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HSE's Paul Reid and Anne O'Connor at today's briefing. Leon Farrell/Rollingnews.ie

'Only meet people indoors that you trust with your life': Stark warning from HSE ahead of Christmas

The HSE said today that someone must prepare now if they’re visiting someone older or medically vulnerable at Christmas.

THE HSE HAS warned today that if people take risks by meeting up with others over the coming week, they should stay away from older or vulnerable relatives at Christmas time. 

Professor Martin Cormican, the national lead for health care associated infection and antimicrobial resistance, told a press conference today that if you’re meeting people indoors it should only be people you “trust with your life”. 

He said: “Be honest with yourself about the risk you’re taking… If you’re going to be worried and upset about that risk for 14 days after, is it really worth it?”

Professor Cormican was speaking as the HSE said today that what happens over the Christmas period will be a determining factor in what happens in our hospitals in January. 

With restrictions on inter-county travel and household visits lifting tomorrow, HSE CEO Paul Reid said he hopes people are “on a maximum level of watch”. 

He said the situation in the North – where many hospitals are now beyond capacity – “gives us a stark reminder” of how rapidly a situation can deteriorate. He particularly pointed to the lag effect in terms of higher case numbers translating into hospitalisations.

Although restrictions around household visits and travel are being relaxed, public health figures have urged the public to be sensible and keep their contacts to a minimum to limit the spread of Covid-19 over Christmas.

The HSE today released an online contact calculator so people can keep track of the amount of contacts they have over Christmas. 

Running through the HSE’s advice, Professor Cormican said the surest ways to avoid catching Covid-19 were to “not meet anyone, not meet anyone outside your household, not meet anyone outside your household indoors”.

He said this was “the harsh reality” of the matter. 

Failing that, the advice was also to “meet the smallest number of people indoors” and “only meet people you trust with your life indoors”. 

If you are having people in your house, the advice is the “fewer the safer”. Furthermore, the advice is also to check that everyone who plans to come has no symptoms on the day and in the days running up to the visit.

When they arrive, they should be greeted with hand sanitiser or soap and water. Other advice includes keeping distance, wearing masks and opening windows.

Cormican added that the bigger the indoor bubble, the bigger the risk of developing Covid-19. 

“The virus doesn’t know it’s Christmas,” he added. “If we give it a break, it’ll take it.”

With reporting from Michelle Hennessy

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    Mute Serge the llama
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:52 PM

    Basically you’re saying not to send your kids to school! Because reading that it says don’t meet anyone indoors that’s not in your household.

    Unless of course the kids will be having lessons on the playgrounds and parking lots of schools.

    305
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    Mute Rochelle
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:06 PM

    @Serge the llama: Schools have a magical forcefield which shield from the virus, we’ve been over this already!

    248
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    Mute Ned Gerblansky
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:50 PM

    @Rochelle: Same with €9 meals. Charge your loved ones €9 euro for their Christmas dinner and you will be immune.

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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:18 PM

    @Rochelle: same as France. Even when Chernobyl happened, apparently the French authorities said the radiation stopped at the border. I don’t know how SARS-CoV-2 even got into France, someone must have been asleep on the job.

    9
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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:52 PM

    Strange that European leaders havn’t got the technology to meet by video conferance but the peasants are told not to mix with each other,I suppose the virus thinks some people are more equal than others.

    210
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    Mute David Garland
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:55 PM

    Only last week we were told the seasonal flu has suddenly disappeared because of all the brilliant mask wearing and social distancing. Now we’re told Covid cases are going through the roof again and the same people slapping themselves on the back for a job well done are now on giving out about the lack of masks etc etc

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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:15 PM

    @David Garland: who’s slapping themselves on the back for a job well done? Of course flu numbers are down with the masks/sanitising/hand washing.

    65
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    Mute ▪️
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:18 PM

    @David Garland: Flu is nowhere near as infectious as Covid, can we please get this through our heads as a nation

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    Mute David Garland
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:31 PM

    @Joe Kennedy: The numbers aren’t just down. Apparently we’ve eradicated the flu because of masks etc. The seasonal flu around since time began in some form or another eradicated in a few months because of masks. Yet these same magical masks have no effect on Covid 19. Look at the Countries who had the most stringent laws on face masks and you’ll see those Countries have the worst numbers when it comes to Covid

    50
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    Mute Jamo
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:41 PM

    @David Garland: Really don’t know what you are getting at David? Covid is a lot more infectious than the flu what part of that do you not understand?

    35
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    Mute Tommy Berry
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:45 PM

    @David Garland: And other precautions. Plus a vaccine. It’s really not that complicated.

    15
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    Mute JedBartlett
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:08 PM

    @▪️: Not so infectious when it’s in a school though. It also seems to have an infection timer which only activates after 15 minutes in somebody’s company. Well, according to the boys in NPHET that is. If people believe that the flu has been eradicated this year they need their head examined. And I don’t want to hear the vaccine argument because the uptake and distribution of the flu vaccine this year has been abysmal.

    25
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    Mute Dixieblue
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:32 PM

    @David Garland: Flu and Covid are not the same thing! Jesus are we still needing this explained after a gruelling 9 months of this sh!t?

    22
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    Mute David Garland
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:35 PM

    @Jamo: So called educated people falling for the codswallop the flu has been eradicated is laughable. Covid so infectious that you can’t catch it eating or drinking according to the experts in NEPHET. You can actually see why the country is the state it’s in if the fools on here is anything to go by

    15
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    Mute David Geraghty
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:55 PM

    @David Garland: david I get the impression you’ve a fairly diminished IQ

    19
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:10 PM

    @▪️: have you not been informed about Vitamin D role’s yet.
    Irish Professors stated Vitamin D plays a is fundamental role not only in preventing getting Covid illness but also it in becoming severe.
    Protect yourself, vitamin D.

    https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/breakfast-briefing/breakfast-briefing-17th-december-2020-tilda-lead-investigator-professor-rose-anne-kenny

    5
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:12 PM

    @David Garland: everyone is wearing masks, they don’t stop covid.
    They’re a bit useless. I and everyone else I see wears them though including the 1 in the 10 cases in healthcare.

    Maybe it’s time we highlighted Vitamin D.

    Irish Professor stated Vitamin D plays a is fundamental role not only in preventing getting Covid illness but also it in becoming severe.
    Protect yourself, vitamin D.

    https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/breakfast-briefing/breakfast-briefing-17th-december-2020-tilda-lead-investigator-professor-rose-anne-kenny

    9
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    Mute Dangling Damo
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:19 PM

    @▪️: have you seen the nhs (on whom we base some of our present stratagies) advert saying the flu kills 11000 a year. The flu is a notifiable infectious disease despite the current emphasis on covid 19 flu is still a killer illness

    8
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    Mute David Garland
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:23 PM

    @Rory Mac Daibhéid: The likes of Ivor Cummings has been saying that since May and he’s been kept away from mainstream media. He also highlighted the fact Northern Italy is the vitamin D black spot of Europe and low and behold Northern Italy worst hit in Europe. He said all this in late Spring. Newstalk six months behind the so called conspiracy theorists

    11
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    Mute David Garland
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:26 PM

    @David Geraghty: Question the narrative and you get questioned on your intelligence. Maybe it’s the likes of you who believe the seasonal flu which has been around a few hundred thousand years has been eradicated in a few months because of masks should have your IQ tested

    12
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:35 PM

    @David Garland: I’ve been saying it since April when the science is know.

    Here is a great summary of the latest science
    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11845-020-02427-9

    I’m a bit dubious of Ivor Cummins, you know he has made over a 100k to make a ‘movie’ about the Truth. In reality he’s enriching himself based on this so I’m not sure if I take his stuff seriously. It’s interesting all the same.

    We need Scientist’s and Professor’s saying it.
    Joe Rogan and the others are good for those that listen but for the public it needs to be the medical professionals.
    NPHET never once done anything but depress the immune system through fear so far.

    5
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    Mute Jim Lingk
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:42 PM

    @Joe Kennedy: down to zero, according to the HSE figures last week.

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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Dec 17th 2020, 8:20 PM

    @David Garland: think you’re playing dumb or just having a laugh now are you Dave? You know well what the eating and drinking thing was about and point me to where NPHET have said “you can’t catch it eating or drinking’ please!

    5
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    Mute Tony Coyne
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:50 PM

    Nonsense.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:54 PM

    @Tony Coyne: There’s your invitation gone.

    69
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    Mute Sara Davis
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:01 PM

    @Tony Coyne: great to have the opinion of an unqualified online “expert” contradicting those who know what they’re talking about.

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    Mute Verners Tess
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    Dec 17th 2020, 8:27 PM

    @Sara Davis: But do they?

    3
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    Mute David Lee
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:57 PM

    Sooner the better the elderly and vulnerable get vaccinated, any restrictions against the younger and healthier after that will be tyrannical. Dont give me the “but there are young people who caught it bad” they’re an outlier.

    116
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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:24 PM

    @David Lee: Tyrannical!!!! Poor little diddums.

    32
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    Mute Full Circle
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:52 PM

    Yest another STARK WARNING!!!!!

    95
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    Mute Sean Dalton
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:54 PM

    @Full Circle: Winter is coming!!

    59
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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:12 PM

    @Sean Dalton: OMG another season of Game of Thones would be amazing

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    Mute ed w
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:22 PM

    @Paul Somers: it really wouldn’t

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    Mute Dixieblue
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:39 PM

    @Paul Somers: maybe a rewrite of the last season , now that i can get on board with!

    13
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    Mute Jedd Comiskey
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:57 PM

    Jesus. The drama.

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    Mute Newto2016
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:18 PM

    Eye roll

    47
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    Mute thenaul
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:44 PM

    Yawn yawn and more yawn….

    44
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    Mute Jonnie Marre
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:47 PM

    F….off

    46
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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:44 PM

    Where does the ‘trust’ Start ?? I’ve been on my own here with both lockdowns this year….. Have loads … thankfully…. Family & friend’s to pick up the phone to !!!!! Which family is across 3counties , which has interacted with beyond their own counties because the Gov said their work was required & needed at that time .. because of the government whatever I now will end up here on my OWN for Christmas Day cause our family decided to follow up the gov guidelines!!! Can’t wait to leave this country next year !!! Stv

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    Mute RogersRabbit
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:55 PM

    Just dinner for one so. ;D

    31
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    Mute Jonnie Marre
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:14 PM

    I’ve spent the last few weeks in a workplace with 100’s of people I wouldn’t trust as far as I’d spit!! Bit late now Mehole

    47
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:40 PM

    On Newstalk today, Irish Professors stated Vitamin D plays a is fundamental role not only in preventing getting Covid illness but also it in becoming severe.
    Protect yourself, vitamin D.

    https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/breakfast-briefing/breakfast-briefing-17th-december-2020-tilda-lead-investigator-professor-rose-anne-kenny

    26
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    Mute Mike Johnston
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:52 PM

    Well I don’t trust ye so ya won’t be invited!

    31
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    Mute Eddie Michael
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    Dec 17th 2020, 4:57 PM

    Schools seem to think that they won’t be reopening after Christmas. Mehole needs to clarify what the guidelines are after Christmas…

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    Mute Lotus
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    Dec 17th 2020, 3:55 PM

    AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Dangling Damo
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:13 PM

    Very emotive kangyage ramoing up the fear factor and paving the way for return to kevel 5 to protect the health service

    10
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    Mute Dangling Damo
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:23 PM

    @Dangling Damo: * language ramping *

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Dec 17th 2020, 5:19 PM

    Yeah… I might not even look in the mirror so; that fella is there anytime I have a hangover… :)

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    Mute EMD
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    Dec 17th 2020, 6:39 PM

    *except for schools

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    Mute herp
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    Dec 17th 2020, 10:21 PM

    OK no one who’s on government.

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