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WITH EUROPE IN the grip of its second pandemic winter, countries are implementing a range of measures to tackle rocketing Covid cases, including partial lockdowns and restrictions aimed specifically at unvaccinated people.
The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) said yesterday that 10 European Union member states face a Covid situation of “very high concern”.
In its latest weekly risk assessment, the EU’s diseases agency listed Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia in its highest category of concern.
Ireland actually improved its rating this week, falling out of the worst category to be listed among 13 countries in the “high concern” group.
After weeks of cases climbing at an alarming rate, a tipping point was finally reached yesterday evening as the Netherlands announced a partial lockdown for three weeks.
As case numbers hit record levels, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that bars, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets will have to shut at 8pm for the next three weeks from today.
Non-essential shops must shut at 6pm, households visits have been limited to four people and the government is advising work from home unless absolutely necessary.
Public events have been scrapped while football matches including the Netherlands’ home World Cup qualifier with Norway next week must be played behind closed doors.
However, schools will remain open and people will be allowed to leave their homes without restrictions.
The 14-day incidence rate in the country climbed by 102% in the last two weeks, reaching 762.5 per 100,000.
This is still below Ireland’s rate of 924.1 per 100,000, which jumped 57% in the last 14 days.
Hospitals in the Netherlands have warned they will not be able to make it through the winter under the current conditions.
The nation of 17 million people has reported 2.2 million cases and over 18,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year.
Record-breaking numbers of cases are also being recorded in neighbouring Germany, with the country surpassing 50,000 daily infections for the first time on Thursday.
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel said the rise in infections was “dramatic” while Merkel’s likely successor Olaf Scholz said that new restrictions will likely be needed to “get through this winter”.
Germany’s 14-day incidence rate stands at 406 per 100,000, a rise of 84% on the previous fortnight.
Hospitals in some regions are already overwhelmed, especially in the east of the country, which has started transferring patients to less affected regions.
Germany’s Covid surge has been blamed on a relatively low vaccination rate, with just over 67% of the population of some 83 million people fully inoculated.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country is facing a “massive pandemic of the unvaccinated” and has urged as many Germans as possible to get a booster vaccine.
“We must do everything needed to break the current trend,” Spahn said. “Otherwise the nation will experience a bitter December.”
Several of the worst-hit states, including Saxony, Bavaria, and Berlin, have introduced new restrictions on unvaccinated people at most indoor public venues.
The federal government and the leaders of the 16 states are meeting next week to discuss a wider rollout of measures.
There have been more than 4.9 million cases of Covid and over 97,000 coronavirus-related deaths in Germany since the pandemic began.
Austria also looks set to introduce measures specifically for the unvaccinated as case numbers hit record levels.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said this week that a lockdown for the unvaccinated is “probably unavoidable”, but he does not want to impose the measure on those who have received the jab.
National statistics show that about 65% of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease.
This gives it the lowest vaccination rate of any western European country, except Liechtenstein (which has a population of less than 40,000).
Austria also has the highest 14-day incidence rate in western Europe. It climbed by 132% in the past two weeks to 1,050 per 100,000.
The country of 8.9 million has recorded nearly 935,000 infections and over 11,600 Covid deaths over the course of the pandemic.
Czechia (194%), Hungary (180%), Poland (152%), Denmark (102%), Slovakia (102%) all joined Austria and the Netherlands in recording spikes of more than 100% in their 14-day incidence rates.
Spain is the best performing country in Europe with a 14-day incidence rate of just 59.7 per 100,000 – an increase of 5%. Previously one of Europe’s hardest-hit nations, the Iberian country is coping well during the current Covid surge.
It has vaccinated 80% of its population, and while face masks are no longer mandatory outdoors, many people still wear them.
While infections have ticked up slightly recently, Rafael Bengoa, one of Spain’s leading public health experts, said that given the high vaccination rate, “the virus won’t be able to dominate us again”.
The UK, Latvia and Romania all recorded drops in their rates following significant spikes in recent months.
The latest data from the UK suggests it may have weathered the worst of the latest wave as it has just seen its biggest weekly drop in the number of new cases in 2021. Its 14-day incidence rate dropped by 17% to 758.5 per 100,000.
Average incidence figures from the ZOE COVID Study, which collects and analyses Covid test data in the UK, shows the number of daily symptomatic cases has dropped by 18% in the past week.
“This drop in cases is the largest weekly decline we’ve seen all year, and is being driven by a sustained fall in cases among children over the last two weeks,” Professor Tim Spector of ZOE said.
“However, cases are still high and, worryingly, we’re still seeing high death rates as Covid takes up to 8% of hospital beds,” Spector cautioned.
The UK has racked up nearly 9.5 million cases of Covid and over 142,600 deaths since the pandemic began.
Latvia recorded a drop of 12%, however it still stands at over 1,500 per 100,000.
Last month, the Baltic nation became the first European country to reimpose tough restrictions as it struggled with a spike in cases amid low vaccination uptake.
The government closed schools, restaurants and entertainment venues for a month and implemented a night-time curfew.
Belgium, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia also all ratcheted up restrictions in recent weeks.
Norway announced yesterday that it was reintroducing its coronavirus health pass amid a surge in cases.
Last week, the Scandinavian country reintroduced quarantine measures for unvaccinated people arriving from several countries including Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Given its high vaccination rate, Ireland is performing poorly compared to many of its European counterparts. It has the second highest 14-day incidence rate in western Europe.
There are rumblings of potential new restrictions on the horizon, as the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has recommended the extension of the Covid vaccine passes to sectors outside the hospitality industry. It also said that the government should advise more home-working.
Ireland has recorded over 480,000 cases and 5,500 deaths over the course of the pandemic.
Thanks largely to vaccination, hospitals in western Europe are not under the same pressure they were earlier in the pandemic, but many are still straining to handle rising numbers of Covid patients while also attempting to clear backlogs of tests and surgeries with exhausted or sick staff.
Even the countries experiencing the most serious outbreaks in the region recorded far fewer deaths per person over the past four weeks than the United States did, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
While countries in western Europe are grappling with rising case numbers, many countries in eastern Europe, with lower vaccination coverage, have sustained several weeks of high numbers of Covid deaths.
This week Russia recorded the most new deaths in the world with 1,235. The United States came in second place with 815 and Ukraine was third with 750.
The coronavirus reached another grim milestone yesterday as a tally of official death tolls noted that more than five million people have been killed by the disease.
The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 759,677, followed by Brazil with 610,224, India with 462,690, Mexico with 290,630 and Russia with 252,926. Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.
With reporting from AFP and Press Association
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It’s amazing how things have changed. The sense of us all being in this together of the summer of 2020 to now blaming the unvaccinated for all the cases despite 93% vaccinated. The country is totally divided now and not a very nice place to be living for either vaccinated or unvaccinated. I’m fully vaccinated but definitely doubting the vaccines efficiency and the information coming from the government and NPHET. Maybe Tony H is totally burned out or exhausted and needs to be replaced. The U-turn on antigen testing is ridiculous, it’s either snake oil or its not? Why is it only office workers need to work from home, are they somehow more important that manufacturers or production workers? Most educated sensible people I talk to are just done with the messages from government and NPHET.
@Richard Right: 93%? Where did you get that figure?
@Richard Right: You are simplifying a great deal. The Delta variant further decreased the effectiveness of the vaccines and their clinical trial effectiveness was widely and repeatedly reported. We do not have 93% vaccination rate. Maybe people are complacent and using information loosely. I don’t have a car. So I walk/use public transport. How many people do you think walk within a few inches of me on footpaths without wearing masks each day? Do you seriously not understand the difference between office workers and workers who directly physically interact with the public? Most people I come across are careless and don’t like having to focus their minds and stick to disciplined daily actions.
@Dave Thomas: Quoted by Paul Reid head of the HSE.
@David A. Murray: David I agree you don’t have a car but can sit beside someone unvaccinated for 1hr 30mins going into town but can’t sit beside the same person in a coffee shop for 15mins. David I’m fully vaccinated so don’t worry about unmasked walking beside me on a footpath. You should really trust your vaccine or stay at home to keep yourself safe. Why do you not trust your vaccine David?
@Richard Right: What data is making you doubt the vaccine efficacy ? And how is the country divided ? The vast majority were intelligent enough to get vaccinated. A small cohort weren’t. That doesn’t equate to the country being divided.
@David A. Murray: “ How many people do you think walk within a few inches of me on footpaths without wearing masks each day?”, in this situation there’s no sense in complaining as it’s your responsibility to maintain distance also. If they’re walking too close to you then you’re obviously walking too close to them.
Also, 93% is the official figure being mentioned constantly the HSE and the government as under 12s aren’t eligible. Until that changes then 93% is the official figure, as it were.
@Declan Doherty: I’m questioning that with 93% vaccinated cases are still going up and the HSE are worried about over crowding and ICU bed. They are simply blaming covid. I find it hard to belive that the small cohort you are referring to make up the 1,000s testing positive when these ‘anti-vax” wouldn’t get tested which leaves me to belive that the majority of all testing positive for covid are fully vaccinated. Is it true that someone vaccinated more than six months ago is not termed unvaccinated? I can’t get a straight answer on that question.
@Declan Doherty: Oh it is divided. You only have to look and read the vaccine bullies on here. It’s very sad to see how people are turning on one another. Just re-read your own comment, deliberately, and insultinglly, separating people into two groups. Unfortunately the irony of it seems to be completely lost on you.
@Richard Right: You’re making a lot of assumptions and assumptions aren’t facts. Vaccinated people get covid too. They’re just less likely to catch it in the first place and when they do, they’re less likely to get very ill and die. Roughly half of all hospital admissions, ICU cases and deaths are from the 10% of the population who remain unvaccinated community so do the maths on that. Vaccines are working exactly as we were told they word work. And someone vaccinated more then 6 months ago is still termed vaccinated so now you have your answer on that.
@Franny Ando: 90% of the country are vaccinated. That’s a huge majority. There is no division. I equate anti vaxxers with Trump supporters. The inability to process data and make intelligent informed choices seems to be at about the same level. The data doesn’t lie. Facts are facts and confirming your bias with likeminded people on Facebook doesn’t change any of that. If you don’t like being associated with the tin hat wearing loons then go get vaccinated. It’s not difficult.
@Declan Doherty: I am fully vaccinated though my vaccination status is none of your business. You still can’t see the utter ign-or-ance of your comment. You are trying to say as a people we are not divided yet you are prime example of the “uneducated”you sneer and look down at. Every single person has the right to make their own decision regarding their health. Its not up to a cohort of condescending, supercilious, name calling, and to use your word, loons to decide for others. The need for the trump, anti-vax,tin foil hat wearing insults to try and make a point just shows how seriously lacking in intellect you are. I actually pity you.
@Richard Right:”I find it hard to believe that the small cohort you are referring to make up the 1000′s testing positive” – you do know that the under 16′s are not vavccinated , yes?
“is it true that someone vaccinated more than six months ago is not termed unvaccinated” ? The reason that you cannot get a straight answer on that one is because you haven’t said which country that you are talking about \O/
@Franny Ando: I never asked what your status was yet you still felt the need to say which is interesting. That aside, yes I do frown on people who ignore science and claim to know better themselves. I do equate anti vaxxers with Trumpsters because Trumpsters are avid antivaxers. The thought process, or lack of, is the same. Antivaxers are negatively affecting us all. They’re putting additional pressure on health services and worn out frontline staff, they’re taking up beds that could be used by people with unpreventable illnesses, they’re creating greater risk for the vulnerable, those who can’t get vaccinated and generally for others in their vicinity. They’re also inconveniencing the majority of the population through ongoing restrictions and potential lock downs so we can protect the health services they’re taking up through their ignorance and selfishness.
@Francis Mc Carthy: Yes but the CMO and ministers for Health/Education are all saying no outbreaks in schools so it’s obviously not the kids making up the daily numbers.
@Richard Right: in fairness Richard manufacturing is hard to do at home.
@Declan Doherty: Vaccinated people are not less likely to catch and spread covid; this is simply not true. The vaccines are not working: by any conceivable metric the vaccine has bee a catastrophic failure. Further, we were originally told (Luke O’Neill) that vaccines were 100% effective against serious illness and hospitalisation; obviously this is total horse manure.
@Declan Doherty: You might want to re-read it again! You specifically told me to go get vaccinated. You automatically assumed because I disagreed with you I was not vaccinated.You don’t frown you condemn. Ignore the science? I know people who researched it intensely but still decided it wasn’t right for them. Nothing do with anti-vax just their right and decision to make. It wasn’t for them it doesn’t make for them to be ridiculed. The health service was under pressure long, long before covid. You appear to ignore vaccinated can get covid and as many are in hospital. Everyone is entitled to medical care. People who don’t get vaccinated are not negatively affecting all or inconveniencing the population that’s just ridiculous hyperbole.The only ignorance and selfishness I see is from you.
@Declan Doherty: Let’s go Brandon!
@Richard Right: 93% vaccinated. This sounds like far right anti-vax propaganda. 1 in 4 people in this country are not vaccinated, more than 50% of people in ICU on Weds were not vaccinated, 70% in ICU in Netherlands are not vaccinated. Wake up and smell the bacon. We know what a large source of the problem is. Take the medicine.
@Declan Doherty: You’re deluded if that is still your train of thought.
@The Interloper (what/why): have you any hard data, I mean any at all, to back up anything that you have said in your post there Doctor?
@Franny Ando: you know an awful lot of people Franny in fairness to you. You said previously that you knew many people who had bad side effects from the vaccine. Apparently none of your friends who have received both vaccines, including yourself, will be getting the booster. Now you know a lot of people who have intensely researched all of this. For a person who supposedly has both shots, you sure post a lot of anti-vax waffle. Are you a double-agent?
@Richard Right: Go back and read my comment again and keep doing it until you realise your agenda is too obvious. Try to be subtle. Also, don’t put words in my mouth (or on my fingers while typing). You have shown your motivation. I trust the vaccine. I don’t trust most people (as was stated in my comment). And if you think you can just cross a road whenever you want to in order to avoid oncoming pedestrians, you haven’t a clue. You have to wait until there’s a break in traffic……..obviously.
@GrumpyAulFella: Actually I do. Now correction no.1 I said I personally knew people who got serious side effects. I do know of others who got minor myself included. I’ve had tinnitus since my 2nd one extremely debilitating. So now you know why I’m not getting my booster. One a serious rash which they are still suffering from one who ended up in ICU with a blood clot they are relative. 2. I said my group who meet up which is six of us and I told you this previously have decided not to get the booster. I do know lots who have researched and I would be extremely worried if anyone went ahead without getting all the information. As for anti-vax waffle show me where I said that.
@GrumpyAulFella: As an addendum in case you have forgotten other information I gave. In the last 18 months I lost my mother not to covid thankfully she was vaccinated also in case you want to know that! I lostt two family members to suicide both young which I have spoken about regardingmental health during lockdown. I have now 4 family members in healthcare one is now a junior doctor and I have had another grandchild. If there’s any other information you want to query feel free. Thankfully I have a loving family and lots of good friends.
@Franny Ando: so let’s be clear. You got tinnitus from the second vaccine. The vaccine was clinically diagnosed as the cause of this tinnitus presumably as there can be many causes of tinnitus and I suffer from it myself having had it for about 7 or 8 years following a middle ear infection? I haven’t found it seriously debilitating to be honest, just a nuisance if I’m in a very quiet setting. So you met with 6 of your friends and 100% of them are refusing to get the booster, including yourself. It just sounds highly implausible lad. It also seems very strange that a person who claims to be pro vaccine has had such unfortunate experiences with it, 100% of his acquaintances are against protecting themselves further and you post such negative comments on it.
@Franny Ando: sorry about your loss Franny. I’ve no idea what it has to do with the topic here but any loss is terrible and condolences. It’s one of the reasons why the bast majority of us, 90%, are ensuring that we protect ourselves and others by taking the only medication that is available right now to combat this disease. I didn’t want a situation where I picked it up and passed it onto my already ill parents in their late 80s and potentially cause their death or put them in ICU. We all need to do the right thing to protect ourselves and others.
@Michael Creagh: Hence my point why are only office workers being told to work from home?
Are their lives more important than bus drivers or tesco workers? The messages are not very clear or fair in my opinion.
@David A. Murray: David if you don’t trust the vaccine or other people’s behavior, stay home stay safe. Don’t be calling for everyone else to be locked up because you are afraid of walking by someone on the street while you are fully vaccinated, outdoors and double masked.
@Richard Right: but sure if everyone was vaccinated then we could all walk around with little fear of becoming seriously ill or dying. You wouldn’t be “discriminated” against then. Most of the seriously ill are unvaccinated. Take your medicine.
@Richard Right: two family members who higher risk and are ultra cautious and fully vaccinated managed to contract covid-19 from a different and unknown source. Both limited movements from symptoms day one and both were very sick but avoided hospital as they were fully vaccinated. The vaccine seems to be effective in protecting 80% to 90% from illness and of those becoming ill it seems to protect most from serious illness. But the vaccine does not protect everyone and hence the importance of social distancing and proper mask wearing until case numbers are tiny or we will continue to have high case numbers, strain on hospital resources (including staff) and deaths in double figures daily.
@GrumpyAulFella: Don’t mind franny, he’s full of s h I t.
@Franny Ando: There are definitely 2 distinct groups and life is going to get progressively harder for the smaller group but they are bringing this hardship on themselves so undeserving of sympathy!!
@GrumpyAulFella: I am a female as I have stated on numerous occasions even to you. Be more attentive. I never had it before yes it is associated with my 2nd vaccine. It has also been added the list of side effects that have been reported. You can check for yourself. I glad it doesn’t bother you but I’m not so lucky. Sleep is seriously suffering. My next appointment in two weeks hopefully will have good news regarding my next step. I and 5 other friends, as before! I can’t see what you find implausible about it in a population of 5 million :) I had headaches and tinnitus not exactly a catalogue of bad experiences. You are prone to exaggeration. Never anti- vax but 100% anti discrimination. Freedom of choice.
@GrumpyAulFella: The reason because you appear to want knowledge of every aspect of my life to pick apart. As you say 90% have been vaccinated more have got boosters so the need to constantly lambast and bully those who haven’t is disgraceful and disgusting. Vaccinated or unvaccinated both can spread it.Which is how this whole conversation started about how this country has become seriously divided and unpleasant to live in. For the 1st time in my life I’m actually ashamed all because of a certain ign-or-ant cohort. Now I’m finished off to do Xmas shopping with one of my grandchildren.
@Richard Right: Maybe those educated people can explain to you that 76% of the population are vaccinated.
@Richard Right: No but they are trying to limit the amount of people who are out and about. Makes sense during a pandemic.
@Franny Ando: ONly a small amount of people have gotten boosters.
@Franny Ando: 90% of the population is not vaccinated. 75% of the population is vaccinated. 90% of the eligible population is vaccinated. So 1 in 4 people walking around right now is not vaccinated. I don’t want to know everything about your life, clearly I don’t if I didn’t know your gender but seeing as though you post daily about all of your family and friends having side effects, your coffee club friends all refusing to get the booster and your various ailments after your second vaccine the you can expect to have at least some of this quoted back to you. Did you get it clinically confirmed that your hearing problem is as a result of your second vaccine? If not then why come on here scaring the unvaxed with horror stories?
@Richard Right: we were all in it together when there were no vaccines. Now a small minority of people are choosing to separate themselves from society
@GrumpyAulFella: You really do have a penchant for untruths and exaggeration. Everything you quoted back to me was incorrect in the way you tried to frame it. You only made yourself look fo-olish and petty.. So please stop digging or you’ll never get out of that hole
@Richard Right: how does a bus driver work from home?
@Richard Right: Someone close to me has had dreadful side effects from the vaccine & there’s a fb page that with thousands of people on it & the funny thing is that their all been called Antivaxers! Bearing in mind that they have ALL been vaccinated how ridiculous is that!!
It’s a dangerous situation when governments are talking about punishing citizens for not taking a vaccine. It’s clear the vaccine isn’t as effective as was first hoped yet the “unvaccinated” are being scapegoated. If vaccinated people can still spread it it makes no sense to restrict unvaccinated.
@whitewater: apart from the fact unvaccinated are more like to get very ill/die, and fill ICU beds, in turn clogging up our broken hospital system and its ever increasing waiting lists for all other ailments, necessary treatments.
@whitewater: 11 days quarantining myself so far with Covid symptoms. Fully vaccinated but I’ve been only moderately sick. (Bad cold). I’m assuming it would have been multiples worse without the vaccine. Them again who knows.
@whitewater: You and people like you should give up on the Beano, read some proper scientific advice and act on it. The time for spouting rhubard is over!!
@whitewater: Yes it does as they will get seriously ill and clog up the health service through their choice. Then the majority of people suffer.
This is a modern day concentration camp they are creating , and if you dont get the booster you will be getting the same treatment. Anyone who warned this was coming was told to wear a tin foil hat
@Sidney Cooper: What’s the benefit in this concentration camp ? What does the government have to gain ? What does anyone have to gain from 10% being excluded from parts of society ? Do the government have some plan to put them all in work camps ? Honestly, what do you think the end game is here ? Hitler separated the Jews, gypsies etc and sent them to the camps because he had a master plan to create an aryan state. So do you believe is the purpose of the covid passport if it’s not to try and keep people safe ?
@Sidney Cooper: trumpster alert ^ anyone who compares the pandemic and public health guidelines to concentration camp are the very ones screeching and protesting outside politicians front doors inciting violence and spouting claptrap
why cant people just live a healthy lifestyle and be left alone
@Sidney Cooper: unfortunately people cannot be left alone to their own devices they behave like little children. Night clubs opened up. They are letting people in, not asking for covid cert. They are bringing down someone else’s covid certs and not asking for proof of identification and just letting them in. They are packing them to the rafters. Yet they will be the first to throw their toys out of the pram and say it’s not fair. Yet they have created their own downfall.
@Sidney Cooper: Because unfortunately a small % of us are just too thick to understand.
@Sidney Cooper: why would any sane person not get the booster? Why would anyone not choose to protect themselves and others by making a 5m visit to their Chemist for medicine instead of risking their life, as they get older, and that of others?
@Tommie #Chilling: certainly not mate , Im just promoting a heathly lifestyle and just concerned where this is going , is all
@The Interloper (what/why): You are a broken record without a scrap of proper evidence to back up your tin hat theories.
@The Interloper (what/why): the first two didn’t fail to protect us. Look at hospitalizations versus cases. Yes the protection drops but thats exactly why you get a booster. Just like you get boosters for many other vaccines for exactly the same reason. Have you any evidence or the “increasingly common adverse reactions”? And social division is used widely already in the world to control different aspects of life. Smokers can’t smoke inside, children can’t drink alcohol, visually Impaired aren’t allowed drive, you can’t go to many countries without a yellow fever vaccine and now you can’t go to pub or restaurant without a covid pass. Its no more of an infringement of freedom than any of the other thousands of rules countries are governed by.
@The Interloper (what/why): Or maybe you just don’t like being told what to do.
@The Interloper (what/why): where is your data to back up your claims? There is no such thing as social apartheid when there is a deadly highly transmissible disease in the population. The needs of the many (90% eligible and vaxed) outweigh the wants of the few (10% eligible not vaxed).
We have already had the longest lockdown in Europe , so dont be giving them anymore ideas now
@Sidney Cooper: It’s so funny that it’s always the folks who are so adamant that they’re not sheep are, in fact, the sheep! Always amuses me! XD
Why isn’t the European Court of Justice upholding the rights of EU citizens whose countries are signed up to the Nuremberg code?.
The EU always talk about their values , freedoms , rights , and social inclusion and so on but the EU is doing the opposite.
Those EU countries that signed up to the Nuremberg code need not talk no more about values and rights etc , they are doing the exact same as the people did before the Nuremberg code was signed.(ie Hitler, the Gestapo, and the Nazi regime).
@trevormurphy: Godwin alert.
@trevormurphy: the reason the ECJ are not getting involved in relation to the Nuremberg code is because its relevance ended the day the phase three clinical trials ended.
@NotMyIreland: oh and the fact its not a law. Morea voluntary code of conduct
@trevormurphy: Total tosh!!!
Who would have thought that coming into winter cases would rise. This is going to be life for next few years. Once winter rolls around, places will be restricted, closed down. Early curfew. I’m surprised there is not more protests
@Alan Kenny: Cases are rising in the southen hemispher too, the virus is not seasonal.
@Gary Kearney: which countries are those?
Shame on the HSE for not having added more hospital beds across Europe and shame on NPHET for all these lockdowns.
@ForrestG45: Disgraceful. They took over hospitals and places like Citywest. They places should have been designated as COVID-19 only hospitals and all Covid patients put into them. The money wasted in the past year is unreal. We need a CAB type organisation set up to make sure all monies were properly used.
@Richard Right: yes wake up Austrian people. Get the rid of Micheal and Tony!
@ForrestG45: No need for the inanity.
@ForrestG45: HSE have added hundreds of beds and there are more on tap in the private hospitals. How will these extra beds help stop the spread of the disease and people dying? There is only one scientifically proven measure and that is the free medicine that you can take by picking up the phone. What lockdown are you referring to?
@GrumpyAulFella: please read my post again, I am not good at sarcasm
@ForrestG45: ah ok you need to add a LOL at the end to indicate sarcasm :)
@Richard Right: Citywest was a care centre not a hospital. Where people were moved to when in recovery or not as seriously ill as others.
Sooner the better!!
Thats what should be done here in Ireland lock down the unvaccinated
have your say