What Is Going On?

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Dr. Mary Favier, President of the Irish College of General Practitioners.

This morning.

On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, RTE’s Science Correspondent George Lee said there were serious questions for NPHET in light of their reported recommendation that the entire country move to Level 5 of the Covid-19 restrictions.

His appearance followed that of Dr Mary Favier who told journalist Audrey Carville that, if the Covid-19 trajectory continues as it currently stands, Ireland will see 1,500 to 2,000 cases per day in November.

However, Mr Lee said that, a letter from NPHET last Thursday shows that NPHET, at that point did not support a move to Level 3 nationally – nevermind the reported move to Level 5.

He also pointed that there are, as of 8am this morning, 141 patients with Covid in hospitals, 21 of whom are in ICU beds and that there are only 39 ICU beds currently available.

Rollingnews

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61 thoughts on “What Is Going On?

  1. Janet, I ate my avatar

    sure they have only had 6 months to sort out hospital beds,
    maybe they should build them out of leaflets

    1. theo kretschmar schuldorff

      I’m going to make up my mind when I hear what Charlie Bird has to say, and say.

        1. SOQ

          I don’t think so- there is a video flying around on WhatsApp showing the centre full of empty beds. Thing is, those beds are not ICU and the range of care that could be provided is very limited as it is not a hospital.

          As some said- it looks like a place you go to die.

    2. Cú Chulainn

      This is a disgrace: they’ve had 7 months to get more beds and ICU, to get track and trace working and to get testing working. They have achieved absolutely nothing with regard to the above. But they are quite happy to recommend financial ruin on large sections of our economy so they don’t have to work too hard. I’m calling bull poop on this. Also, a typical FF move; tell nephed to call for a level 5 before riding in on the white horse to say they don’t agree and they have the people’s back. FF have managed to lose the goodwill of the entire country. No management plan, no exit plan.. bull poop..

      1. SOQ

        tell nephed to call for a level 5 before riding in on the white horse to say they don’t agree and they have the people’s back SO WE WILL JUST GO TO LEVEL 4.

    3. Charger Salmons

      The really funny thing is that everyone on here railing against another lockdown has finally come round to the view that Donald Trump has been advocating for months and for which those same people have spent all that time critising him for.
      Nothing transcends the hypocrisy of the woke liberals on Broadsheet.

  2. Commenter #1

    “Oddly, last night Mr Lee appeared on RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock news during which nothing about the NPHET Level 5 recommendation was mentioned, despite his RTE colleague Michael Lehane breaking the news on Twitter at 8.30pm.”

    This is just wrong. It was literally the first headline on the show. The first thing that they said. The first item on the programme.

      1. Commenter #1

        Just flicked through last night’s 9 O’Clock news on the Player. About a third of the show was about NPHET recommending Level 5. What is Bodger talking about?

        1. Bodger

          But it wasn’t mentioned: https://www.rte.ie/news/player/nine-news/

          The headline on the show was the figures in the North.

          The opening was “People in Northern Ireland have been warned to prepare fora second lockdown after a record number of coronacvirus cases were confirmed…”

          There is mention that public health officials are trying to turn the tide on the virus by advising people that they can only meet up with a maximum of 6 other people from just one other household at any given time, at those, in a bar or outdoors.
          but that isn’t Level 5. It was reproted that Dr Gllynn was asking ppl to behave like they have the virus and not to take risks.

          In short: NPHET recommended Level 5 measures were not reported on Nine News.

          1. Brother Barnabas

            that’s not how it’s done, bodger

            when you’re caught out, you’re meant to shift the argument, name-call or insinuate the other commenter has a small penis

            what’s with the gracious mea culpa?

  3. newsjustin

    I’m game, but since most of the country is currently on Level 2, with 2 counties on Level 3, you’d have to ask, what happened to the 5 level strategy? Should we not have given Level 4 a go?

      1. Commenter #1

        Exactly. What was the point of establishing a system to great fanfare that allowed for county-by-county management if it’s not used?

        Could it possibly be that it was a load of nonsense to begin with?

        1. GiggidyGoo

          They didn’t want to use 5 levels. The suggestion was a Green, Orange and Red system initially, but then there’s be confusion with the weather forecast. Hence a new system of ‘levels’

  4. ian-oh

    FFS can they just stop with the ‘levels’ crap?

    Just outline what the measures are and leave it at that – nobody wants to read any more than is necessary of their PR soaked waffle.

    How many ICU beds could have been added to the system with the cost of all that spin and PR?

    The reality is that Martin and Donnelly are completely incompetent and have no stomach for what they are doing, but Donnelly should get his ministerial pension and that’s good for him.

    1. Nigel

      Say what you will about Fine Gael, they have the ice-cold-hearts of world war one generals when it comes to inflicting suffering for a greater strategic goal. Fianna Fail are soft-headed glad-handers who’d let an oprphanage fall of the edge of a cliff if building a new one would incovenience a voting group.

      Of course neither of them are worth a damn when it comes to fixing or even preparing the health service.

      1. ian-oh

        Martin was never going to be the right person to lead, end of story.

        But he wanted to because history and only FF leader not be Taoiseach blah blah blah.

        Essentially, his ego came first which is no surprise, but that doesn’t matter. He was Taoiseach and that appears to have been his number one goal here. Everything else came second. Including our health system – continuously.

        1. Nigel

          Anyone who looks at a pandemic and associated economic shock and thinks yeah, wanna be taoiseach, should not be taoiseach.

          1. ian-oh

            Very, very true.

            At the best of times, anyone who actually wants that job should be looked at in detail as to the why, with Martin its quite clear his ego is the driver in his decision. Bertie could do it, even Cowen could appears to have played a part in his decision. The fact both turned out to be empty suits full of hot air doesn’t seem to have phased him at all.

            It seems an awful job irrespective of the perks and a man with such a history desiring it is very telling. As for Donnelly, a complete and utter plank who just oozes a lack of confidence. Another wrong person for the job.

  5. Shitferbrains

    I’m just out of vascular surgery last Friday. There is a severe shortage of nurses, to the point where things were frankly chaotic. What this winter will bring I shudder to think, yet all I hear is the whine of shopkeepers and publicans. Oh, and loonies.

      1. Shitferbrains

        Shortage of staff. Contract nurses not to be got for love nor money. Told a senior nurse manager and she confirmed it. Afterwards I mean. She’s worried. And this is Cork, not Dublin.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      But the HSE recruited 262 extra nurses and 63 extra doctors to deal with Covid, which hasn’t reached anything near the levels that they were recruited to deal with.

      And reported earlier in March

      “Up to 11,000 new nurses and health and social care professionals could be hired as part of the government’s new recruitment drive.
      Of these, there could be 2,250 extra intensive care unit nurses alone to staff government plans to increase the number of ICU beds in hospitals.”

      Your experience isn’t to do with the level of Covid looking at those figures

  6. SOQ

    Something in the back of mind is telling this is all political theatre. That there are individuals who are concerned about who will actually be held accountable for the carnage that has been inflicted.

    NPHET make recommendations, nothing more. It is up to the government to then balance those recommendations against wider social and economic implications- but to listen to the media, it sounds like NPHET are running the show.

    1. Commenter #1

      I almost completely agree; however, I’d suggest that what is more accurate is that the government (and more particularly the last government) has depicted NPHET as being in charge, therefore shedding some of the government’s responsibility.

      But those chickens are coming home to roost now.

      1. ian-oh

        That sounds about right Commenter #1

        Its not like Martin doesn’t have form in blaming others, apparently he was sound asleep at the cabinet table coming up the crash and it all went over his head.

        Someone else at fault no doubt. Yet people still vote FF? Bizarre.

      2. GiggidyGoo

        Same as when Honahan came out to tell us the IMF were in town. If the Government were to tell us directly, then that makes them look bad, so just shift it onto a lackey is the handiest thing to do.

      3. SOQ

        Last Thursday NPHET said the situation did not support moving to level 3 on a national basis- what has changed?

        Is Stevie Wonder driving the bus?

  7. wearnicehats

    NPHET can just go and get stuffed now. If they shut the place down for 4 weeks I’ll seriously consider going somewhere nice and hot for 2 weeks and then 2 weeks quarantine when I get back. Nothing but protracted misery in this country fuelled in no small part by that bunch of misery in RTE.

    1. Commenter #1

      NPHET don’t have the authority to shut down anything. The government do. If this government and the last have had any unqualified successes in managing this crisis, it’s in successfully diverting blame/responsibility.

      1. wearnicehats

        Change “they” to “the government” in my post then – whatever. Sentiment applies regardless

      1. Commenter #1

        Who do you hold more responsible for the management of the Covid response: government or NPHET?

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Government – not because they established NPHET, but because they have accepted the increase in its membership, the dispersing of responsibility, the secrecy, the inability to produce timely minutes of meetings, the establishment of NPHET sub-committees thus repetition of another increase in its membership (people numbers), more dispersing of responsibility, more secrecy, and an inability (or refusal) to produce timely minutes of meetings.

          How can there be a meaningful response to the management of it if there is a lack of detail?

        2. wearnicehats

          NPHET are scaremongerers. If they have no standing then their recommendations to the government should be kept secret. Once it is in the public domain the government are in a no-win situation. And that chief misery guts Holohan should be muzzled – get a new spokesperson because I’m really starting to hate that guy now

          1. Commenter #1

            “The government are in a no-win situation.”

            My heart bleeds. Their job is to manage and implement the response to Covid, not to “win.”

            And personally speaking; I don’t think NPHET having some sub-committees and a large membership is to blame for the botched management of Covid. That’s on this government, and the last.

            The government is made up of big girls and boys. If they disagree with the recommendations, let them go against them. But at least own the decision to do so; that’s why they get paid the big bucks.

  8. Vanessanelle

    Told Yis

    All this promise of Winter Surge
    and working to manage it
    and preparing the hospital network and putting structures in place
    baa baa baa

    was just talk, spin and photo ops

    We are as capable of managing a global pandemic now as we were back in March when the country was screaming at Leo & Co to stop the Paddys Day parades
    And the hospitals had already done their worst by shipping Covid 19 carriers into nursing homes
    and hogging all the available staff from their manpower rosters
    and refusing to share what PPE they had

    Government decisions and planning have actually made our position worse
    our ability to manage it
    our ability to work through it
    and any chance we have of exiting this side of Easter 2021 is imithe

    February March April May June July August September
    FFS, how much more time and money will be squandered before any one of us get a chance to see each other again without an internet between us

    1. Nigel

      From here on out there is no good outcome, barring an incredibly lucky break with the virus itself.

  9. Bob

    When the government spun us in 2008 about bonds this and trokra that it was overwhelming due to the fact that most people were not knowledgeable about how the financial markets work.

    So the governments confuse and bluster and throw people off the scent worked. We blew billions on dead banks at the request of Germany. Not one single protest outside Anglo. Just threats of bank machines not having cash.

    Now 2020 its the same well worn tactics from the government but the people do understand Covid-19 now and its effects on the health system and the economy. The government’s current play book seems so obvious and base.

    More common sense from Dr. Feeley please to balance out NPHETs one sided view of this multi faceted problem.

    1. Tom Six

      this your boy? rofl

      _The issue occurred because some files containing positive test results exceeded the maximum file size that takes these data files and loads then into central systems, officials said._

      https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24685911

      Also, Charger – any sign of your fellow traveller Marc Francois? Been *very* quiet of late…

  10. Andrew

    Does anyone know what the chief executive of the HSE does? What is his actual job?
    What qualities and skills does Paul Reid bring to the role? What competency does he have to head an organisation with the budget of billions?.
    Whenever I hear him interviewed it inevitably strays in to platitudes and homespun ‘medical advice’ from someone with no medical qualifications.

  11. wearnicehats

    I hope someone in Revenue is there. The new EWSS scheme only provides subsidies if the staff are actually working. Even then, the subsidy is only €203 for a qualifying employee so any Employer would be mad to pay anyone more than that if they are forced to close. Given that the new subsidy is only payable every 4 weeks my recommendation would be to close up shop immediately and stop all payments to staff but then all those employees are no longer on social welfare. They simply cannot go to Level 5 at this stage – it’s economic lunacy

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