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

Yeah, we're still doing OK according to the HPSC reports.

In week 44 2021 (last week) there were 362 admissions (new cases rather) for Covid.

In week 44 2019, there were 360 hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, described as a "medium" level. Typical peak is 500-600 respiratory admissions per week.

As of 7th November we still had only 2 confirmed 'flu cases this year.

ICU capacity in Ireland typically runs at 90% occupancy on average across the whole year - much higher in winter, the use of surge capacity is basically standard process. This is why elective surgeries tend not to be scheduled between October and March if it can be avoided.

Caveats:

How many non-Covid admissions we have at the moment, I don't know. They don't appear to be publishing that data this year.

We do know that RSV infections are off the charts, but the level in adults is low and they rarely result in adult hospitalisations.

The seasonal ramp in 'flu cases tends to kick in around now. If we can keep 'flu mostly at bay until the new year, we should be OK. Luckily we are mostly still engaging in the behaviours that suppress 'flu.

The big difference/big unknown is that typical respiratory illnesses don't translate to ICU quite as readily as Covid does. Vaccination and boosters should be enough, but like the rest of the world we just don't know.

Of course it's their job - they are the health and scientific advisors, it is exactly their job.

It's not their job to balance things like the economy with health, that is a government job. But when NPHET propose restrictions to combat the spread of covid, they absolutely should be taking human behaviour into account - if you dont how the hell can you model the effect those measures will have??

How can any extension even be policed?

So the solution to dense socialising is to limit the hours and thus encourage more dense socialising? Seems counter intuitive, and then they're not doing anything about other forms like college lectures or even bringing back contact tracing in schools.

@seamus d'ya think there's a need for a 24 hours, 5 days a week type rollout? Take Simon Coveney's offer of using the army to assist.

15 x 7. 7am to 10pm, 7 days a week. 24 hour sounds like a good idea, but the reality is that very few people will take an appointment to get a booster dose in the middle of the night. Especially people over 50. For the vaccine, there was some suggestion that people would be willing to go that extra mile, but not for a booster. So you end up with staff sitting idle overnight in the MVC who could be administering a lot more doses during a daytime shift.

What I don't understand is the reliance on the GP network for this. At the start of the year, we did it this way to ensure that shots were appropriately prioritised by making sure that practically all vulnerable people were contacted and identified by their GP.

We don't need that anymore. Open the system for self-registration of anyone over 70, and just have at it. Anyone who can't figure out registration or can't get to an MVC can call their GP to get sorted. The most important thing now is getting boosters in arms, not making sure that over-80s are done before over-75's, before over-70s, etc.

It's insanity at this late stage in the game.

The hysterical focus on covid and only covid is so harmful.

E.G. in the past 2 weeks I was made aware of 3 cases in my local area where people had gone in for routine checkups, after outpatient cancellations and difficulties getting a GP appointment etc. due to the impact of covid on GP surgeries and outpatient services, only for it to come to light that they were riddled with cancer. One of those people has sadly died.

What else could be going undiagnosed in Ireland?

Had these people been diagnosed earlier perhaps the story would be different.

I myself have been on a waiting list for 2 years, and have had outpatient appointments cancelled twice (even though its only triage over the fvcking phone at first anyway). Because of covid.

There will sadly be no accountability either way I suppose. If there's one single thing the HSE decision-making class is good at, it's arse covering.

All hospital restrictions have simply got to go now. Our hospital staff are generally amazing but I imagine the over the top red tape brought in by NPHET is slowing down the show even further.

I'm sure our rulers have thought of all of this before, but just in case....If I were the Government, I would immediately be expanding Hospital and ICU capacity. There are closed wards in UHG, and many other hospitals nationwide that are not staffed. Infection control - it is not being managed in any sort of an effective way in our public hospitals. Day patients are not Covid tested - should they be antigen tested at least? Only admissions are required PCR negative - which discounts many many people going through the hospital system. This is money well spent going into the future with our rising and aging population rather than closing things down and putting people on PUP payments.

I would also look at what the Europeans did last year, and what we should have done. Don't close anything down, just bring in more procedures re bubbles, pods and groups re indoor dining and drinking to ride through the wave. Pygmalion bar in Dublin have announced antigen testing being a requirement of all patrons - great idea. Others should follow suit. It doesn't catch 100% of cases but catches all those being missed by the utterly useless 'Covid cert' which is just being used as a coercion tool re vaccination - while they're simultaneously trying to convince the vaccinated that the vaccines aren't working anymore and they'll need 'boosters'.