Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS have confirmed 3,893 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, as the Tánaiste said that the current Covid-19 wave looked to be “plateauing at a worrying high level”.
Speaking at his parliamentary party meeting this evening, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the country does not want to be going into Christmas with this high a plateau of cases.
The Fine Gael leader said the Covid trajectory is uncertain, but added that everything would be done to avoid another lockdown.
Varadkar said his sense is people are responding positively to the guidelines with fewer contacts in a bid to stop the current wave.
He told his colleagues that the ‘third-dose’ programme is working and that cases are falling in the over 70s – the group who would have received a third vaccine dose.
Party colleagues heard the FG leader anticipated a positive decision to vaccinate 5 to 11-year-olds at a future stage, but he also said that a subsidised antigen testing system would not be finalised until Tuesday.
As of 8am today, there were 611 Covid-19 patients in hospital, of whom 132 were in ICUs.
Yesterday, 3,666 new cases of Covid-19 were notified to authorities, with 638 patients in hospital and 130 patients in ICU.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said that there had been 43 deaths notified to them in the past week, bringing Ireland’s total to 5,652. In the previous week there had been 43 deaths notified.
Deaths related to Covid-19 are being announced on a weekly basis, with health authorities citing the HSE data breach in May as the reason for this.
It does not necessarily mean all deaths confirmed today occurred in the past week, as the system in Ireland allows a period of time for families to register the death of a relative.
The deaths announced today are the number of Covid-19 related deaths reported to health authorities in the past seven days.
CMO Dr Tony Holohan said that in the past week, around 1 in 7 adults have had flu-like, cold-like, or Covid-like symptoms.
The most important action you can take if you experience any symptoms of Covid-19 is to self-isolate immediately. This means staying indoors and avoiding contact with other people, including, in so far as possible, those you live with.
“Arrange to take a PCR test, not an antigen test, and continue to self-isolate while you wait for your test and the results.
“I understand this is difficult, but in order to avoid passing Covid-19 or other respiratory illnesses on to your friends, family or work colleagues, rapidly self-isolating as soon as symptoms begin is the most important thing you can do.
“It’s also important to remember you still need to isolate for as long as you’re symptomatic, and until 48 hours after your symptoms have settled, even if your PCR did not detect Covid-19.”
Deputy CMO Dr Ronan Glynn said today that the Covid-19 pandemic is “out of control” in Ireland and NPHET may have to recommend measures to clamp down on the spread of the virus.
“We’ll just have to see where we are in a week/10 days time and, if necessary, provide further advice at that point,” he said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
We don’t. It’s all about OUR DATA.
@Jim O Brien – TechBuzz Ireland: yes, using our data to protect the country. I have lived in EU countries where an ID card is mandatory. They don’t have a problem with controlling illegal immigrants getting access to the public services. Guess what the illegal immigrants do….they go to Ireland and the UK where there is no ID scheme and where it is not obligatory to register as a resident.
@John Horan: we have driving licence and passport it’s enough ffs
@Jim O Brien – TechBuzz Ireland: neither are obligatory.
@Jim O Brien – Ok Jim so why not combine them all into one card or form of identification
@Jim O Brien – TechBuzz Ireland: Read the last comment lol… Wiping you bum… Brilliant
@Jim O Brien – TechBuzz Ireland: argee you true and no thank to psc
@Dave Walsh: wiping bum? How old are you?
@Scott Stonebridge: Some of us don’t drive done don’t travel doesn’t mean we should need another card though. Again not the point using one form to get another is stupid but it’s not about that at all they just want the data and have made it clear by saying they won’t delete it
I use mine to divide cocaine into lines…it does it very well in fairness…
“So what do you need the public services card right now?”
A data protection law suit
@Brian Moloney: I use mine as an ouija board as that’s all the use I can get out of one except for opening doors when I lose the keys lol.
I have recently been told by revenue too apply for card in order too change my date of birth on there system witch is incorrect at the same
Time they send bills and I pay tax ect
.and hold a valid passport and drivers licence .now I’ve too bring these too welfare office too prove my date of birth and they will change it for revenue
Totally flawed veruca! Cop on
@John Leonard: think you may have that mixed up. Social Welfare don’t change dates of birth on Revenue system.
@Chin Feeyin: they do for Witches.
@vfagan: Wha’?
@Chin Feeyin: u nead too reed between the lynes
This PSC was brought in to stop SW fraud, or so we were told. Yet most of the “fraud” is related to over payment made to people by the dept. What the government has done is to assume that all those on SW payments are criminals intending to defraud the system. In trying to roll it out by stealth across all public services the same assumption applies. The state, Ireland, under this minority FG government, has assumed the citizens of Ireland are criminals and the state must protect itself from the criminals who avail of state public services.
The dept itself, the minister responsible, the government, refuse to abide by the law on data gathering, compilation of data, holding of data on 3.2 million citizens of Ireland. FG and public service officials also refuse to attend at committees to answer questions on this card. They don’t want to account for the illegality they have engaged in.
This PSC was an attempt to bring in a Biometric National ID Card without any due process and force it on people by taking punitive action against anyone that refused to comply.
I don’t thing people here get what the problem is with the card. There is no legal legislation for a national id card in Ireland. You legally don’t have to get the card for anything other than dept of social welfare. But other govt departments were forcing people to get them and refusing to accept driving licence or passports.
When you went to get the new card they wanted to see your drivers license to prove who you were even though you are there in the first place because other Gov departments refuse to accept driving licenses or passports.
Again there is no legislation in Ireland for a national I’d. This is an attempt to introduce one by stealth. This is so dumb because the PSC doesn’t have your date of birth on it so you can’t even use it as a form of I’d.
@great gael of Eire: Is there a list of Government departments which don’t accept Department of Foreign Affairs-issued passports?
I can attest to the fact that it was much easier to renew a drivers license with a PSC. Surprisingly so! The reason I got one was because my daughter needed one when applying for her theory test so I decides to jump on the bandwagon. So far so good…unless of course they sell my data LOL I would not be fond of that
I love the counter argument; other first world countries have mandatory ID cards? Presumably they also have legislation for them?
Okay! Welcome to the party…
Tried to use it. Didn’t work. Still requested to “call in “ in person
I was forced to get a PSC in order to avail of paid paternity leave.
If I didn’t want the paid leave.. I didn’t have to get it.
If you want money and benefits from the state.. then get a card.
If you don’t want the card, don’t claim for the money or benefits.
Free travel is on it if you qualify
Been on a bus last week seen a load of people just tap their PSC
I don’t have one before you ask
Almost all first world countries have mandatory ID cards which must be carried in public. In Ireland, the Luddites are alive and well and living in NGOs.
@Josh Hanners: And almost all first world countries with a national ID card also have the proper legislation to along with it.
@Josh Hanners: Gazza is right. In those countries having one is in the law. That isn’t the case here. If the blueshirts want us to have an ID card and to obediently comply with their dictates, they need to do it lawfully and up front. Not by sneaking it in like this.
If we let this slide we might as well just say goodbye altogether to democracy, civil rights and the legitimacy of the law itself. Just because FFG don’t seem to respect any of those things doesn’t mean we citizens have to start thinking they aren’t important.
Easier to get a dodgy drivers license now so?
The Data Protection Act and amendments probably came from an EU Directive for the Irish Government to introduce legislation to protect private data. Regardless of what the Social Welfare Act said previously, the data protection legislation was intended to apply to all business/institutions and government departments. Why can’t the Thicko’s understand this?
Cleaning your bum.
Have we 3 million been tricked into telling our government WHO WE ARE. Oh no! Oh well if birth cert, marriage cert, driving licence, passport, pps number and tax number fail to ID me , I’ll have that to fall back on.
If you get get a PSC by knowing someone in the social welfare then you can use to do faud in every other area of life here then???
How will it enable you, to get a dodgy Driving licence?
have your say