Thurles Information

The Department of Health has confirmed 5,634 new cases of Covid-19, in the past 24 hours, within the Irish Republic.

There remain 684 people in our hospitals with the disease, same an increase of 16 patients based on yesterday’s figures. There are now 126 patients being treated in ICU, same up a further 1 since yesterday.

In Northern Ireland, a further 1,469 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed today, up from 1,406 on yesterday’s reported figures.

Sadly, 3 more Covid-19-related deaths have also been reported in Northern Ireland today.

There are currently 378 Covid inpatients in northern hospitals, with 36 of these being treated in intensive care units (ICUs), up from 35 on yesterday.

The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan has warned that we should be aware that every 1000 cases of Covid-19 will lead to 20 – 25 people being placed in hospital and between 2 – 3 people requiring critical care in our ICUs. He further stated that we also should be aware that since June of this year (2021), that 1 in every 4 people who had Covid-19 and sought critical care in our hospitals, have now sadly died.

The Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann has tested positive for Covid-19.
Mr Seán Ó Feargháil received the results of his PCR test at the weekend and will now isolate at home until November 29th in accordance with laid down public health guidelines. During his absence from the Dáil, Leas-Cheann Comhairle Ms Catherine Connolly and other temporary chairpersons will take over his duties.

Minister for Education Ms Norma Foley is understood to be meeting tomorrow with senior officials from all of Ireland’s teacher educational facilities, with a view to establishing whether final-year students, latter training to be teachers, can play a greater role in supporting our schools during this current pandemic crisis.

Meanwhile, the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) is calling for all customers to please continue to adhere to HSE public health guidelines, as the industry enters into one of the busiest periods of the year, coming up to Christmas.

The German Health Minister Herr Jens Spahn has urged citizens to get vaccinated. Herr Spahn, in blaming the contagious Delta variant; stated that probably by the end of this winter, pretty much everyone in Germany will be either “vaccinated, cured or dead”. His warning comes as Germany attempts to contain a record rise in coronavirus infections over recent weeks, with like Ireland, their hospitals sounding alarm bells due to their swollen intensive care units.

Prime Minister Ms Jacinda Ardern has stated that New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the coronavirus from December 3rd, which will end tough restrictions and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city Auckland, which has been in lock-down for over 90 days.

Continue to listen to science and do continue to keep yourself and your family safe by regularly washing your hands; wearing a mask when appropriate and cutting down on your social contacts.

Newstalk presenter, Mr Pat Kenny took a proper verbal ‘walloping’ this morning, when he decided to engage in a heated radio debate with one of Ireland’s leading and knowledgeable doctors, over the slow use of Antigen Tests here in Ireland.

Associate Professor of General Practice at UCD, Dr Ray Walley, when being interviewed highlighted the dangers of people using antigen tests instead of PCR tests, but Mr Kenny, displaying his misconceived medical knowledge, set about bemoaning the lack of Antigen Test usage in Ireland.

Here on local radio Tipp FM, (Latter the pulpit for exaggerating, bone idle, Tipperary politicians) was interviewing ‘know-it-all AK47’, (latter lesser known as Deputy Alan Kelly, leader of a tiny annihilated Labour Party), who like Mr Pat Kenny was also busy holding up to ridicule the (and let’s be honest) trojan work being currently undertaken and being accomplished to date, by our present coalition government, with regards to managing a country beset by a killer pandemic.

Back on Newstalk, Professor Walley pointed out that antigen tests do have a role to play in certain controlled environments, but also argued that a problem exists when the general public use them, instead of visiting a PCR test centre or their GP, when they are displaying possible symptoms.

In response, a badly researched Mr Pat Kenny stated that he was amused by the idea of blaming antigen tests and then asked why if they have been used so extensively and successfully in other countries; such as Denmark and Germany, that they cannot work here in Ireland?
Mr Kenny stated that he has been talking on his programme for a year about how to use antigen tests and in what circumstances they are appropriate and they have been rubbished by Professor Nolan, and by Dr Tony Holohan, the latter turning his face against them utterly. Many in the GP area were not enthusiastic about them either and they have their place. But there has been a lack of information coming from the medical establishment as to exactly what that place is. The public are depending on people like him to give them information and that was not acceptable, Mr Kenny argued.

Dr Walley said the World Health Organisations (WHO) advice has always been to “emphasis, isolate, test and contact” and this advice is based on the PCR system which he called a substantially more accurate test.
He stated that the difficulty is that these are complex messages and the public have not been able to take that in.
When you have gotten a sick, stressed patient they will grab at anything to help themselves and that is 100% understandable. Where the antigen tests have a specific utility is where the State is about to introduce them; in high prevalence areas such as in school settings. Dr Walley added that even if a person returns a negative PCR test in symptomatic cases, they must still isolate for two days, whether they are vaccinated or not.

The Dublin-based GP, who is also Vice President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors, explained that, many of those countries which have excellent healthcare systems and that used antigen tests, are now going into lock-down. He stated, “We have Holland which closed a major hospital three weeks ago, because basically they ran out of ICU facilities and they have used antigen tests. You have France which has used antigen tests whereby they’re extending the use of digital certs for shops and other things,” he went on to explain.

He argued Ireland must now focus on introducing what he called ‘more mitigation measures’ such as reviewing why masks aren’t worn by children aged six years and older.

A badly bruised Mr Kenny continued to argue that public health officials were too slow in advising the Irish public to wear masks early on and called into question the errancy of some of the country’s leading doctors.

Professor Walley stated that the nature of medicine and science means things change over time, as a greater understanding of a particular issue continues to developed.

Continue to listen to science.