Author Archives: Bodger

Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley TD addressed the Public Accounts Committee, which he chairs. and apologised for his tweet about the Kilmichael and Warrenpoint attacks

This afternoon.

Yesterday: Ambushed

Oireachtas/RollingNews

Good grief.

Saoirse in the lead?

Earlier: Inoculation Once Again

Monday:  Tough Love

Minister For Health Stephen Donnelly

This afternoon.

Via RTÉ:

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said the European Medicines Agency will conduct a final review of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on 29 December and if approved it could begin to be distributed in Ireland from early January.

Mr Donnelly said that the EMA indicated today that the approval of a second vaccine from Moderna will be decided upon at a second meeting on 12 January.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mr Donnelly said that the EMA is also considering the credentials of the AstroZeneca/Oxford vaccine and a fourth vaccine from Jansen.

Vaccine rollout could begin early in New Year, says Donnelly

Meanwhile…

Just over half the population would take a Covid-19 vaccine if there was one, according to a survey commissioned by the pharmaceutical industry.

Men are more likely to take the vaccine, and older people more than the young, the survey for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association suggests.

Some 55 per cent of people surveyed said they would opt for the vaccine, 33 per cent were unsure and 12 per cent said they would not take it. One fifth of those aged between 18 and 34 were opposed to taking the vaccine.

Mr Donnelly said he did not envisage making the taking of the vaccine compulsory.

Because he can’t, silly.

Vaccine rollout could begin early in New Year, says Donnelly (Irish Times)

Meanwhile….

The Government has agreed to indemnify five drug companies producing Covid-19 vaccines against any liabilities that arise from complications with their roll-out in the coming months.

The move is considered standard practice, but is also a precondition of accessing doses of each of the companies’ vaccine and signals the Government’s confidence in the jabs being approved for quality, safety and efficacy by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the coming week.

Good times.

State to underwrite virus vaccine firms to reassure patients as UK approves Pfizer jab (Independent.ie)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Um.

This afternoon.

Evil, easily-spread marijuana.

The streets are a little safer today.

This afternoon.

In an update to its Covid-19 guidance on masks, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended wearing face masks when indoors with other people ‘if the ventilation has been deemed inadequate’.

“WHO advises that the general public should wear a non-medical mask in indoor or outdoor settings where physical distancing of at least one metre cannot be maintained,” the new guidance says.

“If indoors, unless ventilation has been assessed to be adequate, WHO advises that the general public should wear a non-medical mask, regardless of whether physical distancing of at least one metre can be maintained.”

Meanwhile…

As for face shields, WHO said they “provide a level of eye protection only and should not be considered as an equivalent to masks” when it came to protection against respiratory droplets.

“If face shields are to be used, ensure proper design to cover the sides of the face and below the chin,” the guidance said.

WHO recommends masks indoors if ventilation poor (RTÉ)

RollingNews

Aidan Fitzmaurice.

First person brown enveloper.

Contains: Jack Chambers, Pee Flynn.

Previously: Aidan Fitzmaurice on Broadsheet

Top from left: Peter Fitzpatrick TD, Senator Sharon Keogan, Senator Rónán Mullen, Carol Nolan TD, and Mattie McGrath TD

This afternoon.

Leinster House, Dublin 2.

Members of the All-Party Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group launching the ‘Late-Term Abortion and Foetal Pain – Proposing a Humane Response’ document calling for a ban on late term abortions. The report is based off findings from a University College Cork survey with ten foetal medicine specialists carrying out fatal foetal anomaly (FFA) abortions in Ireland.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Luke Kelly snr.

Early victim of extreme Dublin bike hate.

Catherine Connolly TD

This afternoon.

The Dáil, sitting in the Convention Centre.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly spoke during the motion on pay for student nurses and midwives.

She described Junior Health Minister Anne Rabbitte’s speech on how “exciting” the nursing career is as ‘disingenuous’. As was, she added, an ovation by TDs ahead of the debate for student nurses in the chamber.

Deputy Connolly said:

“The clapping. I felt embarrassed, I have to say, I clapped on two occasions. I did it with some, with some shame really, as I clapped for the nurses.

Because the hollowness of my clap and the hollowness of the clap of all of us was deafening really because, at the same time, we were in receipt of constant representations from nurses, student nurses who weren’t really being protected.

There was the whole debacle over the protective gear and all of that and then carrying out a huge burden without any payment. And then for a little while we brought in some payment for them and then took it away again, ostensibly because the situation has changed now. The situation hasn’t changed.

“Of course it has changed to the extent that we’re not using as many intensive care beds and there are not as many in hospitals but we’re actually going to face, as you well know, another surge in January or February.

Now what’s being asked here is a temporary measure as I understand it in relation to Covid and Covid is very much still with us and we talked about €18billion of extra funding going to businesses and rightly so and going to other organisations but not for student nurses, not the nurses on whom we depend.

And any study in a previous life, in psychology, any study that I ever read or looked at showed that people got better quicker as a result of interaction between nurses and the patient. I might add the porters and the cleaners as well if we treasured them and we should treasure them much better.

“But that was the greatest predictor of a patient getting better. Not the actual doctors which I pay tribute to them as well but that wasn’t the predictor of patients getting better…”

Earlier: Not All Heroes Get Paid

Joe Biden (left) and Donald Trump

This morning.

The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon, according to court records unsealed Tuesday in federal court.

Justice Department investigating potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal (CNN)

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

US President Donald Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, said yesterday that the justice department so far had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election”.

Trump inciting violence, warns Georgia election official (BBC)

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Sky News Australia.

FIGHT!

Getty