Health « Thurles Information

Persons Aged 18 To 35 years To Receive Covid Vaccine From Monday.

Persons aged between 18 and 35 years are to be offered Covid vaccine, through their pharmacies, from next week.

Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Minister for Health Mr Stephen Donnelly has confirmed that Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine will be made available to people under 35 years, through pharmacies, with effect from July 5th next.

Same age group will be able to avail of mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna through the vaccination programme portal, as well as the AstraZeneca jab.

With the vaccines now available through pharmacies, this development of events will mean that persons will be vaccinated one to two months earlier than had been previously anticipated.

There are 750 pharmacies who will participate in this vaccination programme with 40,000 doses of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine already in stock.

Some 210,000 Janssen doses are due for delivery in July followed by more in August, while 100,000 AstraZeneca doses are also expected to arrive this month.

However, the speeding up of the Covid-19 vaccination programme next week is not expected to alter what the country will be dealing with in July and August next, with up to 900 new cases per day, according to Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn.

448 New Additional Virus Cases Reported In Irish Republic.

While appallingly, misguided, Tipperary TD, Mr Mattie McGrath, believes that all Dáil Éireann TDs have acquired degrees in Medicine and Science in the past 16 months; he now, laughingly demands that, quote, “Government need to take the reins on the easing of restrictions and stop giving NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team) full control”.

Our other equally misguided, elected Tipperary TDs, [Namely Mr Alan Kelly, Mr Jackie Cahill and Mr Michael Lowry], continue to waste Dáil time in their attempts to get pubs and restaurants open. These efforts come despite qualified scientific advice to the contrary, while same TDs attempt to keep their bone idleness in the spotlight, by publishing condolences on RIP.ie.

How many more Irish citizens must lose their lives as a direct result of misinformation bandied about by those anxious to hear the sound of their own unqualified and ill-informed voices?
Truth is, none of these TDs care a ‘tinker’s curse’ about the 5,000, much loved, family members who sadly lost their lives, following Covid-19 virus diagnosis; their deaths sadly, due to pressure being put on acting Government Ministers, by those whose only claim to fame are overpaid TDs in opposition.

We note they always put ‘TD’ after their names on RIP, in the hope that regardless of their current idleness and time wasting in Dáil Éireann, they may still be identified, come the next General Election.

Meanwhile, as Tipperary politicians continue to fail in their responsibilities to Co. Tipperary communities, the Department of Health this evening has confirmed there have been 448 new additional virus cases reported in the Irish Republic. (Same case numbers are subject to future data validation, because of the Russian Cyber-attack on the HSE’s notifying system.)

Sadly, there have been 2 further deaths within the past 24 hours, with the number of people who have died, following a diagnosis of Covid-19, now standing at some 5,000 Irish residents.

The number of persons in ICU currently stands at 14, unchanged since yesterday.

Deputy Chief Medical officer Dr. Ronan Glynn, has raised grave concerns regarding Covid-19 numbers in Dublin and the very significant increase in our neighbouring county of Waterford, latter with 180 and 200 cases to date in the town of Dungarvan.

Professor Philip Nolan has stated that the Covid-19 virus is growing at a rate of 2% per day.

The total worldwide number of virus cases identified up to 6.00pm this evening, now stands at well over 182.36 million confirmed cases, with global deaths at almost 3.95 million and rising.

Please do continue to behave responsibly in order to protect each other.

Covid-19 Cases Increase By 63 Today.

As of midnight, Friday 25th June, the Department of Health has reported 443 new cases of Covid-19; up 63 on yesterdays reported figure.

There are 43 patients currently in our hospitals with the disease, (up 7 on yesterday) and 13 of these are being treated in ICU.

In Northern Ireland, 298 positive cases of Covid-19 and no deaths were reported in the past 24 hours

Here in the Republic, the Chief Executive of the HSE Paul Reid confirmed that 84% of cases of the Delta variant are in the those under 45 years old, and only 40% of eligible adults will be fully-vaccinated by close of business yesterday.

Known evidence now suggests that the Delta variant circulates much more widely during the summer months, especially amongst younger, unvaccinated individuals.

The total worldwide number of known virus cases identified up to 4.30pm this evening, now stands at well over 203,105,794 confirmed cases, with global deaths at well over 4,299,559 persons and rising.

Please do continue to wear your face coverings and to socially distance. The latter has proven to have significantly limited the spread of COVID-19.

Holycross Village Bi-Weekly Market, Tomorrow Saturday June 26th.

A reminder that the bi-weekly Holycross Village Market is taking place tomorrow, Saturday June 26th, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Do attend early to be certain of enjoying their artisan bakes, hot foods, arts and crafts, fresh meats, fruit and vegetables, hair braiding, face painting and much, much, much more.

Showcasing at the market this week is “Purple Cloud Lavender” as seen on Nationwide last Friday (June 18th). This is a must for bee keepers and more.

Padre Pio residents are also joining them this week along with more new vendors and products.

Their pre-order system is up and running and a reminder to anyone who cannot visit the market, all vendors are more than happy to arrange collection or delivery of their products as necessary.

Lucinda O’Sullivan of the Sunday Independent gave the Holycross Market a lovely mention in a recent article, so do go along and see what exactly she was complimenting.

Remember, there is ample parking behind the Abbey church, so do please avail of it and enjoy the beauty that Holycross hamlet has to offer.

EPA – Do Simple Radon Test In Your Homes

EPA survey highlights need for everyone to do a simple radon test in their homes

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas and every year in Ireland 300 lung cancer cases are linked to radon exposure.
EPA commissioned a survey of over 1000 people on their attitudes to radiation.
28 per cent of people surveyed were concerned about radiation.
While 82 per cent of people have heard of radon 66 per cent of them said they are unlikely to test their homes.
Testing your home and fixing a radon problem can reduce the risk to your health from this radioactive gas.

A survey exploring Irish attitudes towards radiation found that 28% of people are concerned about radiation. In Ireland, radon accounts for more than half of our radiation exposure. However, while awareness of radon gas is high, two out of three people said that they are unlikely to test their home, believing their homes to be unaffected by radon.

Commenting on the survey, Ms Stephanie Long, (EPA Senior Scientist) said, “Many people don’t know that radon is the largest contributor to radiation dose in Ireland. If there is a high radon level in your home, it is exposing you and your family to unnecessary radiation. While radon levels in certain parts of the country are higher than, others the gas can be found in homes of all types and ages throughout the country. Yet, despite the risks there continues to be a reluctance amongst householders to protect their health by testing their homes for radon.”

Reducing radon levels in homes and other buildings is simple and inexpensive and immediately reduces the risk of developing lung cancer. For moderate levels of radon, improving indoor ventilation may reduce the level by up to half. For higher levels, a fan assisted sump can be installed which can reduce radon levels by over 90%. The sump can be installed in one day by a contractor with little disruption to the home.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Clare Kambamettu is a homeowner who found high levels of radon in her home, which she acted on and remediated. Dr. Kambamettu had a radon sump installed in her Galway home which addressed the high radon levels.

Dr. Kambamettu commented: “We were worried when our test showed high levels of radon in our home. We soon found out that the solution was surprisingly easy. Most of the work was done quickly from the outside of our home with very little disruption. And the best part was that once the work was done, the risk was gone too, as our radon levels were reduced so much.”

For more information on radon and to find a list of registered radon testing and remediation services, visit www.radon.ie, or freefone 1 800 300 600.