Author Archives: Bodger

Meanwhile…

Anyone?

Yesterday: “The House Is On Fire”

Yesterday.

Seanad Eireann.

Fianna Fáil Senator Gerry Horkan advocated banning the unjabbed from supermarkets and public transport.

Senator Horkan said:

“Here we are on 23 November and the month of December is traditionally the most important for the licensed trade and hospitality business, at between 2.5 and three times the normal month. It is not like closing in March, November or October. It is a significant month.

Of course we have to have balance and of course we have to make sure we are safe but it is so important that we encourage people. We must look at the figures and try to make sure everybody knows the vaccination system is very safe.

I know we got a lot of emails in response to something I said to the Leader on another day. They really work. If we look at the figures that came out yesterday, the 54% in ICU who are unvaccinated are generally younger and extremely healthy before they get Covid but they end up in ICU. They are healthy younger people who just did not think it would affect them.

Everybody who has been vaccinated and is in ICU has an underlying condition. We wish them all well. However, the point is that vaccines work.

As others have said, vaccine certificates should be required for entry into gyms and hairdressers. Why not introduce such a requirement for supermarkets and public transport? I know it is difficult to police some of these things, but really, if people want to participate in society, they need to be vaccinated.

If they do not want to participate in society, that is okay. They can stay at home; that is their business. However, unvaccinated people are putting themselves, their families, the rest of us and the economy at risk.

None of us wants a lockdown. It is in all of our hands to behave as best we can. We can socialise safely. If people are vaccinated, it is unlikely to do them too much harm if they do not have a pre-existing condition.

I ask the Leader to organise a proper discussion of this issue. New communities may not be as tuned into mainstream media, newspapers and radio. Let us ensure all are aware of the benefits of vaccination.”

Earlier: Urgent Medical Care

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Adrian Brennan’s ‘Hope Coffee’, opening for it’s first brew beside Heuston station earlier

This morning.

Hueston Station, Dublin.

Luke Brennan writes:

It’s been my brother Adrian’s (a chef by trade, ex Pitt bros) dream to open his own business all his life. The stars have aligned and after 8 years on a waiting list, he’s got himself a spot beside Heuston Station.

He’ll be serving up gourmet coffee, cakes and sandwiches from 7:30am each day to anyone who has a need.

In fairness.

Paddy Cosgrave

This morning.

Paddy Cosgrave alleged to have hacked rival event company, court documents say (irish Times)

Web Summit founder claims Paddy Cosgrave ‘hacked’ into rival firm’s email (The Times)

RollingNews

Maria Arbuckle, whose son was removed from her for adoption when she was 18

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Adoptees and survivors of Mother and Baby homes address media and TDs outside the Dail in to express their “feelings of disappointment and disgust” in response to Government’s redress scheme.

Last week: Terms Of Redress

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Australia’s Northern Territory’s Howard Springs quarantine centre

This afternoon.

Further to yesterday’s announcement from Australia’s Northern Territory Chief Minister that the army will move covid positive cases and their contacts to isolation centres…

….health authorities in South Australia are organising camps for Aboriginal people ‘unable to quarantine at home’.

Via The Age:

South Australia Health opened a tender calling for expressions of interest from organisations that can provide “services for the effective quarantine of vulnerable persons who have been identified as close contacts” and “culturally appropriate and safe quarantine conditions”.

“It has been identified that facilities would be required for the quarantining of persons who would otherwise be unable to home quarantine due to their living circumstances,” the procurement document states.

“It has been identified that various sites will be required for use as facilities, due to the vulnerability of persons in multiple communities, including Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Renmark and Mount Gambier.”

The tender makes specific reference to 14-day quarantine periods – mandatory for unvaccinated close contacts – as opposed to the seven-day quarantine requirement for vaccinated contacts.

Yesterday: Get On The Truck

Earlier: Austrian Resistance

SA Health plans regional quarantine camps for Indigenous close contacts (The Age)

SA Health planning COVID quarantine camps in case of outbreak (IN Daily)

APP


This afternoon.

Government Buildings. Dublin 2.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe attempts  to explain the government’s position on antigen testing.

Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Earlier…

This afternoon.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is expected to secure Government approval to subsidise antigen testing…

…..Social Democrats Spokesperson for Children Jennifer Whitmore says:

“Discussions currently are focused on trying to design a subsidy scheme, which is entirely misguided. The building is on fire. We need to act now to put it out – not stand around and debate the cost of fire extinguishers.

“We are in an emergency situation and the most important thing we need to do is identify cases and suppress transmission. Free antigen testing would help us to do that. Given the huge surge in cases, it would be destructive to our efforts to manage this crisis if cost were to become a barrier to antigen testing.

“The government, and Nphet, have been dismissive of the public’s ability to correctly use antigen tests, but people are not stupid. They have followed all of the public health advice to the best of their ability for nearly two years.

“When this surge has abated, we can then discuss a subsidy. But the situation is too grave now for any further indecision or delay.”

Meanwhile…

Via Fintan O’Toole in the Irish Times:

…There was an extraordinary moment last June at a hearing on antigen tests held by the Oireachtas transport committee. One of the experts, Prof Mary Keogan, consultant immunologist and national clinical lead for pathology, held up two antigen tests, one negative and one positive. She announced that she had created the negative result by putting butter on the test. She produced the positive result with tonic water.
Worse than useless

The implication was clear – self-administered tests are worse than useless because people can cheat. This was very much in line with the description by Nphet’s chief modeller Prof Philip Nolan of a test being sold in a supermarket chain as “snake oil”.

What was not produced, however, was any evidence that lots of Irish people are in fact cheating on antigen tests. Perhaps to a certain kind of scientific mind it seems obvious that if people can do something they must be doing it.

That suspicion seems unshakeable. Even after the Government decided on Monday last week to move ahead with a wider use of antigen testing, its chief medical adviser Dr Tony Holohan continued to lobby against the policy….

Messaging on the pandemic has become just a mess (Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times)

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Leinster House. Dublin 2.

Fine Gael Senator Regina O’Doherty discusses The Horticultural Peat (Temporary Measures) Bill 2021 due to be introduced before the Seanad this afternoon

The bill hopes to end ‘Irish horticultural growers’ reliance on expensive imported peat as a growing medium for their produce by allowing them to extract Irish peat as part of a Just Transition’.

Or will it?

Peat Bill will allow extraction of Irish peat – Doherty (Fine Gael)

Meanwhile…

Converse or Vans?

We may never know.

RollingNews