. Colm Henry has suggested it more than once. If it has, the alarm over case numbers is overstated. We should see over the next week or so where we are on that. You'd have to think with 80%+ on first shots and heading for 70% fully vaccinated that point is really not very far away and whatever peak we hit in hospitals should be fairly low.

The Irish Times had an editorial last week about how reckless the UK reopening was. Not a peep out of them this week on the UK. The fear mongering is running out of road at this stage, unfortunately not before immeasurable damage has been done with so many people reeled in and ending up confused or even scared of covid, perfectly healthy and vaccinated people even! There is now some incredible narrative that somehow under 18s need to be vaccinated, I have just been flicking through covid news the last while but surely this is close to a wind up at this stage?! Only the most pig ignorant, covid fantasists would be making these calls I would surmise. Hopefully sense prevails.