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THE ACTING CMO has said contact tracers are to start asking people who test positive for Covid-19 and who are believed to be community transmission cases about their visits to bars or restaurants in the period before their positive result.
After the National Public Health Emergency Team’s (NPHET) recent recommendation that bars and restaurants in Dublin stop serving customers indoors there were calls for officials to provide concrete evidence that transmission had been linked to these settings.
At the Oireachtas Covid-19 committee today, Microbiologist Professor Kirsten Schaffer said she was concerned that information about where cases originate is not available.
“I rang Public Health Ireland yesterday to inform myself more and to find out what the situation is at the moment. Currently, when a person is diagnosed with Covid-19, Public Health Ireland will ask them about the contacts they had in the preceding 48 hours. It will not ask where the individual thinks they have acquired the infection.
“It does not ask whether they have been to a restaurant or attended a house party. It does not have that information and neither do I.
However, it is crucial that we start trying to collect such information so we can show the data and use it to state the reasons why, for example, house parties with more than ten people attending are forbidden, and if it happens, then the Garda will be called and the house parties will be shut down.
“We need some data to argue with, and currently it is not there. I know from Germany, because such data is collected there, that increasing rates there are strongly associated with house parties and family gatherings, where people congregate and do not adhere to social distancing rules.”
At this evening’s Department of Health press conference, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said plans are now being put in place to ensure this kind of questioning is included in the contact tracing system.
“This is an issue that many countries have faced and the majority of countries would not retrospectively contact trace every case because it’s an enormous workload and would significantly lengthen the process,” he said.
“But it needs to be done in at least a proportion of cases and there are plans being put in place to do that.”
Dr Glynn said this would be done in cases characterised as community transmission, where there is not an obvious link to another case. Currently around one in four cases are identified as community transmission.
He said there is clear evidence that certain environments are higher risk, such as indoor and poorly ventilated areas as well as settings in which people come together indoors for a prolonged period of time.
“And let’s be honest where people come together, consume alcohol and drop their guard, that increases risk,” he said.
“We’ve a situation tonight where we’ve almost 100 people in hospital, 16 in critical care units. Our doctors and nurses around the country are very concerned about the potential impact this is going to have on the provision of non-Covid healthcare.
“The last thing we want to see is this impacting again on our cancer services and all the other services that need to go on on a daily basis.
“We have choices to make. In that context we have to protect our priorities and at the moment unfortunately certain elements of our social lives are less important than others and we have to be honest with people about that.”
This evening Dr Una Fallon, director of public health, HSE Midlands, gave a number of examples she and her colleagues had come across as part of their work on complex contact tracing cases, many with large numbers involved.
In one case a factory worker who had minor symptoms asked a friend to give them a lift to a sporting event. At this event there were “lots of close contacts” and this resulted in two further cases – the friend who gave the lift and one other.
From those two cases, there were a further 19 cases, mainly linked to work and from those 19 cases a further five.
Dr Fallon said there were other outbreaks linked to family events such as funerals or communions.
“People may adhere to the guidance for the service but where there may be a meal afterwards with a number of tables, even though you’d have six to a table there would be association between the tables and co-mingling.”
In another case a sibling of a confirmed case went to a house party when they should have been restricting their movements and Dr Fallon said the “end point of that was more than 20 new cases”.
“The message is just because you know people and you’re out with them doesn’t mean you should drop your guard.”
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Opportunists?…..i don’t like nor will i ever like sinn fein, but at least they are clear where the stand. Not like the other 3parties….a**e boxing and sitting on the fence. Being goody two shoes and towing the party line and not having the consciences and bravery to think and vote for themselves.
Except that as I’ve posted above Les it would seem that certain members of Sinn Fein seem to be either against their own party position or willing to give in writing committments that they don’t believe in keeping.,
Like every party Jim, certain members will be anti abortion. Sinn Féin at least seem the most pro-active on the issue.
Bunch of opportunists.
A bit like your comment. Isn’t it in the nature of all politicans.
Why has nobody asked Pearse Doherty about this?
http://prolifecampaign.ie/?page_id=520
“Senator Pearse Doherty has given a written personal commitment to oppose any legislation that would make abortion available in Ireland and supports a law to protect the human embryo from deliberate destruction.”
Imagine a Sinn Fein TD saying one thing when he’s looking to get elected and then doing something else when he’s in the Dáil.
Am I right in saying Peadar Tobin said the same?
Jim while your following that up with Doherty could you also ask the Labour party why they voted against the motion on the X case requesting legislation brought before the house earlier this year? Something that SF did support unlike Labour who claim it is part of their program for government. Thanks!
This is a story about sein fein. He commented about sein fein. You, like all shinners, deflect rather than confront.
There are plenty of other threads bashing labour (rightly so).
It amuses me that people think SF are any different to FG/FF/Lab
I’m no follow of SF ManOnTheStreet but like you I find it amusing that supporters of FG/LAB/FF keep deflecting rather then confront the issue that their parties voted down legislation on the X case earlier this year unlike SF and the technical group. Currently FG/LAB (not sure what FF will do) are going to vote against the motion again on Wednesday evening. Labour claim legislating for the X case is part of their program of government. Doesn’t look like it to me…..
Its my understanding that the Government voted against Claire Daly’s bill on the basis that they had asked all parties to wait until the report by the expert group which had been set up to address the ECHR decision on the A, B, C case. Given that this would potentially feed into legislation it seemed reasonable enough.
It still doesn’t invalidate that fact that Perase Doherty gave a written committment when he was seeking election which he had now gone back on or the fact that Sinn Fein are capable of playing both side of the fence when it suits them.
One more time. The proposal in April exceeded the terms of the last referendum and would not have been passed by the Supreme Court without having to go to a referendum. It was never going to be passed even if everyone in the Dail backed it.
Fair enough Kerry. I agree with all you’ve said. Labour will pay the price for their lies. They will be obliterated come next election.
But people are starting to fall for SFs crap. They have no policies other than please the masses. A country can’t be run the way they say.
Just so their is no confusion, I am pro choice and hope legislation is passed very soon.
I don’t think anyone is deflecting. The only people who deflect were the people who played the game of bluff prior to Ireland’s bailout. With FF, it’s all talk and no action.
Just go away Mary Lou !!
Isn’t it good to see that some SF members are pro life! Is this a new direction?
They’d be pro-haddock if they thought there were votes in it.
I’d like to know how many Irish women have lost their lives in a similar situation?
Are there any? Is this the first time this has happened.
All Politicians jumping on the Xcase now.
That poor girl got treated liked a criminal by our authorities!
It’s obviously devastating for the family of Savita and our thoughts are with them!
Hopefully our Government will get it right this time!
Ignore the troll Emmet. The only reason we even know about Savita is because of her husband going to the press. It would be naive to think something similar has not happened before.
That’s okay Garry you need to have something to take.
I personally don’t have any money or assets like a lot of people in Ireland.
So that would be one very disappointed solicitor.
I only asked a simple question . Has there been other similar situations for Irish women if so how many?
No doubt we will be voting on this soon.
Im certainly not trying to offend anyone and I apologise if I have
Don’t apologise for that idiot – he is stirring – valid point and I would assume the answer is yes – interesting few days ahead now I’m sure wise heads will prevail
Similar confusion about the rights of women to access abortion in life-threatening situations exists in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein are in government in Northern Ireland. Why hasn’t Sinn Fein made similar attempts to clarify the law in Northern Ireland as they say they are attempting down here? Sinn Fein say one thing in NI and the complete opposite in this country. That’s dishonest. That’s taking the Irish people, North and South, for fools.
No desmond, twisting the truth about sinn feins poisition for your own partys benefit, like about the household charge up north, is whats really dishonest.
Given you own party is supposed to be pro-choice but voted against legislating back in april, you are the last person who should be throwing the word ‘dishonest’ about.
Just to add desmond, I’m a lifetime labour voter from a union family.
Reply to an anonymous poster. At least I’m not afraid to put my name to what I post on Journal.ie.
FACT: SF oppose legislation to clarify the legal position on access to abortion in Northern Ireland.
FACT: SF adopt precisely the opposite policy in this country.
FACT: That’s a dishonest tactic that seeks to take the Irish people for fools.
Its a reasonable question Desmond but like so many thing Sinn Fein say one thing in the North where they have to actually follow through and another in the South where they can spout the populist stuff without ever having to stand behind it.
Desmond, theres a time for using public forums to play party politics. As a person who considers himself faithful to the vision of Connolly despite your partys desecration of his memory and legacy, I would ask you to show a little class. There should be no party politics, just a show of respect and decency towards the women of this country.
Desmond, when you have to resort to the old anonymous poster line to bolster your own argument, you’ve lost.
Even if everything else you say makes sense, you come across as a silly teenager who doesn’t like to lose.
With Marxists like Sinn Fein making decisions Ireland will be a winner … in the race to the bottom.
Indian woman has medical issue while in Ireland – IMPORTANT WOMANS ISSUE!
Meanwhile, what does this pretty picture mean?
https://sites.google.com/site/thespiceisland/world-debt-to-gdp
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