Thurles Information

562 New Covid-19 Cases Confirmed In Irish Republic, Up 114 In 24 Hours.

**Romanian President, Klaus Werner Iohannis**.

The Department of Health has today reported 562 new cases of Covid-19, up 114 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Presently, there are 48 patients being treated in our hospitals as from 8:00am this morning, with 14 persons in intensive care units, latter a number unchanged since yesterday’s report.

The HSE School Immunisation Programme could see children, 12 years of age and upwards, vaccinated before school classrooms are populated again in early September. All going according to plan, same vaccinations could be rolled out from August, to further assist in curbing the spread of Covid-19 virus and it’s Delta variant here in our Republic.

Meanwhile, one member of the public received a positive Covid-19 antigen test while attending at yesterday’s pilot musical festival in the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham.

That person, however, then undertook a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, which later proved negative for the virus.

An Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has held discussions with the Romanian President, Herr Klaus Werner Iohannis (Johannis) this morning, and we understand that it has been agreed in principle to allow Ireland to purchase one million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, with same expected to arrive here at an early time.

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

Plastic Straws, Cutlery, Cotton Buds etc, Banned By EU Directive.

Cotton buds, plastic plates and straws made for single use plastic are now banned in Ireland from yesterday
The European Union’s Single Use Plastic (SUP) Directive means that many common items, manufactured as single use plastics, will now be totally banned from the Irish market place.

Readers will be aware that ‘single-use plastic products’ are items only used once, or indeed for a very short period of time, before eventually being dumped; with the 10 most commonly located single-use plastic items representing 85% of all marine litter, located within our seas and waterways.

Cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plastic plates, cocktail stirrers, chopsticks, plastic straws, shopping bags, expanded polystyrene single use food and beverage containers, and all oxo-degradable plastic products are on this list of products, which, from yesterday, are now banned from being placed for sale within the Irish market place.

The objective of this welcome EU Directive, quote “is to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environment, and on human health, as well as to promote the transition to a circular economy, with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials”.

Continued in the Irish government’s “Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy”; [roadmap published in September last year]; Ireland commits to increase plastic recycling rates to 50% by 2025, and at long last to introduce a deposit return scheme which will accommodate plastic bottles and cans; and, by 2030, ensure that all packaging on the Irish market is reusable or recyclable.

Tipperary Gardaí Seize €10,000 Worth Of Tablets.

Yesterday, July 3rd, 2021, Tipperary Gardaí stationed at Clonmel and while on routine patrol, observed a vehicle with two males on board acting suspiciously on the N24, Clonmel Bypass.
They halted the vehicle and upon carrying out a search, discovered tablets with a street value of some 10,000 euro concealed within the interior of the vehicle.

Consumption of the drug sold under the name Ksalol, which was seized by Gardaí, will cause renal and hepatic impairment; depression/anxiety thus precipitating or increasing the risk of suicide; together with respiratory depression; coma hypersensitivity to light, noise and physical contact; hallucinations or epileptic seizures and death.

Both men were arrested and are currently detained at Clonmel Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.

The arrests come as Gardaí commit to a major new operation aimed at protecting communities from the scourge of illegal drugs.

“Operation Tara” will see hundreds of Gardaí assigned to Divisional Drug Units across every Garda Division in the country take on individuals and groups involved in the drug trade at all level within local communities.

“Operation Tara” it is hoped will “disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, both international, national, local, all involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs”.

908 Covid-19 Cases Confirmed On Whole Island of Ireland Today.

Cases of Covid-19, numbering in total 908, have been confirmed on the whole island of Ireland today Saturday, with a further 448 cases confirmed in the Republic and 460 cases confirmed in Northern Ireland.

**Confirmed number of Covid cases in Tipperary in the 14 days to June 28th last**.

Here in the Republic, there are 42 people currently hospitalised and an unchanged 14 persons remaining in intensive care units (ICU).

Mr Paul Reid (HSE Chief Executive) has confirmed that almost 4.3 million vaccines have now been administered here to date, as Ireland prepares for another surge in coronavirus cases, brought about due to virus variant Delta.
Some 48% of adults, or 1.8 million people, have now received two doses of the vaccine, while another 68%, or 2.56 million, have had their first dose.
Mr Reid has warned that the country should plan for the Delta variant with both ‘concern’ and ‘a level of confidence’, as our vaccination programme continues to speed-up. The Delta variant now accounts for 75% of Covid-19 cases in Northern Ireland, and possibly as much as 70% of new cases here in the Republic.

As Thurles.Info stated yesterday, 750 pharmacies can begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to people in the 18-34 age group who have registered; with the AstraZeneca jab, following on from July 12th next.

We are aware today that the Irish Government has contacted all EU member states, offering to buy spare vaccine doses, with an agreement already in place to see Ireland buy one million mRNA vaccine doses from Romania.

HSE Cyberattack

The majority of the HSE’s servers have now been decrypted, following the chaos caused by the recent Russian ransomware cyberattack, same likely to cost the health service half a billion euro.

While the majority of servers have now been decrypted, it will still take some time before the HSE’s functionality is fully complete.

Meanwhile, Some 79% of its computer devices, are now operating as normal.

Four Gardaí Sent Forward For Trial To Limerick Circuit Court.

A now retired Garda Superintendent, together with three Gardaí serving in the southern region, have been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court, on numerous counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The four accused appeared before Limerick District Court yesterday, and were served with the State’s Books of Evidence, by Detective Chief Superintendent Walter O’Sullivan, Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

Mr Liam Sheridan, solicitor acting for the Director of Public Prosecutions, informed the court that the latter had consented to all of the accused being sent forward for trial to the present sittings of Limerick Circuit Court.

The State’s Books of Evidence, which outline the State’s case against each of the accused, we understand relates to the operation of the Garda penalty points system and fixed charge notices, following alleged garda detections for road traffic offences; including speeding; holding a mobile phone while driving; driving without insurance; and driving while not wearing a seatbelt.

The four who were sent for trial are named as: Garda Tom McGlinchey, aged 48, with an address in Co. Tipperary; Garda Colm Geary, aged 34, with an address in Co. Clare; retired Superintendent Edmund O’Neill, aged 54, also with an address in Co. Clare and Sergeant Michelle Leahy, aged 45, with an address in Co. Limerick.

A fifth accused, Sergeant Anne Marie Hassett, aged 36, with an address in Co. Clare, was granted a three-week adjournment following the production by her solicitor of a medical certificate, latter excusing her attendance in court.

The four accused, signed €300 bail bonds, which did not have to be lodged in court, and they were each remanded on continuing bail.

The charges against all five accused, follow on from a two-year investigation carried out by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which suspect that a number of ‘Fixed Charge Notices’ were not proceeded with; all and each occurring on dates between October 9th 2016, and September 6th 2019.