From top: HSE chiefs at a weekly briefing, from left: Paul Reid, CEO. Anne O’Connor, COO; Dr Colm Henry, CCO, and Damien McCallion, HSE National Lead, Vaccination Programme; Dr Marcus De Brun
An American friend of mine said to me once: ‘Opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one.’ There is no time like the present in respect of the validity of that little crass assertion.
Before Covid I believed that there were things called: truth, science and belief. Truth was a definite and independent thing, a place one could approach and occasionally arrive at. Science was the method or the path that leads one to the truth. Beliefs on the other hand, these were the notions or ideas that people held about things that Science had no definite answers for. Some of our beliefs are scientifically valid, and some are not.
That was my world-view and it was rather simple. If Scientific answers could be reproduced by experiment, they became truths or at least they became my truths. Science cannot give me answers in respect of God. It cannot rule Him in, nor can it rule Her out; as such I feel free to believe in a sort of God; a Judaeo-Christian sort of God, one who is everything, who is fat and happy like the Buddha.
However when Science becomes an asshole and everyone has a ‘Science’ what then happens to truth? The Science of Covid becomes individualised, everybody can have a different Science that brings us to many many different truths. Masks work, masks don’t work. Vaccines are safe, vaccines are dangerous. Lock-downs are helpful Lock-downs are harmful etc.
As Gaybo used to say ‘there is one for everyone in the audience’. Perhaps it has always been that way? Perhaps there were always lots of different and conflicting Scientific answers, and that it simply takes time for the best ones, (the most Scientific of the Scientific answers), to simply rise to the top, perhaps?
Yet in medicine we can’t afford to have lots of different ass-holes. There must be one Science and that Science must be based upon the best available evidence. Therefore in Medicine we have another type of Science, the ‘Proctologist’ of Science! The asshole checker! The Science that checks all the ‘Science’ and decides which Science is ‘evidence based’. So we medics have a Science of checking scientific assholes, and its called the Science of Evidence Based Medicine.
And that’s important, because although in my own twenty years of practising medicine I have never encountered an evidence based ‘individual’ human-being, I do need to be able to know what treatments have the most evidence? Which are the most scientific, and are most likely to illicit a TRUE cure? To answer this question I must trust in the Science of Evidence Based medicine.
Many years ago when I was an Intern and a Junior Doctor on the hospital rounds, I carried a book in the pocket of my grubby white coat. It is called the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. Almost every Doctor in the English Speaking world will be familiar with this little book as almost all will at one time or another, have carried it about in the pocket of their white coat.
When Covid- arrived in Ireland in early 2020, I was dismayed at how Nursing Home residents were being treated. The policies of withdrawing testing for several weeks, of dumping untested hospital patients into the sector, prescribing only palliative meds, unavailable oxygen tanks, PPE. Encouraging GPs not to transfer them to hospital, and have their families sign DNR requests etc., all of it was horrific third-world stuff.
Normally in the average 40-50 bed Nursing Home 2-3 people will die each year. To have 14 people die lonely Covid deaths in the space of 2 months, to face families denied access to their loved ones, was harrowing. Yet it was all part of the guidelines. I followed the guidelines, I deprived my patients of drugs that might have saved their lives, and after I had watched so many die, so too did my faith in the guidelines.
The guidelines were, and are, not evidence based medicine, they are born of ineptitude and fear.
For my sins, before I became a Physician I was a Microbiologist and during my Studies at TCD I took a class in Electron Microscopy, the Science of photographing small things like viruses, for example. I don’t remember much of the class but I do remember that viruses are very very small. Too small to be filtered by paper masks, and certainly too small to be removed by cloth masks or plastic visors.
When these became compulsory, I thought to myself that this would be the straw to break the camel’s back. My little book of evidence-based medicine would rule the day, and Science was going to awaken the masses!
Imagine my delight when the head of the Department of Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford University addressed the Government’s Dail Committee on Covid-19 in August 2020, on the very subject of masks. I watched with calm relief as Professor Carl Heneghen explained to our TD’s that masks are of ‘no benefit to the general public‘ and are ‘more likely to cause harm than good‘, at least according to the best available scientific evidence.
And so I waited for the tower of sticks to come crashing to the ground. Science and evidence based medicine had spoken.
But nothing happened, the Minister was too busy to attend the hearing, and great mass of people seemed to care as much about evidence based medicine, as they cared about the dead bodies in the nursing homes?
And then came the vaccine, and for the first time in the history of medicine myself and my colleagues were asked to vaccinate young healthy people against a disease that is of no serious harm to them. I read the Science behind novel genetic vaccines, the risks and the dangers, and I shudder in disbelief.
I turn to the CSO and read that in Ireland although 70k young people between the ages 0-24yrs have been infected with Covid, and their infections confirmed by PCR testing, there are NO recorded confirmed deaths in this age group?
And I ask why? Why are they being vaccinated? Where and what is the evidence or the Science? I am fearful of its side effects and its potential to cause cancer. I resign my own practice so that I won’t be compelled to administer it. I publish a paper on the subject, yet even some of my young healthy friends and co-conspirators eagerly join the queue?
Occasionally in history, Science ceases to be a path to the truth. It becomes instead, a means to confirm the beliefs of a majority. If the majority fear Covid, Science must give them a Covid that is worth fearing. If they fear Jews or believe in Apartheid, Science must act accordingly.
Truth is neither defined nor refined by Science. It is defined by what the majority believe at a given moment in time. What people fear even more than a virus, is not fitting in, not belonging to the herd.
Science is simply an asshole and everybody has one of those.
Dr Marcus de Brun is a practicing GP in Dublin. He holds qualifications in Medicine, Microbiology and Philosophy. He holds Memberships of the Irish College of General Practitioners and The New Zealand College of General Practitioners. In April 2020, Dr de Brun resigned his Ministerial appointment to the Medical Council of Ireland, in protest at the Government’s handling of Nursing Homes during the Crisis.
Previously: Marcus De Brun on Broadsheet
Well said Marcus.
In other good news, the UK have confirmed they are going ahead with lifting the restrictions on Monday. :-)
Mr Javid told MPs it was the “right time” to go to step four, adding: “If not now, when? There will never be a perfect time to take this step because we simply CANNOT eradicate this virus.”
Hopefully we’ll grow a backbone and follow suit.
Yay!
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-all-restriction-to-end-in-england-next-week-government-confirms-12354394
Unfortunately that is not what is happening.
Even the north which has had bars and restaurants open since May, is set to open theatres and concert halls on July 22nd with restrictions on live music to be eased and school bubbles and face masks on the 26th. Adult face masks and social distancing the same in August.
Meanwhile here they are planning what? Domestic vaccine passports which do not even comply with the European Digital cert. No plan, no road map- just more bureaucracy and more stupid rules.
I have some hope for us.
The collective “feck off” that the country gave to the idea of Vaccine passports when MM first proposed it a few weeks back gave me a little bit of hope – and a little tear in my eye of national pride. ;)
The vast majority of people on either side of the debate went “eh no, you can feck right off with your passports to partake in normal life.” A step too far for most.
Come’on Ireland. Let’s be brave.
I know I am not your average man but I have yet to hear one person agree with this passport thing- there is something inherently un Irish about it.
Is there any word of business penalties for non compliance I wonder?
I think it comes from Irish people’s heightened sense of discrimination.
Probably comes from the discrimination we faced in the past. The whole No Blacks, No Dogs and No Irish thing for starters.
I have faith that the majority of Irish people will do what is right.
Your opinion of Irish people has veered from idiotic sheep marching to their own pandemic-related opression to being so inherently righteous they will rise up against this tyranny, when the more likely explanation is that this is just obviously unworkable.
Yes, indeed Sir Nidgalot.
I am a breathing living bag of chemicals walking around who’s opinions on certain subjects change from day to day when different information is presented to my optical and aural receptors. (Even sometimes my olfactory ones)
Some days I despair for people and our society and what we’ve allowed to happen and some days I am filled with hope.
Especially when I see a glimmer of hope.
And I saw that last week when Vaccine certs were proposed – and I see it in the UK now. ;)
And in other bad news, Netherlands is restricting nightlife after a surge in cases.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-40335308.html
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte admitted today his government made a mistake by easing a raft of measures to combat Covid-19, apologising as daily infection rates rocketed to peak levels.
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/0712/1234502-coronavirus-global/
Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases
BUT cases do not matter if hardly anyone is dying. Same as last summer.
Engage your brain.
Not the same as last summer.
There were feck-all cases last summer
But if people are not getting sick then surely that is a good thing? Community immunity is building and this is the perfect time of the year to do it.
Now if you say this is due to vaccines then you are also saying that the same ratio of infections to sickness will continue into next winter.
It’s not a ‘good’ thing, it’s a feature of the transmission of a highly contagious virus across populations. If a certain level of vaccination is acheived, it will not be the worse thing, at any rate. You have been steadfastly wrong about everything to do with this virus except, occasionally, where your convictions about covid overlapped with the incompetence and ham-handedness of the government. You have single-handedly led the campaign against the truth of the adage that there are no stupid questions.
Community immunity is how we as a species have beaten viruses since we crawled out of the bog, and this is no different.
If you don’t have good immunity then vaccines are of no use- in a case like this they assist, they do not bring it about.
Yeah, that’s how everyone got immune to the bubonic plague and smallpox.
actually part of the population were immune to the plague, ( indeed your ancestors probably survived it ), it’s thought to be linked to some people immune to HIV today, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050325234239.htm
Biologists Discover Why 10 Percent Of Europeans Are Safe From HIV Infection
Date:April 3, 2005Source:University Of LiverpoolSummary:Biologists at the University of Liverpool have discovered how the plagues of the Middle Ages have made around 10% of Europeans resistant to HIV.
there were individuals who survived the lethal organism of the plague, believed to be because it could not enter their white blood cells. The Black Death didn’t just wipe out millions of Europeans during the 14th century. It left a mark on the human genome, favoring those who carried certain immune system genes, according to a new study. Those changes may help explain why Europeans respond differently from other people to some diseases and have different susceptibilities to autoimmune disorders.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/02/black-death-left-mark-human-genome
It’s the same as last summer as in hardly anyone one dying.
My point being that cases do not matter.
Yes, Janet, but all the same, it was disagreeable to those who were not immune. Makes you wonder why the government’s always been so concerned to keep rabies out of the country, if you let it run its course, soon we’ll all be immune, that’s the natural way.
@cui Bono
Cases eh?
Might also have something to do with the fact that we were testing about 30k a week this time last year.
What are we doing now? Close to 130k Covid tests every single feckin week.
Load of pants.
I listened to the leader of the Conservative 1922 committee and it is a strange day when you find yourself nodding along in agreement with an ultra Tory. He makes perfect sense. Read it here on the flipping Daily Mail!! : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9680137/SIR-GRAHAM-BRADY-no-excuse-delay-liberty.html
One of his main points is open up now with the kids off school and the good weather because if they wait they will go into colder weather, kids, students back at school, flu season. Disaster.
Sadly that is exactly what we’ll do here. Cautiously wait until it’s too late.
Time to get over this hysteria and get real
Another crank with a fierce case of Attentionseekingitis
But enough about Daisy Chainsaw- what about Marcus De Brun?
Mention attention seeking cranks and up pops SOQ, right on cue.
That’s a mirror you are starin into darlin, I’m way better looking.
Still at it… Never not at it really, eh Soqie?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-xPrMXyoP8
You don’t even have to be summoned like Candyman or Beetljuice… you just appear like mold.
Jeez, pot kettle
Just waiting for all of the BS experts who hold qualifications in Medicine, Microbiology and Philosophy to discount what Marcus de Brun has written, and label him something or other. (His qualifications can be verified).
Oops – the usual one got in before me. Bruce Y Lee’s fan.
A fabulous man. Would love him to be my GP.
+ 1
Oh God No! De Brun is such a deeply unpleasant individual.
Citation needed
Maybe ask the people of Rush what they think. I’ve heard only mixed reports.
A nice man, no question.
But, but I like to ask my Dr questions.
I’ll get me coat.
Is this the same De Brun?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/medical-council-inquiry-a-breach-of-basic-rights-as-a-citizen-1.3134774
I don’t like the look of him personally but his reasoning is sound. Maybe I’m the problem!
That said.. If not now then when … is surely one of the more ridiculous arguments posed around this subject. . Whatever u think or believe about covid
I turn to the CSO and read that in Ireland although 70k young people between the ages 0-24yrs have been infected with Covid, and their infections confirmed by PCR testing, there are NO recorded confirmed deaths in this age group?
This is wrong. There have been deaths in this age group. A small number, but a non-zero number.
Marcus is an ignoramus.
He keeps saying (on twitter) there have been 0 deaths in the under 25s; and people keep explaining to him how the CSO data works, and the the little “..” means between 1 and 4.
And he ignores this, and repeats his lies.
A bit like Cummins in that respect. Except he is a doctor and is dangerous.
So was Andrew Wakefield.
Where you getting your figures from Cian?
Not saying you’re not correct. Just would like to see them for myself. Since the cyber attack, I haven’t seen any updates.
Also, I thought that symbol meant that it was “less than 5”.
Which could also be zero yeah / no?
Also, why portray it as that? Why not give us the exact figure. Why the “less than 5” craic? What’s that about?
And if one single child (or even 4) has died from Covid – is that a reason to continue to restrict the lives of 5 million people?
We have no idea of the pre existing contritions that child(ren) may of had.
No, zero means zero.
“…” means non-zero.
If you look at
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/br/b-cdc/covid-19deathsandcasesseries30/
anf go to Table 1: Profile of COVID-19 Deaths and Cases up to and including Friday April 30 2021
note 5 says “5 ‘..’ Indicates a cell number < 5 or a cell number < 5 can be identified"
If you look at these table you can see that some cells contain a "0". If there is zero it says zero.
Others contain a ".."; this is a value of 1, 2, 3 or 4
CSO is careful with small numbers that could identify an individual. If they break it down by age and separately by sex and there is 1 boy; and 1 0-15yo; you can work out it is a male child; if they also have by area you could would out where the boy is from… etc.
Actually if you go to the table
Table 2 & 2A Weekly Profile of COVID-19 Confirmed Deaths
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/br/b-cdc/covid-19deathsandcasesseries30/
you can see it more clearly.
A 0..14 year old died in week ending 5 Feb;
A 15..24 died in each of the weeks ending 29 Jan and 5 Feb
All other weeks show a “0”; those three weeks show “..”
(see how you can uncover more details when they present the data in different levels of detail)
Why are they not stating the actual figure there then? It’s in the totals after all.
Either way. zero or near zero- the point is largely the same, there is no benefit of putting children at risk of vaccine injury. To put children at such a risk to (potentially) protect adults is just plain wrong.
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-covid19/covid-19informationhub/
The CSO are releasing information, but have a disclaimer “We are not responsible for the quality of data from the external sources.”
So there isn’t really any point in referring to the CSO figures as being correct, when they cannot stand over what they’re publishing.
Somehow I think I would take the figures and views of an educated medic who studies this in detail over random poster on the internet.
CSO ‘data’ – the CSO usually have disclaimers basically saying that their figures aren’t exactly correct.
Suit yourself.
But I am providing evidence. He isn’t. (see post about Table 2 & 2A Weekly Profile of COVID-19 Confirmed Deaths above)
Sorry Cian. You’re not providing evidence. You’re reference point is to the CSO. The CSO specifically mentions a disclaimer (and Covid-specific even) “We are not responsible for the quality of data from the external sources.”
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-covid19/covid-19informationhub/
And in your tables. “HPSC are currently reviewing underlying conditions data and for this reason information on underlying conditions has not been included in this bulletin. We will resume reporting on underlying conditions as soon as possible, following completion of this review.” In other words, CSO figures are a ball of….
That being the case, what’s the basis for the assertion that no deaths have occurred in these age groups? You’re riding that disclaimer rather hard to discredit Cian, but the fact remains, the figures as they currently stand sadly indicate non-zero deaths.
That’s the thing Nigel. There are no facts to support Cians post. If the figures can’t be confirmed as to deaths in the age group, there are no facts.
The facts as they are currenlty understood support Cian, albeit tentatively and subject to confirmation. But if you reject the existence of facts in relation to this issue, the opposite claim is equally unsupported.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m using the CSO, the same data as De Brun, it is just he is “misinterpreting” (lying about) it.
Perhaps you’re misinterpreted the CSO data. They specifically disclaim against using it.
You’re not a medical professional, I’d tend to lean towards De Brun as you haven’t a clue what you’re talking about tbf.
@Cian.
Lying?
Which one of you is the one with the qualifications? You, or De Brun?
Um, does “doctor training” make one an expert in understanding CSO data?
Narrator: ” it does not.”
Um.
Does CSO data come with a disclaimer?
Narrator: Yes. CSO data contains no verified facts, so there is no verified data to understand.
Oh!
But the views he expresses are dumb. He never encountered the phenomenon of different people looking at the same scientific or medical evidence and reaching different conclusions until… now? Is this is why no-one ever seeks a second opinion and why all Doctors’ diagnoses are always perfect and correct? Either that bespeaks a frightful level of naivete and inexperience, or he is deploying a rather duplicitous rhetorical gambit which, I note, takes up the vast majority of his wordcount over the amount of space devoted to the incredibly scanty and risibly shallow scientific reasoning for his conclusions, rather contradicting his assertions that he venerates science, one of which is that being scared of a novel, highly infectious virus that could kill or damage you or someone you love is like anti-semitism. Utterly ridiculous, completely rerehensible.
Furthermore – he rightly condemns the nursing home scandal – even though he, apparently is implicated in it, a puzzling admission – then goes on to talk about masks, as if, in his belief that masks are ineffective, the two are ethically comparable. I note he only quotes his own conviction and one scientific source for the belief. He does not address any scientific sources in favour of masks, does not challenge their evidence and findings, does not even try to assert that no such findings exist. I do not find this approach compatible with a veneration for science and the scientific method, and again, I note, he thought his time and energy better devoted to paragraphs about ‘assholes.’
Finally, he talks about young people being at less at risk from covid – young healthy people, presumably, without immunodifcency problems, underlying conditions, disabilities or potential comorbidities – but… does not actually turn that into an argument. Yes, but so what? Is he opposing the vaccination of young people? Is he claiming that vaccination is more risky to young people than covid? In his final rhetorical fourish about truth, is he saying pepople don’t believe that young people are less at risk from covid? What? What is he even saying?
When someone writes something that is stridently rhetorical with no underlying coherent argument, I don’t care how well qualified they are – they’re trying to pull a fast one.
Is this guy one of those fellas on YouTube? Because this is a classically structured YouTube script. Long, loud opening, bare scraps of substance, huge emotionally charged and utterly unsupported conclusions, like and subscribe.
Also your views are largely unsupported aswell.
The views you express can be considered dumb too remember.
Yeah but the actual reasons given for dumbness hold the weight.
Whatever, you’re hardly a judge..
There was actually one 19 year old, who my friend knew, but he had a terminal illness and he had already lived 6 years more than expected. He died with a positive PCR test but covid19 definitely wasn’t his cause of death.
Ireland being quite small helps finding out these things.
Waffle
The less than 5 category is used so that clever clogs don’t use analytic methods to try and identify the individuals concerned.
To the best of my knowledge up to 5 deaths in Ireland were reported. However these were very contentious.
4 were miscarriages and it was never clarified that Covid was the cause and 1 was a boy in the North who was suffering from a serious genetic illness and this was more likely the cause.
I would be more of the view that no children died from Covid in Ireland. Certainly the international evidence is that very very few children die from Covid so this would be consistent with the view that no child died in Ireland (small relative population).
I believe the Examiner reported that up to 21 deaths from Vaccination is predicted. This does not include serious vaccine harms such as myocarditis, organ damage etc. If VAERS or the Yellow Book data is reckoned this would mean several hundred children could be serious harmed.
By what logic do you harm children to make them safe from something that doesn’t harm them.
What kind of people promote such a thing.
+1.
“ By what logic do you harm children to make them safe from something that doesn’t harm them.”
Nail on the head dude.
There’s something very wrong here.
I’m open to correction, but I have never seen miscarriages counted as deaths.
Stillbirth, yes. Miscarriages, never.
Ffs, Cian.
This is a PrePrint study so as yet has to be peer reviewed. But it is in line with other studies so not controversial. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-689684/v1
The odds of death from Covid for a child under 18 are 1 in 2 million.
Them be some good odds. ;)
“An American friend of mine said to me once…”
” Too small to be filtered by paper masks, and certainly too small to be removed by cloth masks or plastic visors.”
It is this kind of true sounding nonsense that sells the woo. The truth being that yes, viruses are very small and yes they probably would make it through a mask but viruses aren’t floating around on their own, they are in a liquid droplet which will have a much larger size than the virus, hence masks have at least some efficacy.
Countered by the fact people continuously touch their face surely?
Which is worse?
What? Are you asking if touching your face is worse than wearing a mask? Or not wearing a mask? If you’re going to rely so heavily on rhetorical questions can you at least frame them clearly? If you touch your face while wearing a mask, I would suppose the effect is not as bad as if you touched your face whil not wearing a mask, at least in terms of potential transmission of disease. Of course, the wearing of masks is promoted in conjunction with the washing of hands, so overall risk is reduced either way.
It is the transmission of a virus not a disease- do try to keep up precious?
And…?
We don’t require children to wear them as the WHO recommends that kids would keep touching their faces , get them dirty, not use them properly etc.
Then ask yourself how effective they can be when you see EVERY SINGLE FECKING PERSON in the shop taking a crusty mask from their pocket that has probably been beside their loose change for weeks. Do you think the lads working in Lidl are changing their masks every hour? Are they feck
It’s ridiculous and pointless. The only reason most people are doing it is because of social pressure. And all it does is to pump up the fear and remind everyone to be afraid.
Oh and cause division. The government love that.
And you’ll be doing it a year next month. ;)
I don’t think masks being manky reduces their effectiveness in reducing transmission, just that you shouldn’t really be putting manky things over your face. Your aversion to other people’s masks being kept in other people’s pockets seems like a personal issue for yourself. If you think they were introduced in order to cause division – who knew a sector of society would become so invested in opposing public health measures? And I would argue that since the mask-wearing reduces risk of transmission, wearing them concomitantly reduces fear.
“…seems like a personal issue for yourself.”
What – masks?
What ever gave you that idea my man? ;)
I mean…(deep breath) it’s not like in August 2020, that I said that masks were the ‘thin end of the wedge’ and that they were bad for our society, pretty useless when it came to containing 100k fupping virus particles in your breath and would eventually lead to society being so demoralised and fragmented, that when the government started talking about actually segregating society with Chinese Communist style smartphone apps and giving vaccines with absolutely zero long term data to children – most people would just roll over and go “Ok, I guess.”
But yeah… great idea they were.
“I don’t think..”
Yeah, great..
Surgeons swap then out every half hour, presumably because when they become manky the tft layer breaks down and the mask ceases to be effective, and becomes harmful to the patient.
Micko: society may be demoralised, but it’s nothing to do with masks.
GP: people going to the shops aren’t performing surgery unless something’s gone very wrong.
Ever rub two pieces of cloth together? What happens?
Now imagine what happens to multiple layers of fabric in masks as they rub together… what might this do to small particles?
Hint – This does not turn you into a magnet…
In the meantime, take off the face nappies and keep burning witches folks…
Some excellent news hopefully it will be the beginning of a clampdown
Grandmother jailed for 90 days over refusal to wear face mask
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/grandmother-jailed-for-90-days-over-refusal-to-wear-face-mask-1.4618417