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 23,817 new cases of Covid-19 within the past 24 hours.

There are now 941 people in hospital with the virus, up 13 on yesterday’s reported figures, with the number of patients in ICU at 90; down four also on yesterday.

Almost 9.8 million vaccines have now been administered within the Irish Republic.

The HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has stated that the increases in positive cases are presently among the younger age groups, with cases in the 19-44 year old age group up 200%.

The total number of deaths related to Covid-19 within the Republic of Ireland, since the start of the pandemic, now stands at 5,952.

New Digital Covid Certificates are to be issued to people from this week, to reflect booster vaccines, the Minister for Health has stated. The updated certs will be automatically issued to people who have already received an additional or booster vaccination in recent months.

Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive Mr Paul Reid has stated that there is no doubt that we remain in a very uncertain period of time in terms of the impact of the Omicron virus variant, from a HSE perspective. He further stated that there is no doubt that there are many more cases of Covid-19, than were published, through recent daily figures.

All retailers are being asked to remove Genrui-branded antigen tests from shelves on a voluntary basis, after advice from the Health Products Regulatory Authority. The Genrui brand is not being used by HSE, for close contacts, the health service also confirmed.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority said it would encourage people who experienced a false positive, or negative result, to report the occurrence to it, at devicesafety@HPRA.ie.

In Northern Ireland their Department of Health has reported a further 6,877 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.

There are 404 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals, up from 403 on yesterday. There are 30 patients with Covid-19 in hospital intensive care units, 2 less than yesterday.
Sadly however, 4 more Covid-19-related deaths are reported today, bringing the total number of deaths in Northern Ireland, since the start of the pandemic, to 3,002.
The Omicron variant remains dominant in Northern Ireland, accounting for almost 90% of cases.

In Belgium, (latter home to the European Union institutions and NATO), they confirm that daily cases of Covid-19 have reached a new peak this week, with health experts warning of between 30,000 and 125,000 cases per day by mid-January; in a nation of some 11.56 million inhabitants.

In France, the French parliament has approved the government’s latest measures to tackle Covid-19, including a Covid-Vaccine pass. French President Mr Emmanuel Macron, had referred to unvaccinated people as being irresponsible and unworthy of being considered citizens. France registered a record of more than 332,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours yesterday and a further 246 Covid deaths in their hospitals, as the country battles a fifth wave of the virus.

In Israel yesterday, hospitalisations stood at 363 patients, after the Health Ministry reported more than 16,000 new cases, latter a record high in Israel since the start of the pandemic.

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 has been notified of 21,302 additional cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours here within the Irish Republic.

There are 884 people in hospital with the Covid-19 virus, an increase of 80 on yesterday, while 90 of these patients are in ICU, across the country down 3 on yesterday.

According to Health Service Executive CEO Mr Paul Reid, there is no indication that the Irish Republic has reached the peak of the current wave of Covid-19 cases.

The Health Products Regulatory Agency (HPRA) has received a number of reports from medical professionals and members of the public over the performance of the Genrui antigen test. The stated brand is one of the cheapest and most popular rapid antigen test brands; sold in supermarkets such as Dunnes Stores and Lidl.
Results indicated as positive when using the Genrui test are not being confirmed, when those who believed they were affected have gone for a PCR test.
Medical practitioners have confirmed that there appear to be a large proportion of ‘false positives’ with these named test kits and have warned that this could have major implications, especially now that antigen kits have taken on a greater role in the testing process here in the Republic.

Meanwhile, following a meeting between education Minister Norma Foley, public health representatives, the HSE and education stakeholders it has been accepted that a full reopening of schools will go ahead on Thursday next.

However, a World Health Organization official has stated that evidence is now emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, thus causing milder symptoms than previous variants.

The HSE has confirmed that so far, around 50,300 children aged 5-11 years are now registered for Covid-19 vaccination. Just over 4,000 doses have been administered to date, amongst those children identified as a priority by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

Here in Co. Tipperary, two post Offices, in the villages of Cappawhite & Kilsheelan remain closed, caused by staff shortages, caused by the pandemic

In Northern Ireland including today, the number of positive Covid-19 cases confirmed over the past seven days was 50,627.
Today also there were 348 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals, with 31 infected patients in northern hospital intensive care units.

Today Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has also, sadly, reported 15 more Covid-19-related deaths, over the past 4 days, bringing their total death number, since the start of the pandemic, to 2,995.

The USA recorded more than one million Covid-19 cases yesterday, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant there also continues to spread rapidly in communities.