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THE NUMBER OF Irish citizens who have registered with the Irish embassy in Kyiv has risen to 145, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said, after it advised all citizens currently in the country to leave immediately.
On Saturday, Ireland joined a list of countries advising their citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible amid rising tensions and a US assessment that an attack by Russia on the country could be imminent.
Talks are continuing today, with Sergei Lavrov urging Vladimir Putin to remain in dialogue with the West on Russian security demands, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz flew to Kyiv to hold crisis talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said today that the number of Irish citizens registered with the Embassy of Ireland in Kyiv currently stands at 145.
It added that this number “may rise further over the coming days”.
The department said the embassy is in ongoing contact with all registered Irish citizens and has advised them to leave Ukraine immediately.
It said a number of commercial flight options continue to be available, adding that it is also possible to depart the country overland to neighbouring EU states.
The department also said it has contacted all of those scheduled to travel to Ukraine for surrogacy purposes. It said that it will continue to provide support to each of these individuals and families with advice relevant to their particular situation.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the department are urging all Irish citizens in Ukraine “to leave immediately, either via commercial flight or over land”.
“We remain in ongoing contact at a senior level with EU partners, as well as the UK and the US, regarding the wider political and security situation in and around Ukraine,” he said.
Ireland supports all efforts aimed at defusing the current tensions and at finding a diplomatic pathway forward. Ireland is committed to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. It is urgent that Russia de-escalate, abide by international law and engage constructively in dialogue.
The department said the Embassy of Ireland in Kyiv will remain open, with a small number of essential staff remaining, but added that that situation will be kept under review.
Any Irish citizen requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs at +353 1 408 2000.
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Strange how after 12 months of denial they now say children spread COVID, softening us up to getting kids vaccinated, that’s all imo
@Spartacus Ireland: your opinion is hilarious…imo…
@Spartacus Ireland: Spot on. Every time they rolled the vaccine out to a specific age group it was preceded by NPHET exaggerating the risk to that specific age group
@Spartacus Ireland: Of course they can spread covid… They breathe the same air in and out, and touch the same stuff that adults touch… This whole thing with sure there only kids is becoming ridiculous… It need to be addressed
@Spartacus Ireland: yeah that article is from May 2020. We know more now and new variants are around now ye big eejit.
@JustMeHere: https://mobile.twitter.com/rtenews/status/1346858673419726850
Norma “schools safe”?
@Spartacus Ireland: from January. Keep trying.
@Spartacus Ireland: So what? I’ve asked this before in the comments section on many articles but what is it people think NPHET are doing? What motive beyond simply protecting public health is there for having vaccinations for kids and younger age groups? What’s the conspiracy here? Or what is the issue people have? It’s happening everywhere. People need to get off the FB tin foil hat groups. If it’s so unsafe why have over 90% of the adult population taken it? I’d love one good answer of what the issue is on this. What do NPHET themselves have to gain? If anything them and NIAC are exposed to risk so if anything they are acting with extreme care.
@WadeBoggs: Don’t imagine they have anything to gain, but the ‘dogs on the street’ knew that schools and kids spread COVID but yet they insisted kids were different, schools were different, why did they do that?, doesn’t mean we can’t point out the change of tune when we hear it
@WadeBoggs: It’s to promote pharma and vaccines as the only solution to this virus. They will not tolerate any discussion of other treatments and natural immunity. Trust the science they say, sponsored by big pharma. If this was all truly about saving lives, Pfizer would be investing their massive profits in hospitals and health care systems around the world…
@Rob: How can you exaggerate on serious illness or fatality as that can be the outcome of catching Covid-19.
@Spartacus Ireland: Or the fact that they tried their best to keep them in school for the good of the kids and their parents who need to work. Another consideration is that there is a much more transmissible variant that wasn’t around last school year. Kids in school equals spread. 19% of cases these days are 5 – 12 year olds and theyre passing it to their families….. You can easily go back and check the rates of 5 – 12 year olds catching covid last school year on the hpsc website if you’re such a sceptic and compare it to now.
@Gary Kearney: how many children have died of covid?? Zero, so they are exaggerating the outcomes in that age group
@Gary Kearney: In kids? Got any stats to support your comment?
@WadeBoggs: well NEPHET may have nothing to gain but the mixed messaging about masks not being necessary – later reversed, children not spreading it – later reversed and the vaccine preventing transmission – later reversed hasn’t helped to instil a sense of confidence in what they are saying.
@Spartacus Ireland: Under the old variants I would say yes but clearly Delta behaved differently. And when is the outcome of a pandemic known with absolute certainty? Can things not change and evolve? Also big Pharma sponsored approaches? Are the WHO saying use Ivermectin? I mean this is New World Order / Lizard people levels of conspiracy. People think they know more than actual experts because of one thing – Google. Doctors and medical practitioners always had a tough job but now every idiot with an iPad is lecturing them on experimental treatments. Forget RCSI and medicine and placements in hospitals. Get your medical training from spending 7 hours a day on the internet.
@Paul Keenan: 99% recovery rate in all those infected up to age 60. Courtesy of the CDC
@Rob: Pfizer are a business not a charitable organisation. They exist to make money for shareholders. They develop treatments for disease and illness and in return for risking capital their shareholders benefit. How many drugs do Pfizer develop that don’t work or are written off? Their R&D spend is huge.
They developed a blockbuster drug years ago to treat cholesterol called Lipitor. Saved thousands of lives and actually impacted Irelands GDP when it came off patent. Was that also a conspiracy? Or did it save lives?
@WadeBoggs: So our public health is not their primary motivation, making money for their shareholders is. Thanks for confirming that, I was under the illusion that they wanted to protect us, not profit off us
@Rob: 99% recovery rate for those aged up to 60,,,that is so, so 2020 @@
Can you tell us what is the ‘recovery rates’ for those who are immunocompromised aged up to 60 ? Do they also go back to their pre covid health ? tia
@Dave: delighted are you Dave?
@Francis Mc Carthy: Immunocompromised and other medically vulnerable should absolutely be protected from this virus, but not at the expense of everyone else, especially kids given what was announced today. Sad and all as that is.
@Rob: Protecting our health is their method of making money so of course our health is their concern but they are a business. A quoted business whose purpose is to generate return for stakeholders and shareholder are stakeholders. Come on man how old are you?
@Paul Keenan: there is nothing in the article that suggests children are dying or going to die from covid. It is highlighted time and time again that symptoms are mild. What it does say is cases are high in this age cohort. Which stands to reason as this age cohort is largely unvaccinated. However the danger is that allowing the virus to continue to spread in this age cohort you give it a breeding ground to continue to spread and mutate meaning the the vulnerable vaccinated may not be as protected as we would like them to be, meaning we need to continue to monitor and tweak the vaccines and in the meantime vulnerable people continue to get sick or die before their time and covid and non covid related health services are under pressure We don’t have mandatory vaccination here especially for children so there is a perfectly reasonable suggestion that in order to keep kids in education and reduce the spread through this cohort you minimise their contacts outside of school and the home. The ridiculous removal of close contacts in kids allowed it to spread through this age group so it’s time for a bit of back tracking to resolve it. It would however be nice to here the gov for once say hey we got it wrong this is what we’re doing to fix it.
@WadeBoggs: Its trying to protect our seriously pi-ss poor health service from collapse. To protect those who mismanaged it for decades. To cover for the multitude of inept health ministers who did nothing to improve it. Those who never queried how the billions were spent. Maybe this is the answer you were looking for because most people know this is the reason.
Schools can remain open but only adults can attend.
@Gerry from the Block: they have to be closed by 12 though, because the schools go mad after 12.
@Gerry from the Block: It sound like a joke but…
@Gerry from the Block:
@Gerry from the Block: brilliant
Need to close the schools now so we can keep the pubs open. PRIORITIZE
@Mogh Roith: Amalgamate the pubs and schools… and work!
That’s allot of cases. My work colleagues at school are getting Covid, or have children at home who have caught it. Students are getting it too. Feels like the virus is closing in on us, and it’s very tricky keeping the school going with out a full teaching staff. There are no substitutes available as we are a special secondary school (Youthreach). I really feel for mainstream teachers…must be far worse.
@Sohoma Roanie: teachers have it handy
@Gerrard: good man Gerrard.
Interesting that the vast majority of cases are in the 5 to 12s and 30 to 45 age ranges. So pretty pretty much school kids and their parents. According to RTE 6:01 News.
@Gerry McCaughey: That is what we are hearing, but are the kids been kept out of school and if not one would assume the parents who have it are collecting them? Bit of a silly situation but it was always going to happen…. This whole notion of Kids cannot catch it or spread it is ridiculous, as that is exactly what is happening..
@Dave: yup. It’s a mess alright.
Next 14mins are critical
@James Lough: lol
The boosters doing their work and keeping the elderly out of hospital. Good to see hospital and ICU numbers remaining stable.
When will we make a variant?
@Vincent Bickerstaffe: Only said that to someone yesterday. I’m all for restrictions when needed but I can imagine what this shower would come up.
Kids might have the highest rate, but how many have severe disease and taking hospital and icu beds?
@Seán Kinsella: how many kids have parents and grandparents they can transmit to?
@Seán Kinsella: How many older people or those without boosters could catch Covid from kids? The vaccines are absolutely best at preventing severe illness but also act as a barrier to infection. Why not use whatever barriers you can?
@Steve: no point in vaccine so
@Seán Kinsella: so in the last 2 weeks, for kids aged 0-4, 4% of those who got covid were in hospital. For kids aged 5-12, 3.3% of those who got covid were in hospital. So if every kid in a class of 30 got covid, 1 would end up in hospital.
@Mac Muinteoir: actually, that’s completely wrong! Totally misread the information.
@Steve: over 90% of us vaccinated. Almost all (97%) of those who contracted COVID-19 in September and October and admitted to an ICU and who reported being vaccinated had an underlying health condition. Not ideal, but when do we all move on from this? It would be more helpful if we all took some responsibility and not send our kids to school or take them to parents when when sick. Anyway – not going to solve this difference of opinion in the comments of the journal. Masks are advised for third class and up when in school, but maskless pints with the lads are grand.
2 weeks to flatten the curve yeah? 2 years in and they’re still trying their hardest to keep the fear and propaganda going. Turn off the news and social media for a few days and you will forget we’re supposed to be in a pandemic. But hey, don’t be using your brain or any sort of logic and reason. Just keep on complying and vilifying those who don’t. I hear the intergalactic variant is coming soon! I think we’ll be on mandatory booster 5 by then.
Increasing again…we’re all doomed, Doomed I tell you!
Close primary schools where the cases are to heigh
@Richarddoherty: cases are ‘heigh’ in primary schools in Dundalk heigh.
@Richarddoherty: back to primary school for you Richard
@Richarddoherty: clueless Richard.
We have more daily cases than Britain per head of population and no health
Hide the children….
@PHB090: Its Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Time.
@PHB090: and yo wife
According to the covid tracker there has been 10 admissions to icu & 0 discharges yet yesterday there were 115 in icu & today there’s 122. So that means that 3 people in icu died in the past 24 hours. Is that right?
@Martina Masterson: Possibly but you would need to work the figures out for an entire week to be sure that is the number.
It is low if it is.
@Martina Masterson: normslly yes. Before the cyber attack they used to post the ICU covid deaths and the imbalance between each days admissions and discharges and totals was always deaths except that it is a snapshot in time and very occasionally the times are out of sync but this is picked up the next day. But the sad truth is that in the vast majority of cases the missing numbers are deaths.
@Gary Kearney: there is usually an imbalance of a few between each days totals and admissions and discharges and, before the cyber attach, the ICU deaths were also published. But not any more. https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/coronavirus-daily-operations-updates.html – the older reports include ICU covid deaths and extrapolating from this we can guess the missing numbere are deaths. For what it is worth most covid cases do not end up in ICU and most covit deaths are not from ICU. Before ICU the patient is assessed and many are not suitable for ICU or invasive ventilation.
Will somebody please think of the children
Close the toilets
Any details about Omicron?
@Shane McCarrick: last I heard they were with the decepticons but him and megatron had a falling out..
@SM: brilliant
@SM: brilliant
@Gerry from the Block: well. That didn’t work. Now did it?
@john smith iv: Haha, the darned interweb done let me down real bad..
@Shane McCarrick: Best write up on it and why it’s concerning:
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/new-concerning-variant-b11529
@SM: I think it was Rodimus Prime who beat Unicron. Optimus had been killed in a fight with Megatron.
A second cousin of Omicron I believe he was. He was up to no good anyway aswell. They’re all part of the “Cron” family from out Ballinasloe way.
Wonder if Rodimus is knocking around and he could come back and give us a dig out.
@john smith iv: lol
@David Jordan: thanks David. Gauteng case rate increase is phenomenal. Anyone know if that exponential increase is continuing?
@WadeBoggs: excellent work lol
Wet oul evening out again.
@a:
An’ shure dere’s no dryin out either…
Some sheet show of a country .
Catching up on the case backlog…
@EnKy: yeah, only 4144 positive cases today, rest are backlog. Why is it never mentioned?
What do we do now? Any ideas?????
@Anna Carr: Hide under the bed
@Anna Carr: ah shur more boosters…restrictions, Lockdowns & when that doesn’t work, blame the unvaxed then some more boosters etc…As you can tell I have no ideas but more worryingly neither does the Government, WHO etc…
@Anna Carr: If its sreading between the age group they are suggesting they will need to close the schools to try and stop the spread… Further more if the parents are catching it and have no symptoms, its going to just get worse…
@Anna Carr: Masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer until scientists figure it all out.
@Anna Carr: main thing is don’t panic, our case numbers and positivity rate are now trending downwards, so that’s good news :)
@Anna Carr: The Pied Piper?
@Anna Carr: Some lad on here said the omicron variant wasn’t too severe so I’d say we should be grand. He sounds like someone we could trust.
@Splat: They are testing it at present. Their are positive news with symptoms but they are worried about 3 sections of it which are very important in have mutates and that is the worry. They have said it may have mutated to protect itself and make it less harmful but the mutation could be worse.
We are still trending downwards just slowly. If the booster works like the vaccine did it will start slow and build up speed quickly.
We went from being one of the lowest rates of vaccination to one of the highest.
So hopefully they follow the same plan.
Hey hey. According to the guy on rte radio news at lunchtime today, it’s Omnicron!
(He is paid enough to warrant reading his script at least once before delivery.)
The next 12 months are crucial.
have your say