Thurles Information

Labour education spokesperson Mr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Sinn Féin’s Mrs Mary Lou McDonald, over past weeks; anxious to get their headline, both unqualified individuals and party followers, believe children and their teachers are freezing in our classrooms, from windows being left open.
Both elected representatives, in their failure to inform themselves, are deliberately misleading parents, teachers and students.

Please see the report from an expert group HERE.

We ask both of these political parties, because of their obvious ignorance of facts, not to make statements that might inadvertently or otherwise encourage parents, teachers and pupils to close classroom windows.
Open windows play a vital role in the ventilation of rooms. Rooms may be slightly colder as a result of open windows, but cold is the lesser of two current evils, and same is being combated by intelligent teachers advocating an extra clothing layer and the use of normal indoor heating.

Please Listen to Science.

Idle, elected representatives, all seeking attention from the media, please note; HEPA filters are not an alternative to open windows, but may be helpful in some poorly ventilated rooms, corridors etc, and in a large number of schools here in modern Ireland, are not needed. See also pdf shown HERE.

The Department of Health in the Irish Republic has confirmed 26,122 new cases of Covid-19, within the last 24 hours; same the highest daily number since the pandemic began, with the previous highest reported being 23,817 on January 6th last.

There are 917 people in our hospitals across the country, down 19 since yesterday, of whom 83 are in ICUs, down one.

During the first week or two of this Omicron wave, the positivity was largely among young people aged 19 to 24, but this week it is rising through the older age groups.

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland, also, reported a further 3,458 coronavirus cases today, down from the 6,444 cases reported on yesterday. Sadly, the north’s Department of Health has reported 5 more Covid-19-related deaths also today, bringing their total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 3,007.
One in every 12 people in Northern Ireland has received a Covid test in the past seven days.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against describing the Omicron variant as mild, saying that it is killing people across the world.

While recent studies suggest that Omicron is less likely to make people seriously ill, than the previous Covid variant; however the record number of people catching it has left health systems under severe pressure. The above remarks by WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus come as a 74-year-old man is reported to have died from the Omicron variant, in the western state of Rajasthan, thus becoming India’s first death from the new variant.

On the Continent of Africa, poor health infrastructure, a lack of funding for training and the deployment of medical staff, as well as vaccine storage issues; each combine in playing a part in why only about 9% of people have only been fully vaccinated against Covid, to date.

In Italy, one of Italy’s premier immunology experts on coronavirus has been given police protection after she was sent a bullet inside a letter threatening her and her family. Professor Antonella Viola was apparently targeted because of her public support for children to be vaccinated.

In Germany, the country is understood to be planning mandatory vaccinations for adults.

It was never more important that everyone now continue to support our schools, businesses, immediate family and friends and to keep to the spirit of public health advice.

The Department of Health here in the Irish Republic has confirmed 21,926 cases of Covid-19 within the past 24 hours.

The number of people in our hospitals with the virus stands at 936 as of this morning, down 5 on yesterday. Of those in hospital, 84 are being treated in our ICUs, down 6 on reported figures yesterday.

The CEO of the HSE Mr Paul Reid has stated that, as of this morning, it had distributed over one million antigen tests, adding that about 150,000 were delivered in the last 4 days to symptomatic people, aged between 4 and 39 years. He stated that the HSE has a committed supply line that will see it through January into mid February, as it talks to other suppliers regarding obtaining additional supplies.

All in-person visits to Irish prisons have been temporarily suspended for a two-week period; between the dates of January 10th to January 24th. From Monday next, family members will be unable to physically visit prisons, due to the widespread community transmission of Covid-19; with Ireland now experiencing the 7th highest Covid rate in world, according to Our World In Data.

In Northern Ireland, their Department of Health has also confirmed a further 6,444 coronavirus cases; down from the 6,877 cases reported yesterday.

Today, there are 402 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals, down from 404 on yesterday; with 31 patients with Covid-19 in intensive care units, 1 more than was reported yesterday.

It was never more important that everyone now continue to support our schools, businesses, immediate family and friends and to keep to the spirit of public health advice.