theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Taoiseach rules out immediate restrictions for Dublin and Limerick

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there was a lot of concern about the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections in Dublin and Limerick but ruled out immediate local restrictions for the two counties .
Mr Martin said the Government ’ s longer-term plan for managing the virus , which is due to be launched next Tuesday , would “ deal more comprehensively ” with spikes in Covid-19 cases in the two counties .
“ No specific decisions have been made in relation to those counties right now and Nphet will continue to monitor the situation , ” he told reporters at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be a Covid-19 cabinet meeting on Thursday where this would be discussed “ in great detail , ” he said .
The message to people in Dublin and Limerick was to remain “ very vigilant , socially distance , reduce your social contacts , ” he said .
The Government had learned from regional responses like the local restrictions in Laois , Offaly and Kildare last month but that did not mean it would apply the same response in other counties .
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the need to introduce restrictions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 cases is higher in Belfast or other European cities .
“ As a citizen and resident of Dublin and a minister responsible for business and employment , I would want a very good justification for that from the public health people as to why we would do anything more drastic in Dublin or Limerick than is being done in other cities around Europe that may have a higher incidence , ” he said .
Asked whether the Government was considering similar measures to Glasgow where people are restricted from visiting other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Varadkar said that he did not know whether they had worked and that there would need to be an analysis of them first .
Mr Varadkar said that the public managed to reduce the virus to very low levels earlier in the summer with public health measures and that people need “ to step that up and intensify that ” to avoid any new restrictions .
Mr Martin said the decision to open pubs that do not serve food was made in consultation with the National Public Health Emergency Team and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The decision was made to reopen the pubs because they had suffered financially and that there would be “ significant conditions attached ” to how they reopen and that being in a pub would be a “ far different experience ” than before the coronavirus pandemic .

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there would be “significant conditions attached” to how pubs reopen and that being in a pub would be a “far different experience”. Photograph: Julien Behal Photography/PA Wire
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there was a lot of concern about the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections in Dublin and Limerick but ruled out immediate local restrictions for the two counties.
Mr Martin said the Government’s longer-term plan for managing the virus, which is due to be launched next Tuesday, would “deal more comprehensively” with spikes in Covid-19 cases in the two counties.
“No specific decisions have been made in relation to those counties right now and Nphet will continue to monitor the situation,” he told reporters at a press briefing at Government Buildings.
There will be a Covid-19 cabinet meeting on Thursday where this would be discussed “in great detail,” he said.
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The message to people in Dublin and Limerick was to remain “very vigilant, socially distance, reduce your social contacts,” he said.
The Government had learned from regional responses like the local restrictions in Laois, Offaly and Kildare last month but that did not mean it would apply the same response in other counties.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the need to introduce restrictions in Dublin and Limerick when the incidence of Covid-19 cases is higher in Belfast or other European cities.
“As a citizen and resident of Dublin and a minister responsible for business and employment, I would want a very good justification for that from the public health people as to why we would do anything more drastic in Dublin or Limerick than is being done in other cities around Europe that may have a higher incidence,” he said.
Asked whether the Government was considering similar measures to Glasgow where people are restricted from visiting other people’s homes to stem infections, Mr Varadkar said that he did not know whether they had worked and that there would need to be an analysis of them first.
Mr Varadkar said that the public managed to reduce the virus to very low levels earlier in the summer with public health measures and that people need “to step that up and intensify that” to avoid any new restrictions.
Mr Martin said the decision to open pubs that do not serve food was made in consultation with the National Public Health Emergency Team and the acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.
The decision was made to reopen the pubs because they had suffered financially and that there would be “significant conditions attached” to how they reopen and that being in a pub would be a “far different experience” than before the coronavirus pandemic.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Covid-19: NMH master says politicians will not decide lifting of its restrictions

The master of the National Maternity Hospital has said staff will not be influenced by politicians in lifting Covid-19 restrictions .
Prof Shane Higgins stressed the restrictions it has introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic have been effective in keeping the virus out of the hospital .
“ I am happy to respond to any parliamentarian or anybody else , but we won ’ t be forced into making knee-jerk decisions because we are being put under pressure , ” he said .
“ That is not in the best interest of anyone .
We have a lot of staff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it as best we can.
” The mayor of Dublin , Cllr Hazel Chu , has written to Dublin ’ s three maternity hospitals and asked them to ease restrictions on fathers or birth partners .
Separately , Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie said the Covid-19 restrictions in most maternity hospitals in the State need to be eased for birth partners .
She said maternity hospitals in the North changed their guidelines in July to allow a birthing partner access for the duration of labour and birth , including induction , 12-week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clinics .
Currently , fathers or birth partners have been allowed into the labour ward or theatre but can not attend any ultrasound scans or antenatal visits .
Ms Currie said the decision not to allow birthing partners to attend the 20-week anomaly scan or the 12-week scan “ are very blunt in managing what is an amazing , emotional but also a frightening , physically draining and sometimes devastating time ” .
Birthing instructor Sarah Flynn tweeted that a lot of attention was being placed on the pubs , “ but nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women are getting ?
” The NMH Covid-19 taskforce is set to meet on Friday to consider the easing of restrictions .
Prof Higgins said there was a possibility birth partners will be allowed at the critical 20-week anomaly scan but not for other scans or antenatal appointments because it would double the footfall into the hospital .
He said they have been “ appropriate and pragmatic ” in allowing birth partners in recent months and that their restrictions were under constant review .
“ The 20 week anomaly scan is a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That would be the next appropriate thing to do.
” He added he did not believe allowing partners to attend other scans or clinics “ is in anybody ’ s best interest ” .
He added : “ Patients have acknowledged that everything we have done has been in their best interests .
The vast majority of patients are very tolerant of the restrictions we have put in place .
“ We acknowledge how difficult this is for couples .
We are not doing this just to be punitive .
We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appreciate it , ” Prof Higgins said .

Dáil told it seemed “more important for a father to be able to wet his baby’s head rather than to see his baby’s head”. Photograph: iStock
No Covid-19 maternal deaths in Ireland and a low rate of the virus among pregnant women signals that current visitor restrictions in hospitals are working, the Dáil has been told.
Amid claims that the restrictions were “bonkers”, Minister of State for Health Mary Butler insisted there could not be a one-size-fits-all approach to visitor restrictions which were decided at local level and regularly reviewed and aimed purely at protecting women and their babies.
She acknowledged the difficulty for women and their partners but said it had been regrettably necessary to reduce footfall in all hospitals.
“This has been achieved in part by the introduction of visitor restrictions, which has unfortunately included limitations on access of partners to maternity wards, theatres and appointments.”
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The Minister said it would be devastating if there was an outbreak of Covid-19 in maternity units that would negatively affect their ability to provide proper care.
Ms Butler was responding to calls from opposition TDs for restrictions to be lifted on the partners of pregnant women in all 19 maternity facilities in the State to allow them attend prenatal scans.
Sinn Féin North Kildare TD Réana Cronin said the restrictions “are straight up bonkers” when pubs could re-open and it seemed “more important for a father to be able to wet his baby’s head rather than to see his baby’s head”.
Ms Cronin suggested a solution could be found and because protective equipment is easily available, partners could be allowed in for a half an hour at a time during labour and for an hour when labour ended.
Social Democrats Cork South-West TD Holly Cairns highlighted the case of a woman who had an emergency caesarian section and went through the entire labour, surgery and five days in hospital without any support and her husband only met the baby after they were discharged.
She said that in some cases pregnant women were receiving bad news and had to phone their partners sitting outside in the car in “heart-breaking” situations.
Ms Butler said “these restrictions are reviewed on a frequent basis and will be lifted as soon as hospitals believe it is safe to do so”.
The Minister noted the varying restrictions in maternity units and that in University Hospital Galway partners are admitted when expectant mothers are undergoing C-section, while in Mayo partners can attend with mothers in labour and in Waterford birthing partners can attend when the mother is in established labour.
Knee-jerk decisions
Earlier the master of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin said staff will not be influenced by politicians in lifting Covid-19 restrictions.
Prof Shane Higgins stressed the restrictions it has introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic have been effective in keeping the virus out of the hospital.
“I am happy to respond to any parliamentarian or anybody else, but we won’t be forced into making knee-jerk decisions because we are being put under pressure,” he said.
“That is not in the best interest of anyone. We have a lot of staff, patients and new-born babies and we will do it as best we can.”
Prof Higgins said there was a possibility birth partners will be allowed at the critical 20-week anomaly scan but not for other scans or antenatal appointments because it would double the footfall into the hospital.
He said they have been “appropriate and pragmatic” in allowing birth partners in recent months and that their restrictions were under constant review.
“The 20 week anomaly scan is a very big, watershed moment in the pregnancy. That would be the next appropriate thing to do.”
He added he did not believe allowing partners to attend other scans or clinics “is in anybody’s best interest”. The NMH Covid-19 taskforce is set to meet on Friday to consider the easing of restrictions.
The mayor of Dublin, Cllr Hazel Chu, has written to Dublin's three maternity hospitals and asked them to ease restrictions on fathers or birth partners.
Currently, fathers or birth partners have been allowed into the labour ward or theatre but cannot attend any ultrasound scans or antenatal visits.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--UK should promote Irish in Northern Ireland as ‘matter of priority’ - report

The United Kingdom should adopt a comprehensive law and strategy on the promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland as a “ matter of priority ” , a council of European Ministers has found .
The Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages ( ECRML ) , which seeks to protect and promote languages used by traditional minorities , issued its fifth report into the UK ’ s implementation of the charter .
While the committee found “ considerable progress ” in the protection and promotion of minority languages , it noted that the UK has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the minority languages of Cornish , Irish and Ulster Scots .
The report hightlights that the Northern Ireland Assembly has so far not reached a consensus on the adoption of an Irish Language Act .
Disputes over the status of Irish in Northern Ireland played a significant part in the collapse of the power-sharing executive in Stormont in 2017 .
“ The committee of experts considers the adoption of such legislation as essential to free the promotion of Irish from political tensions , ” the report states .
The committee said the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland continues to be “ highly politicised ” .
The report noted that some departments of the Northern Irish authorities as well as some local authorities have adopted “ single-language policies ” , excluding the use of Irish , which is “ incompatible with the charter ” .
The Committee of Experts also highlighted that the use of Irish in Northern Irish courts is still illegal under legislation from 1737 , which the committee considers to be “ discriminatory ” .
The report states that the use of place names in Irish by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Royal Mail is “ patchy ” and that bilingual signage is usually limited to areas where Irish speakers constitute a large majority of the population .
“ This implicit threshold is incompatible with the charter , ” the report states .
In the media , the BBC broadcasts around five hours of radio programmes in Irish per week and occasional television programmes in Irish , the committee notes .
“ As part of their licensing conditions , the United Kingdom authorities should require that commercial stations broadcast Irish programmes on a regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the report also notes that responsibility for the Cornish language is not yet devolved , which hampers the ability of local authorities to promote this language .
The Council of Europe also said that more work needed to be done to promote Ulster Scots in the education system and in the media , Based on the expert report , the Committee of Ministers has recommended that – as a priority – the UK authorities adopt a comprehensive law and strategy on the promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland , continue to strengthen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibilities to Cornwall county council to enable it to effectively promote Cornish .
The UK is expected to provide information on the implementation of these main recommendations in the course of 2020 , the report adds .

Disputes over the status of Irish in Northern Ireland played a significant part in the collapse of the power-sharing executive in Stormont in 2017.
The United Kingdom should adopt a comprehensive law and strategy on the promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland as a "matter of priority", a council of European Ministers has found.
The Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages (ECRML), which seeks to protect and promote languages used by traditional minorities, issued its fifth report into the UK’s implementation of the charter.
While the committee found "considerable progress" in the protection and promotion of minority languages, it noted that the UK has not upheld its treaty obligations to promote the minority languages of Cornish, Irish and Ulster Scots.
The report hightlights that the Northern Ireland Assembly has so far not reached a consensus on the adoption of an Irish Language Act. Disputes over the status of Irish in Northern Ireland played a significant part in the collapse of the power-sharing executive in Stormont in 2017.
READ MORE
“The committee of experts considers the adoption of such legislation as essential to free the promotion of Irish from political tensions,” the report states.
The committee said the public use and promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland continues to be “highly politicised”.
The report noted that some departments of the Northern Irish authorities as well as some local authorities have adopted “single-language policies”, excluding the use of Irish, which is “incompatible with the charter”.
The Committee of Experts also highlighted that the use of Irish in Northern Irish courts is still illegal under legislation from 1737, which the committee considers to be “discriminatory”.
The report states that the use of place names in Irish by local authorities and public service providers such as Royal Mail is "patchy" and that bilingual signage is usually limited to areas where Irish speakers constitute a large majority of the population.
“This implicit threshold is incompatible with the charter,” the report states.
In the media, the BBC broadcasts around five hours of radio programmes in Irish per week and occasional television programmes in Irish, the committee notes.
“As part of their licensing conditions, the United Kingdom authorities should require that commercial stations broadcast Irish programmes on a regular basis,” it recommends.
Meanwhile, the report also notes that responsibility for the Cornish language is not yet devolved, which hampers the ability of local authorities to promote this language.
The Council of Europe also said that more work needed to be done to promote Ulster Scots in the education system and in the media,
Based on the expert report, the Committee of Ministers has recommended that – as a priority – the UK authorities adopt a comprehensive law and strategy on the promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland, continue to strengthen Scottish Gaelic education and devolve the necessary responsibilities to Cornwall county council to enable it to effectively promote Cornish.
The UK is expected to provide information on the implementation of these main recommendations in the course of 2020, the report adds.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Covid-19: Restrictions on visiting other people’s homes may hit Dublin and Limerick

People in Dublin and Limerick are facing a ban on visiting other people ’ s homes if the spike in Covid-19 cases in both cities does not stabilise by the weekend .
The Government is considering introducing restrictions on people ’ s movements similar to those introduced in Glasgow , where household meet-ups are seen as the driver of a rise in infections there .
Nicola Sturgeon ’ s government has responded to a rapid increase of cases in Scotland ’ s second city by restricting people from visiting other people ’ s homes or hosting people from other households @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time it has allowed pubs and restaurants to remain open and has allowed people to meet outdoors .
A total of 307 new cases were reported on Tuesday , the highest number since mid-May , along with the first death in almost a month .
The number of cases since the pandemic started has now passed the 30,000 mark , to 30,080 .
Dublin accounted for 182 of the new cases , prompting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn to express concern over the rising number of cases in the capital .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ stem from home outbreaks and not from public social settings such as pubs and restaurants .
The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest data and will then advise the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19 .
Dr Glynn has emphasised in recent days the need for numbers to stabilise in Dublin and Limerick .
The restrictions , if introduced , would be less punitive than the recent lockdowns of Co Kildare , Co Offaly and Co Laois .
A senior Government source said there would be a re-emphasis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit the number of their social contacts and their movements .
That could include guidelines to cut down on using public transport , and for some workers to return to working from home .
It came as the Cabinet decided to allow an estimated 3,500 pubs that serve drink reopen on September 21st .
After being closed for six months , the so-called “ wet ” pubs will be allowed operate under similar guidelines as premises that serve food .
A Government spokeswoman said on Tuesday the reopening would apply to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a result of rising numbers , they would be wider and would affect other businesses and not pubs solely .
Separately , on Tuesday night , a second member of Fáilte Ireland ’ s board resigned .
Breege O ’ Donoghue went on holiday to her second home in Marbella , Spain , for a week in July and another week in August despite the Government advising against non-essential travel to that country .
The Government is expected to publish its medium-term plan to deal with the pandemic early next week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of spectators at outdoor sports events such as GAA and rugby .
One Cabinet source said on Tuesday that Covid would be in Ireland for a long time and the Government needed to effect a balancing act between containing the virus and keeping the economy open .
“ We have to be very careful about any notion of lockdown in Dublin , ” said the source .
“ It accounts for one-third of the economy so it should be kept open as much as possible .
”

A motorist is handed a test kit at a pop-up Covid-19 testing facility in Dublin amid a spike in cases in the city. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
People in Dublin and Limerick are facing a ban on visiting other people’s homes if the spike in Covid-19 cases in both cities does not stabilise by the weekend.
The Government is considering introducing restrictions on people’s movements similar to those introduced in Glasgow, where household meet-ups are seen as the driver of a rise in infections there.
Nicola Sturgeon’s government has responded to a rapid increase of cases in Scotland’s second city by restricting people from visiting other people’s homes or hosting people from other households in their own homes.
At the same time it has allowed pubs and restaurants to remain open and has allowed people to meet outdoors.
READ MORE
A total of 307 new cases were reported on Tuesday, the highest number since mid-May, along with the first death in almost a month. The number of cases since the pandemic started has now passed the 30,000 mark, to 30,080.
Dublin accounted for 182 of the new cases, prompting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn to express concern over the rising number of cases in the capital.
Home outbreaks
Most of the cases identified in Dublin stem from home outbreaks and not from public social settings such as pubs and restaurants.
The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest data and will then advise the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19. Dr Glynn has emphasised in recent days the need for numbers to stabilise in Dublin and Limerick.
The restrictions, if introduced, would be less punitive than the recent lockdowns of Co Kildare, Co Offaly and Co Laois.
A senior Government source said there would be a re-emphasis on asking people to take personal responsibility to limit the number of their social contacts and their movements. That could include guidelines to cut down on using public transport, and for some workers to return to working from home.
It came as the Cabinet decided to allow an estimated 3,500 pubs that serve drink reopen on September 21st. After being closed for six months, the so-called “wet” pubs will be allowed operate under similar guidelines as premises that serve food.
A Government spokeswoman said on Tuesday the reopening would apply to all pubs. Were any regional restrictions introduced as a result of rising numbers, they would be wider and would affect other businesses and not pubs solely.
Travel breach
Separately, on Tuesday night, a second member of Fáilte Ireland’s board resigned. Breege O’Donoghue went on holiday to her second home in Marbella, Spain, for a week in July and another week in August despite the Government advising against non-essential travel to that country.
The Government is expected to publish its medium-term plan to deal with the pandemic early next week. This is expected to allow larger numbers of spectators at outdoor sports events such as GAA and rugby.
One Cabinet source said on Tuesday that Covid would be in Ireland for a long time and the Government needed to effect a balancing act between containing the virus and keeping the economy open.
“We have to be very careful about any notion of lockdown in Dublin,” said the source. “It accounts for one-third of the economy so it should be kept open as much as possible.”


theirishtimes--2020-09-08--Leaving Cert: South Dublin school says ‘warped bias’ downgraded students

A south Dublin secondary school is seeking an investigation into how its Leaving Cert results were calculated after it received significantly fewer top grades than it expected .
St Kilian ’ s Deutsche Schule in Clonskeagh is a private school which specialises in the teaching of German and has many children who are native speakers or have spent significant periods of time in Germany .
While it expected half of its students to secure a H1 in German based on past performance , just 14 per cent secured this grade under the calculated grades process .
In a letter to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alice Lynch expressed the school ’ s “ deep concern ” at the “ very flawed process ” applied to the calculation of grades in German at higher level for the school .
“ The results we have received bear no relationship to the ability , past performance or calculated mark awarded to the students from this school , ” she stated .
“ I want this investigated as it can not be justified in any context given the nature of the school curriculum , students ’ performances in German language exams from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Leaving Certificate German exams every year .
“ The students in St Kilian ’ s have been seriously disadvantaged because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK .
Where is the justice here ?
How is this wrong to be righted ?
” A number of other private or grind schools have said privately that their teachers ’ estimated grades were lowered by anywhere between 20 to 40 per cent , well in excess of the national average of 17 per cent .
One source said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” from the department ’ s standardisation process may have ended up harming high-achieving schools .
The Department of Education , however , said the calculated grades process was “ blind ” and there is no evidence of bias towards any school type .
On the issue of St Kilian ’ s , a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said on Tuesday evening it had received the letter and would respond in due course .
Ms Lynch said that in some case , students at St Kilian ’ s who were awarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given “ two entirely different grades ” , with a deviation of two grade levels .
In another case , she said “ mother tongue ” students were downgraded from a H1 to H2 or , in some cases , a H3 .
Ms Lynch said students in the school who achieved high grades in the German Sprachdiplom exams – considered far more challenging than the Leaving Cert – would have expected to achieve H1 grades .
However , many ended up being awarded H2 or H3 marks .
“ These pupils have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a German university , ” she wrote .
“ Please explain to me the fairness of an algorithm that can get things so utterly wrong.
” Overall , teachers at the school estimated that their students would secure 19 H1 marks , based on their past performance .
However , only six achieved H1s .
In total , Ms Lynch said 24 pupils were downgraded from their calculated mark in German by a single grade .
A further eight pupils were downgraded by two grade levels .
Only nine pupils were awarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ estimates , she added .
Meanwhile , Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said he has secured a further 500 additional higher education places in a bid to ease points pressure when CAO results are released on Friday .
This bring the total number of additional higher education places this year - including those due to meet demographic growth - to about 5,000 or 10 per cent of total college places for first year students .
There has been growing concern over the impact of grade inflation on college applicants this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thousands of these students argue that their results will be devalued and that they will miss out on college places as a result .

A south Dublin secondary school is seeking an investigation into how its Leaving Cert results were calculated after it received significantly fewer top grades than it expected.
St Kilian's Deutsche Schule in Clonskeagh is a private school which specialises in the teaching of German and has many children who are native speakers or have spent significant periods of time in Germany.
While it expected half of its students to secure a H1 in German based on past performance, just 14 per cent secured this grade under the calculated grades process.
In a letter to the Department of Education, school principal Alice Lynch expressed the school's "deep concern" at the "very flawed process" applied to the calculation of grades in German at higher level for the school.
READ MORE
“The results we have received bear no relationship to the ability, past performance or calculated mark awarded to the students from this school,” she stated.
“I want this investigated as it cannot be justified in any context given the nature of the school curriculum, students’ performances in German language exams from Germany and the performance of the school in the Leaving Certificate German exams every year.
“The students in St Kilian’s have been seriously disadvantaged because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK. Where is the justice here? How is this wrong to be righted?”
‘Entirely different grades’
A number of other private or grind schools have said privately that their teachers’ estimated grades were lowered by anywhere between 20 to 40 per cent, well in excess of the national average of 17 per cent.
One source said the decision to take out “school profiling” from the department’s standardisation process may have ended up harming high-achieving schools.
The Department of Education, however, said the calculated grades process was “blind” and there is no evidence of bias towards any school type.
On the issue of St Kilian’s, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said on Tuesday evening it had received the letter and would respond in due course.
Ms Lynch said that in some case, students at St Kilian’s who were awarded the same estimated mark by teachers were given “two entirely different grades”, with a deviation of two grade levels.
In another case, she said “mother tongue” students were downgraded from a H1 to H2 or, in some cases, a H3.
Ms Lynch said students in the school who achieved high grades in the German Sprachdiplom exams – considered far more challenging than the Leaving Cert – would have expected to achieve H1 grades. However, many ended up being awarded H2 or H3 marks.
“These pupils have reached the language proficiency level to study at a German university,” she wrote. “Please explain to me the fairness of an algorithm that can get things so utterly wrong.”
Overall, teachers at the school estimated that their students would secure 19 H1 marks, based on their past performance. However, only six achieved H1s.
In total, Ms Lynch said 24 pupils were downgraded from their calculated mark in German by a single grade. A further eight pupils were downgraded by two grade levels. Only nine pupils were awarded a grade in line with their teachers’ estimates, she added.
Meanwhile, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said he has secured a further 500 additional higher education places in a bid to ease points pressure when CAO results are released on Friday.
This bring the total number of additional higher education places this year - including those due to meet demographic growth - to about 5,000 or 10 per cent of total college places for first year students.
There has been growing concern over the impact of grade inflation on college applicants this year who are using results from previous years. Thousands of these students argue that their results will be devalued and that they will miss out on college places as a result.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--How much will CAO points increase? All bets off this year

As the release of the CAO offers draws near , students and parents are flooding The Irish Times live helpdesk ( irishtimes.com/helpdesk ) with inquiries relating to the expected points increase across courses .
On Friday at 2pm when first-round offers are released , all will be revealed .
But what elements will go into determining the score of the student who secures the final place in each course tomorrow ?
The most important component in determining the CAO points score of that final place to be offered is the total number of places the college offers in a specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain the same as in 2019 and the CAO points score of Leaving Cert students remained constant in the current year compared to last year , then there will probably be very little movement in the points required to secure a place on that course .
As we all know 2020 , and what has occurred in the current year , means that all bets are off when trying to predict how points will go for individual courses this year .
Grades for this year ’ s cohort of Leaving Cert students are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those achieved by students in 2019 .
Looked at from the perspective of honours degree courses , where most of the competition for college places occurs , the number of students taking higher level papers has also increased by 3 per cent from 66 to 69 .
We know teachers were very generous with their estimated grades for students .
In fact , these marks would have to be reduced in 60 per cent of cases to bring the performance back in line with last year ’ s scores .
The actual reduction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 per cent , with 4 per cent of estimated grades being increased .
So , 79 per cent of estimated grades remained as teachers originally submitted them .
The mean average CAO points score increase in student performance at higher level in 2020 is about 10 per cent .
If the number of places on offer from colleges remain constant , then one might expect CAO points for each programme to increase sharply .
This would be hugely upsetting for students who secured surprisingly good outcomes on Monday last , and thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were certain to receive an offer of their preferred course .
For the 20,000 CAO applicants who carry results forward from 2019 and previous years , they are at a huge disadvantage .
The Government , mindful of the damage so many disappointed CAO applicants could have , has been frantically providing additional places throughout the third-level system .
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris announced that 80 0 were sourced on Wednesday , in addition to 1,250 additional places created last week .
Many of these will be allocated to high-demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them back down to as close as possible to 2019 levels .
The extent to which he will have succeeded or not , will become evident at 2pm on Friday .

On Friday at 2pm when first-round offers are released, all will be revealed. Photograph: iStock
As the release of the CAO offers draws near, students and parents are flooding The Irish Times live helpdesk (irishtimes.com/helpdesk) with inquiries relating to the expected points increase across courses.
On Friday at 2pm when first-round offers are released, all will be revealed.
But what elements will go into determining the score of the student who secures the final place in each course tomorrow?
The most important component in determining the CAO points score of that final place to be offered is the total number of places the college offers in a specific programme.
READ MORE
If the number of places remain the same as in 2019 and the CAO points score of Leaving Cert students remained constant in the current year compared to last year, then there will probably be very little movement in the points required to secure a place on that course.
As we all know 2020, and what has occurred in the current year, means that all bets are off when trying to predict how points will go for individual courses this year.
Grades for this year’s cohort of Leaving Cert students are on average 4.4 per cent ahead of those achieved by students in 2019.
Very generous
Looked at from the perspective of honours degree courses, where most of the competition for college places occurs, the number of students taking higher level papers has also increased by 3 per cent from 66 to 69.
We know teachers were very generous with their estimated grades for students. In fact, these marks would have to be reduced in 60 per cent of cases to bring the performance back in line with last year’s scores.
The actual reduction in the scores submitted by teachers was 17 per cent, with 4 per cent of estimated grades being increased. So, 79 per cent of estimated grades remained as teachers originally submitted them. The mean average CAO points score increase in student performance at higher level in 2020 is about 10 per cent.
If the number of places on offer from colleges remain constant, then one might expect CAO points for each programme to increase sharply.
This would be hugely upsetting for students who secured surprisingly good outcomes on Monday last, and thought on the basis of their results that they were certain to receive an offer of their preferred course.
For the 20,000 CAO applicants who carry results forward from 2019 and previous years, they are at a huge disadvantage.
The Government, mindful of the damage so many disappointed CAO applicants could have, has been frantically providing additional places throughout the third-level system. Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris announced that 80 0 were sourced on Wednesday, in addition to 1,250 additional places created last week. Many of these will be allocated to high-demand courses.
The hope is to bring them back down to as close as possible to 2019 levels. The extent to which he will have succeeded or not, will become evident at 2pm on Friday.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--Dublin Covid-19 cases ‘could double every 14 days’

The number of Covid-19 cases in Dublin will double every 14 days unless the public makes urgent changes to behaviour , acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has warned .
Public health officials are now warning people living in the capital to limit family gatherings as new figures reported a further 84 cases in the State , including 51 of them in Dublin .
The number of infections among older people has almost doubled .
In the past fortnight , 89 people aged 75 years and over have contracted the disease , twice the level in the previous fortnight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( NPHET ) briefing has heard .
“ It remains within the hands of individuals , families and communities to stop this getting worse .
From that perspective , household gatherings , Communion parties , christenings and other family events where multiple people are coming together – if at all possible they do need to be stopped for the next few weeks , ” said Dr Glynn .
Three further deaths were also reported , bringing to four the number of fatalities in the past five days .
The deaths occurred in different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen as part of a trend .
Separately last night , it emerged that the Health Service Executive suspended testing for Covid-19 at food and meat processing plants due to capacity issues .
The plants have been among the most vulnerable settings in terms of the spread of coronavirus since it reached Irish shores .
There are four clusters at plants across the country , while more than 1,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in such facilities .
HSE director of public health mid-west Dr Mai Mannix said the suspension was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed at the moment to deal with people with symptoms .
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The decision to recommence Covid testing at food processing plants will also be taken at national level.
” Urging people in Dublin to limit contact , chairman of NPHET ’ s epidemiological modelling advisory group Prof Philip Nolansaid it is “ essential ” that further spread of the virus is prevented given the size of the capital ’ s population .
The disease is spreading because people are being unguarded with friends at home , even though they exercise caution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , officials gave no indication they are contemplating immediate further restrictions in Dublin but NPHET will review the epidemiological situation at its meeting on Thursday .
Cases have been identified in 54 schools since they returned 10 days ago , the briefing heard , but most involved transmission in the community , officials said .
In only one school has an additional case been identified so far .

The number of infections among older people has almost doubled. File photograph: The Irish Times
The number of Covid-19 cases in Dublin will double every 14 days unless the public makes urgent changes to behaviour, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has warned.
Public health officials are now warning people living in the capital to limit family gatherings as new figures reported a further 84 cases in the State, including 51 of them in Dublin.
The number of infections among older people has almost doubled. In the past fortnight, 89 people aged 75 years and over have contracted the disease, twice the level in the previous fortnight, a National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) briefing has heard.
“It remains within the hands of individuals, families and communities to stop this getting worse. From that perspective, household gatherings, Communion parties, christenings and other family events where multiple people are coming together – if at all possible they do need to be stopped for the next few weeks,” said Dr Glynn.
READ MORE
Three further deaths were also reported, bringing to four the number of fatalities in the past five days. The deaths occurred in different parts of the country and are not seen as part of a trend.
Vulnerable settings
Separately last night, it emerged that the Health Service Executive suspended testing for Covid-19 at food and meat processing plants due to capacity issues. The plants have been among the most vulnerable settings in terms of the spread of coronavirus since it reached Irish shores. There are four clusters at plants across the country, while more than 1,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in such facilities.
HSE director of public health mid-west Dr Mai Mannix said the suspension was taken “because of the increased capacity needed at the moment to deal with people with symptoms . . . The decision to recommence Covid testing at food processing plants will also be taken at national level.”
Urging people in Dublin to limit contact, chairman of NPHET’s epidemiological modelling advisory group Prof Philip Nolansaid it is “essential” that further spread of the virus is prevented given the size of the capital’s population.
The disease is spreading because people are being unguarded with friends at home, even though they exercise caution with strangers, he suggested.
However, officials gave no indication they are contemplating immediate further restrictions in Dublin but NPHET will review the epidemiological situation at its meeting on Thursday.
Cases have been identified in 54 schools since they returned 10 days ago, the briefing heard, but most involved transmission in the community, officials said. In only one school has an additional case been identified so far.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--Public Covid-19 data not giving clear picture of current trends

A lack of publicly available information hampers the proper understanding of current trends in relation to Covid-19 , in particular the focus on rising cases in Dublin and Limerick .
Public health officials have singled out the two cities for particular expressions of concern , and may decide to recommend new restrictions to curb the growth of the virus there .
In Dublin , attention has been directed specifically to the north inner city as well as the west , where two pop-up swabbing centres have been opened in recent days .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most up-to-date information on current trends , as well as indications of what lies ahead .
The rest of us rely on a sometimes confusing assortment of data from the HSE , its Health Protection Surveillance Centre ( HPSC ) arm and the Department of Health .
NPHET officials also release information at their briefings that is not in the public domain , and journalists sometimes obtain further information through media queries .
Until Wednesday , the evidence for singling out trends in Dublin and Limerick was not apparent , with Tipperary and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , the latest daily epidemiological report from the HPSC shows Dublin pulling slightly ahead of the rest of the country with a 14-day incidence of 70.8 per 100,000 population .
This compares to 69.2 in Kildare and 66.2 in Limerick .
NPHET will have access to seven-day incidence figures , which are slightly more up to date and may point to a sharper rise in Dublin and Limerick relative to the rest of the country .
Yet the same HPSC reports shows the highest incidence in Dublin is in the southeast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or west , at 84.9 .
Officials have access to more granular data on new case numbers in local electoral areas and , early in the pandemic , the HSE published a map showing where cases were occurring but this is not now published .
The department said yesterday it was “ not feasible ” for the HPSC to provide 14-day incidence rate breakdowns by electoral area , given its heavy workload .
Even a request from The Irish Times for separate figures for Limerick city and county could not be met .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out exactly how much the virus is circulating in their area , and can not , therefore , tailor their behaviours accordingly .
The department , which maintains it provides more geographic detail than many other countries , says moves are afoot to agree the best way to provide more detailed information without infringing confidentiality .
A separate report by the HPSC on clusters shows how , currently , this is a disease spreading within households .
Last week , there were 122 new outbreaks in private houses and seven in extended families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locales was paltry – six in workplaces , three in residential institutions and two in nursing homes .
There were no outbreaks reported in childcare facilities , hotels , cafes/restaurants , pubs or shops .
Epidemiologists distinguish between controlled and uncontrolled environments ; by now , many places were people transact business , work , learn or eat have introduced effective controls , but many family environments clearly are uncontrolled and it is here that the virus is thriving .
How bad do things have to get before restrictions are introduced ?
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rough guide is provided by the traffic-light system in the health service .
This is green up to an incidence of 20 , orange up to 60 , amber up to 120 and red thereafter .
Kildare reached a 14-day incidence high of 180 at one point before its lockdown , but with milder restrictions being envisaged these will probably be triggered long before that point .

A lack of publicly available information hampers the proper understanding of current trends in relation to Covid-19, in particular the focus on rising cases in Dublin and Limerick.
Public health officials have singled out the two cities for particular expressions of concern, and may decide to recommend new restrictions to curb the growth of the virus there.
In Dublin, attention has been directed specifically to the north inner city as well as the west, where two pop-up swabbing centres have been opened in recent days.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) obviously has at its disposal the most up-to-date information on current trends, as well as indications of what lies ahead.
READ MORE
The rest of us rely on a sometimes confusing assortment of data from the HSE, its Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) arm and the Department of Health. NPHET officials also release information at their briefings that is not in the public domain, and journalists sometimes obtain further information through media queries.
Evidence
Until Wednesday, the evidence for singling out trends in Dublin and Limerick was not apparent, with Tipperary and Kildare having similarly high levels of transmission.
However, the latest daily epidemiological report from the HPSC shows Dublin pulling slightly ahead of the rest of the country with a 14-day incidence of 70.8 per 100,000 population. This compares to 69.2 in Kildare and 66.2 in Limerick.
NPHET will have access to seven-day incidence figures, which are slightly more up to date and may point to a sharper rise in Dublin and Limerick relative to the rest of the country.
Yet the same HPSC reports shows the highest incidence in Dublin is in the southeast of the city, not the north or west, at 84.9.
Officials have access to more granular data on new case numbers in local electoral areas and, early in the pandemic, the HSE published a map showing where cases were occurring but this is not now published.
The department said yesterday it was “not feasible” for the HPSC to provide 14-day incidence rate breakdowns by electoral area, given its heavy workload. Even a request from The Irish Times for separate figures for Limerick city and county could not be met.
People cannot, therefore, find out exactly how much the virus is circulating in their area, and cannot, therefore, tailor their behaviours accordingly.
The department, which maintains it provides more geographic detail than many other countries, says moves are afoot to agree the best way to provide more detailed information without infringing confidentiality.
Clusters
A separate report by the HPSC on clusters shows how, currently, this is a disease spreading within households. Last week, there were 122 new outbreaks in private houses and seven in extended families. The number of outbreaks in other locales was paltry – six in workplaces, three in residential institutions and two in nursing homes. There were no outbreaks reported in childcare facilities, hotels, cafes/restaurants, pubs or shops.
Epidemiologists distinguish between controlled and uncontrolled environments; by now, many places were people transact business, work, learn or eat have introduced effective controls, but many family environments clearly are uncontrolled and it is here that the virus is thriving.
How bad do things have to get before restrictions are introduced? No one will say precisely, but a rough guide is provided by the traffic-light system in the health service. This is green up to an incidence of 20, orange up to 60, amber up to 120 and red thereafter.
Kildare reached a 14-day incidence high of 180 at one point before its lockdown, but with milder restrictions being envisaged these will probably be triggered long before that point.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--Nine out of 10 children contacted by strangers online, report finds

More than 90 per cent of children aged between eight and 12 own a device which can connect to the internet and most have been contacted by strangers online , a report published by an internet safety charity on Thursday morning suggests .
The research , from CyberSafeIreland , also found that 65 per cent of pre-teenagers are on social media despite an age limit of at least 13 on most popular platforms and a digital age of consent in Ireland which is set at 16 .
And almost a third have friends or followers on social media who they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After surveying 3,764 children aged eight to 12 in schools over the last academic year , the charity found 93 per cent own a smart device – up 8 per cent on last year .
All told , 31 per cent of children play online games with people they don ’ t know in real life while 61 per cent said they had been contacted by a stranger within such a game .
Boys were significantly more likely to be contacted than girls .
The finding that 30 per cent of children have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who they don ’ t know in real life is something the charity said was “ particularly worrying ” .
Researchers also asked children if they ever came across content online which upset or scared them or otherwise made them wish they had not seen it .
A third of children said they had come across such content and 12 per cent said they were not sure .
It highlighted that of those children who had encountered disturbing content online , 57 per cent reported it to a parent or trusted adult but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to themselves , a trend the charity also described as “ worrying ” .
Chief executive of CyberSafeIreland Alex Cooney said the lockdown meant more people – including children - had become “ even more heavily dependent on our devices ” for work , education and entertainment .
She said while the benefits of technology had “ become ever more apparent , we must remain mindful of the risks that all users , but particularly children , encounter online ” and work “ to mitigate against them ” .

Some 31 per cent of children play online games with people they don’t know in real life.
More than 90 per cent of children aged between eight and 12 own a device which can connect to the internet and most have been contacted by strangers online, a report published by an internet safety charity on Thursday morning suggests.
The research, from CyberSafeIreland, also found that 65 per cent of pre-teenagers are on social media despite an age limit of at least 13 on most popular platforms and a digital age of consent in Ireland which is set at 16. And almost a third have friends or followers on social media who they do not know in real life.
After surveying 3,764 children aged eight to 12 in schools over the last academic year, the charity found 93 per cent own a smart device – up 8 per cent on last year.
Online games
All told, 31 per cent of children play online games with people they don’t know in real life while 61 per cent said they had been contacted by a stranger within such a game. Boys were significantly more likely to be contacted than girls.
READ MORE
The finding that 30 per cent of children have friends or followers on social media platforms who they don’t know in real life is something the charity said was “particularly worrying”.
Researchers also asked children if they ever came across content online which upset or scared them or otherwise made them wish they had not seen it. A third of children said they had come across such content and 12 per cent said they were not sure.
It highlighted that of those children who had encountered disturbing content online, 57 per cent reported it to a parent or trusted adult but one in five said they had kept it to themselves, a trend the charity also described as “worrying”.
Chief executive of CyberSafeIreland Alex Cooney said the lockdown meant more people – including children - had become “even more heavily dependent on our devices” for work, education and entertainment.
She said while the benefits of technology had “become ever more apparent, we must remain mindful of the risks that all users, but particularly children, encounter online” and work “to mitigate against them”.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--No plan to recast Leaving Cert grades for schools who ‘lost out’

The Government is not planning to recalculate grades for individual schools despite calls from some who insist they have “ lost out ” under the process .
A number of private and grind schools claim the proportion of high grades awarded to their students is significantly down compared to their previous track results .
One of the highest profile cases is St Kilian ’ s Deutsche Schule in Dublin , where the school expected half of its students to secure a H1 in German based on past performance .
Instead , just 14 per cent secured this grade under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government sources say an analysis of the calculated grades issued overall shows no bias in the extent of the increase in marks by type of school .
On the issue of St Kilian ’ s , one well-placed source said schools should look at their achievement across all subjects and not a selected few .
This is on the basis that the Department of Education ’ s standardisation process drew on the Junior Cert performance of students in a class across five subjects : Irish , English , maths and their two other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fed into a composite score , so high achievement in an individual subject was averaged out across all subjects .
As a result , while the standardisation process may have missed an outstanding performance for a class in a particular subject , students should have benefited when all subjects are taken into account .
A number of grind schools , in particular , maintain that this not the case and at least one is understood to be considering legal action on the basis that the process was “ unfair ” towards high-achieving schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers ’ estimated marks that were downgraded was up to 40 per cent or more , well in excess of the 17 per cent national average .
School sources claim their historical performance is also down this year and feel they were disadvantaged by a Government decision to withdraw a controversial “ school profiling ” measure from the calculated grades process .
This was due to take into account a school ’ s performance in the Leaving Cert over three years .
However , it was withdrawn due partly to concerns that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some Government sources have suggested that the reason for a higher than average proportion of downgrades from teachers ’ estimates in some schools was due to major “ overestimation ” by teachers .
In some cases , individual schools are understood to have overestimated the proportion of top estimated grades for their students by a factor of two or three times their historical averages .
Meanwhile , a further 800 college places are to be found in third-level colleges in a last-minute bid to ease the expected upward pressure on CAO points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It follows concern over the extent to which grade inflation will devalue the results of thousands of students who completed their Leaving Cert in previous years .
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris told the Dáil that he had been working in the last few days to see if there was any way possible to create more capacity “ even at this stage ” .
Following engagement with the Higher Education Authority and third-level institutions , he said these 800 additional college places will be in addition to 1,250 announced last week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the outer limit ” of the additional capacity they could provide .
Many of the additional places will be in high-demand courses in areas such as medicine , nursing , law and business .
Separately , the trade union representing thousands of special needs assistants has said fewer than half of schools providing basic personal protective equipment to its members .
Fórsa said that a survey of its 2,100 members found that only 49 per cent were able to confirm that their school had provided medical-grade face masks , while 17 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to re-use personal protection equipment .

A further 800 college places are to be found in third-level colleges in a last-minute bid to ease the expected upward pressure on CAO points due to grade inflation this year. File photograph: The Irish Times
The Government is not planning to recalculate grades for individual schools despite calls from some who insist they have “lost out” under the process.
A number of private and grind schools claim the proportion of high grades awarded to their students is significantly down compared to their previous track results.
One of the highest profile cases is St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule in Dublin, where the school expected half of its students to secure a H1 in German based on past performance. Instead, just 14 per cent secured this grade under the new calculated grades process.
However, Government sources say an analysis of the calculated grades issued overall shows no bias in the extent of the increase in marks by type of school.
READ MORE
On the issue of St Kilian’s, one well-placed source said schools should look at their achievement across all subjects and not a selected few.
This is on the basis that the Department of Education's standardisation process drew on the Junior Cert performance of students in a class across five subjects: Irish, English, maths and their two other best subjects.
Standardisation
However, this information fed into a composite score, so high achievement in an individual subject was averaged out across all subjects.
As a result, while the standardisation process may have missed an outstanding performance for a class in a particular subject, students should have benefited when all subjects are taken into account.
A number of grind schools, in particular, maintain that this not the case and at least one is understood to be considering legal action on the basis that the process was “unfair” towards high-achieving schools.
Some claim that the proportion of teachers’ estimated marks that were downgraded was up to 40 per cent or more, well in excess of the 17 per cent national average.
School sources claim their historical performance is also down this year and feel they were disadvantaged by a Government decision to withdraw a controversial “school profiling” measure from the calculated grades process.
This was due to take into account a school’s performance in the Leaving Cert over three years. However, it was withdrawn due partly to concerns that it could disproportionately penalise students in disadvantaged schools.
Some Government sources have suggested that the reason for a higher than average proportion of downgrades from teachers’ estimates in some schools was due to major “overestimation” by teachers.
In some cases, individual schools are understood to have overestimated the proportion of top estimated grades for their students by a factor of two or three times their historical averages.
Meanwhile, a further 800 college places are to be found in third-level colleges in a last-minute bid to ease the expected upward pressure on CAO points due to grade inflation this year.
Concern
It follows concern over the extent to which grade inflation will devalue the results of thousands of students who completed their Leaving Cert in previous years.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris told the Dáil that he had been working in the last few days to see if there was any way possible to create more capacity "even at this stage".
Following engagement with the Higher Education Authority and third-level institutions, he said these 800 additional college places will be in addition to 1,250 announced last week.
But he said they were now “at the outer limit” of the additional capacity they could provide.
Many of the additional places will be in high-demand courses in areas such as medicine, nursing, law and business.
Separately, the trade union representing thousands of special needs assistants has said fewer than half of schools providing basic personal protective equipment to its members.
Fórsa said that a survey of its 2,100 members found that only 49 per cent were able to confirm that their school had provided medical-grade face masks, while 17 per cent reported that they had been asked to re-use personal protection equipment.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--Coronavirus: Nursing homes eye early warning system

Nursing homes want an early warning system to alert them to localised outbreaks so they can take additional precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus spreading from clusters in the community .
The recommendation comes as the number of Covid-19 cases rises while public health measures including serial testing have managed to prevent the spread of infection in nursing homes .
There was just one new outbreak in a nursing home and eight new cases linked to nursing homes reported in the past week , bringing to 279 the number of clusters in nursing homes as of last Sunday .
Nursing Homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes that make up four out of every five care homes , said an early warning system for localised outbreaks could avoid more severe restrictions .
“ Rather than the blunt instrument of national restrictions , it might be better to consider a more localised approach that would not lead to visitor restrictions across the country , ” said NHI chief executive Tadhg Daly .
“ Visiting is a critical part of a person ’ s wellbeing .
A move to blanket restrictions would be a very significant one.
” There were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in nursing homes at the start of this week with most of them Covid-19 free but awaiting a mandatory 28-day period of no new cases before outbreaks can be closed , he said .
NHI recommended to the Government-appointed nursing homes expert panel that public health officials alert nursing homes when there are new Covid-19 cases in a geographical region as part an early warning system .
However , an early warning system was not among the 86 recommendations made by the expert panel in their report published on Covid-19 and nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chairman of Brookhaven , a nursing home group with five facilities across the country , said a localised warning system would “ absolutely ” help nursing homes in the event of a second surge in infections .
“ Any little thing would definitely be a help .
Everyone is still very much alert and aware of what is going on .
It would just make you that little bit more aware and concerned , ” he said .
Mr Murphy said his nursing home group has already taken additional measures against increased cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talbot Lodge nursing home in Malahide by reverting to “ booth-only ” visiting .
He complimented the HSE and public health teams for the supports such as the supply of personal protective equipment being provided to nursing homes saying that the assistance was leaving the sector in “ a very safe space ” .
He said there was “ rapid and repeated testing ” for staff and that results were back on average within 48 hours and the sector was “ much more prepared ” for a second wave , he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is easier to manage than it was at the outset .
We are pretty confident about the robustness of our systems .
We are prepared for anything - things are on a war footing , ” he said .
Ann Fitzpatrick , who owns and runs St Theresa ’ s nursing home in Thurles , Co Tipperary , said a localised early warning system would be a “ very good measure ” to help manage visiting at her home .
“ If we knew there was an outbreak locally , then we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an outbreak in Kerry , that shouldn ’ t necessarily affect residents and staff at our nursing home , ” she said .
“ If there is an increase in cases , then you can say , ‘ well for this week or for next week , we are going to cut back on visiting ’ , so it is to the benefit of residents and staff.
” Nursing home residents accounted for more than 55 per cent of more than 1,770 coronavirus-related deaths during the pandemic in Ireland .
There have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past week , down from a daily high of 77 in April .

The recommendation comes as the number of Covid-19 cases rises while public health measures including serial testing have managed to prevent the spread of infection in nursing homes. Photograph: iStock
Nursing homes want an early warning system to alert them to localised outbreaks so they can take additional precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus spreading from clusters in the community.
The recommendation comes as the number of Covid-19 cases rises while public health measures including serial testing have managed to prevent the spread of infection in nursing homes.
There was just one new outbreak in a nursing home and eight new cases linked to nursing homes reported in the past week, bringing to 279 the number of clusters in nursing homes as of last Sunday.
Nursing Homes Ireland, the representative body for private nursing homes that make up four out of every five care homes, said an early warning system for localised outbreaks could avoid more severe restrictions.
READ MORE
"Rather than the blunt instrument of national restrictions, it might be better to consider a more localised approach that would not lead to visitor restrictions across the country," said NHI chief executive Tadhg Daly.
“Visiting is a critical part of a person’s wellbeing. A move to blanket restrictions would be a very significant one.”
There were just 36 “open” Covid-19 outbreaks in nursing homes at the start of this week with most of them Covid-19 free but awaiting a mandatory 28-day period of no new cases before outbreaks can be closed, he said.
NHI recommended to the Government-appointed nursing homes expert panel that public health officials alert nursing homes when there are new Covid-19 cases in a geographical region as part an early warning system.
On alert
However, an early warning system was not among the 86 recommendations made by the expert panel in their report published on Covid-19 and nursing homes published last month.
Tim Murphy, chairman of Brookhaven, a nursing home group with five facilities across the country, said a localised warning system would "absolutely" help nursing homes in the event of a second surge in infections.
“Any little thing would definitely be a help. Everyone is still very much alert and aware of what is going on. It would just make you that little bit more aware and concerned,” he said.
Mr Murphy said his nursing home group has already taken additional measures against increased cases in Dublin to protect residents at its Talbot Lodge nursing home in Malahide by reverting to "booth-only" visiting.
He complimented the HSE and public health teams for the supports such as the supply of personal protective equipment being provided to nursing homes saying that the assistance was leaving the sector in “a very safe space”.
He said there was “rapid and repeated testing” for staff and that results were back on average within 48 hours and the sector was “much more prepared” for a second wave, he said.
“It is not easily managed but it is easier to manage than it was at the outset. We are pretty confident about the robustness of our systems. We are prepared for anything - things are on a war footing,” he said.
Cut back visits
Ann Fitzpatrick, who owns and runs St Theresa's nursing home in Thurles, Co Tipperary, said a localised early warning system would be a "very good measure" to help manage visiting at her home.
“If we knew there was an outbreak locally, then we could act accordingly, so if there is an outbreak in Kerry, that shouldn’t necessarily affect residents and staff at our nursing home,” she said.
“If there is an increase in cases, then you can say, ‘well for this week or for next week, we are going to cut back on visiting’, so it is to the benefit of residents and staff.”
Nursing home residents accounted for more than 55 per cent of more than 1,770 coronavirus-related deaths during the pandemic in Ireland.
There have been just two Covid-19 deaths reported in the past week, down from a daily high of 77 in April.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--Tallaght doctors query safety of reopened paediatric unit

Doctors at Tallaght University Hospital have questioned the safety of its newly reopened paediatric unit to treat seriously ill children .
Anaesthetists at the hospital say they lack the necessary training and exposure to neonatal and paediatric intensive care medicine to provide a safe service they can stand over , The Irish Times understands .
In a submission to hospital management , the anaesthetists , who work primarily in the adult hospital , say they have grave concerns about the resuscitation and management of seriously ill children admitted to the unit .
They say the management of babies and children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver safe care .
The unit reopened last Thursday , six months after services had been relocated to Crumlin and Temple Street children ’ s hospitals in Dublin so space could be provided for coronavirus patients in Tallaght .
Services include a 24/7 emergency care unit along with inpatient , daycase , X-ray and outpatients department , but surgery has been moved to Crumlin .
Separate from the concerns of anaesthetists , the Irish Nurses and Midwives ’ Organisation ( INMO ) claimed the removal of surgical services from Tallaght amounted to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change as “ frantic ” and “ unplanned ” , the union said it had come as a “ major shock ” to staff working on frontline health services .
“ INMO members only became aware of this when they arrived to work on Monday morning , with no prior warning or discussion , ” said industrial relations officer Joe Hoolan .
Children ’ s Health Ireland ( CHI ) acknowledged the safety concerns expressed by medical staff at Tallaght but said there had been no adverse outcomes for children .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best solution until the new national children ’ s hospital is built , ” said Dr Ciara Martin , paediatric executive lead at CHI Tallaght , who pointed out that Tallaght has never had a paediatric ICU .
Children arriving in Tallaght with issues such as head injuries , breathing difficulties , burns or abdominal pain will be stabilised and then transferred by ambulance to Crumlin or Temple Street children ’ s hospital , she said .
Ambulances will now be available to provide transfers seven days a week , rather than five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken place “ faster than we would have liked ” due to increasing patient numbers at Crumlin .
The amount of daycase work in Tallaght is being increased to compensate for loss of surgical services .
Local TD Paul Murphy of Rise called for the changes to be reversed , saying they were “ a backwards step in healthcare for children , and a massive blow to the hospital and community ” .
Existing services at the three Dublin children ’ s hospital will move to the national children ’ s hospital at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2023 .

Tallaght University Hospital where anaesthetists say management of babies and children requires a fully staffed paediatric ICU to deliver safe care. Photograph: The Irish Times
Doctors at Tallaght University Hospital have questioned the safety of its newly reopened paediatric unit to treat seriously ill children.
Anaesthetists at the hospital say they lack the necessary training and exposure to neonatal and paediatric intensive care medicine to provide a safe service they can stand over, The Irish Times understands.
In a submission to hospital management, the anaesthetists, who work primarily in the adult hospital, say they have grave concerns about the resuscitation and management of seriously ill children admitted to the unit.
They say the management of babies and children requires a fully staffed paediatric ICU to deliver safe care.
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The unit reopened last Thursday, six months after services had been relocated to Crumlin and Temple Street children's hospitals in Dublin so space could be provided for coronavirus patients in Tallaght. Services include a 24/7 emergency care unit along with inpatient, daycase, X-ray and outpatients department, but surgery has been moved to Crumlin.
‘Frantic’
Separate from the concerns of anaesthetists, the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) claimed the removal of surgical services from Tallaght amounted to a downgrading of the unit.
Describing the change as "frantic" and "unplanned", the union said it had come as a "major shock" to staff working on frontline health services. "INMO members only became aware of this when they arrived to work on Monday morning, with no prior warning or discussion,"said industrial relations officer Joe Hoolan.
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) acknowledged the safety concerns expressed by medical staff at Tallaght but said there had been no adverse outcomes for children.
"There isn't going to be a best solution until the new national children's hospital is built," said Dr Ciara Martin, paediatric executive lead at CHI Tallaght, who pointed out that Tallaght has never had a paediatric ICU.
Children arriving in Tallaght with issues such as head injuries, breathing difficulties, burns or abdominal pain will be stabilised and then transferred by ambulance to Crumlin or Temple Street children’s hospital, she said. Ambulances will now be available to provide transfers seven days a week, rather than five.
Dr Martin said the changes had taken place “faster than we would have liked” due to increasing patient numbers at Crumlin. The amount of daycase work in Tallaght is being increased to compensate for loss of surgical services.
Local TD Paul Murphy of Rise called for the changes to be reversed, saying they were "a backwards step in healthcare for children, and a massive blow to the hospital and community".
Existing services at the three Dublin children’s hospital will move to the national children’s hospital at St James’s when it opens in 2023.


theirishtimes--2020-09-10--The intense marathon of making a vaccine against Covid-19

You are working on a much-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine at Oxford .
When did you start on that ?
Back in early January , I was watching what was happening in Wuhan .
My brother lived in China , so I was particularly interested in the public health aspect as well as the virus .
Then when the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus was released on Friday January 10th , I spent that weekend looking at how to design a vaccine against it .
At Oxford we already had a platform or carrier for vaccines , so we ordered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate vaccine against the Covid-19 virus to a standard where it could be tested in the lab by mid-February .
It sounds like you hit the ground running .
I ’ ve been working on vaccines for a long time , including researching vaccines for Ebola , for flu , for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and for another coronavirus called MERS .
So yes , we had built up a lot of expertise and collaborators and technology .
And people immediately wanted to work together on this .
You hear talk of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine , but my experience has been that researchers want to pitch in together and share information and expertise .
It has all been happening very quickly , as it needs to .
What do people ask you about that process ?
We went from designing a candidate vaccine to putting into people for testing within 103 days , which is extremely fast .
A lot of people ask about how we can safeguard the safety of the process at speed .
The answer is that the investment is there to do things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you finish early testing before preparing to make vaccine for later tests , and you finish those later tests before preparing to manufacture at scale .
But for this one , the investment is being made upfront so that things can move rapidly .
We have also found that necessary steps like regulatory processes and ethical approval can happen more quickly , because more frequent meetings are being set up to facilitate the rigorous review , we don ’ t have to wait long for them .
What is keeping you busy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the candidate vaccine is in large-scale clinical trials , which means that thousands of people are taking it .
We have lots of people working on this , some on the clinical side and some on the lab side .
My role is overseeing the lab side , analysing blood samples from people who have been given the candidate vaccine .
I oversee the team measuring the level of antibodies in a person ’ s blood .
Antibodies are a part of the body ’ s immune system , and they can bind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you were growing up in Co Kildare , did you know you were going to study science ?
At school I often had my hand up , asking questions all the time .
I wanted to know how things work , and how they interact .
I went on to study pharmacology and molecular genetics at University College Dublin , and then I did a PhD there with Prof Finian Martin , looking at the biology of how cells develop and die .
I moved to Oxford in January 2002 , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I wanted to work in an area that was closer to the clinic .
I wanted to see research translate into medical benefit , so I moved into vaccines .
What or who has most informed your approach to science ?
When I was doing my PhD at UCD , one of my friends there was a post-doctoral researcher called Dr Ruth McMahon , and she had a huge impact on me .
She was a person of huge integrity and I really admired the way she conducted herself and stood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sadly , she died a few years ago , and I still think about her a lot .
She remains a big influence , and I try to live up to her standards .
What has it been like working on the Covid-19 vaccine project to date ?
Intense !
The hours are long and you really have to be rigorous in this line of work .
When we were making the candidate vaccine back in February , we had collaborators internationally who were involved in testing the vaccine and I remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emails at all hours so you could get that information to the right people and proceed to the next step .
It is a marathon , but you want to get it done as quickly and safely as you can .
What keeps you going through the marathon ?
I love science and working on vaccines , and I am lucky that this means I get to do something constructive in this pandemic .
I want to help , and that keeps me going .
And when you do manage to get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do ?
I think if you had asked me back in 2019 , I would have said that I like to get out for a jog .
Now though , the moment I get a chance , I hang out with my husband and kids .
My opportunities to do that in 2020 have been rarer .

Dr Teresa Lambe, associate professor and investigator at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford. ‘I love science and working on vaccines, and I am lucky that this means I get to do something constructive in this pandemic.’ Photograph: John Cairns/University of Oxford
You are working on a much-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine at Oxford. When did you start on that?
Back in early January, I was watching what was happening in Wuhan. My brother lived in China, so I was particularly interested in the public health aspect as well as the virus.
Then when the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus was released on Friday January 10th, I spent that weekend looking at how to design a vaccine against it. At Oxford we already had a platform or carrier for vaccines, so we ordered the materials we needed and we made a candidate vaccine against the Covid-19 virus to a standard where it could be tested in the lab by mid-February.
It sounds like you hit the ground running.
READ MORE
I’ve been working on vaccines for a long time, including researching vaccines for Ebola, for flu, for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus and for another coronavirus called MERS.
So yes, we had built up a lot of expertise and collaborators and technology. And people immediately wanted to work together on this. You hear talk of a competitive “race” for a Covid-19 vaccine, but my experience has been that researchers want to pitch in together and share information and expertise.
It has all been happening very quickly, as it needs to. What do people ask you about that process?
We went from designing a candidate vaccine to putting into people for testing within 103 days, which is extremely fast. A lot of people ask about how we can safeguard the safety of the process at speed. The answer is that the investment is there to do things in parallel rather than sequentially.
Normally, you finish early testing before preparing to make vaccine for later tests, and you finish those later tests before preparing to manufacture at scale. But for this one, the investment is being made upfront so that things can move rapidly.
We have also found that necessary steps like regulatory processes and ethical approval can happen more quickly, because more frequent meetings are being set up to facilitate the rigorous review, we don’t have to wait long for them.
What is keeping you busy right now?
At the moment, the candidate vaccine is in large-scale clinical trials, which means that thousands of people are taking it. We have lots of people working on this, some on the clinical side and some on the lab side.
My role is overseeing the lab side, analysing blood samples from people who have been given the candidate vaccine. I oversee the team measuring the level of antibodies in a person’s blood. Antibodies are a part of the body’s immune system, and they can bind the virus and stop the infection.
When you were growing up in Co Kildare, did you know you were going to study science?
At school I often had my hand up, asking questions all the time. I wanted to know how things work, and how they interact. I went on to study pharmacology and molecular genetics at University College Dublin, and then I did a PhD there with Prof Finian Martin, looking at the biology of how cells develop and die.
I moved to Oxford in January 2002, and I started off in fundamental biological research, but I wanted to work in an area that was closer to the clinic. I wanted to see research translate into medical benefit, so I moved into vaccines.
What or who has most informed your approach to science?
When I was doing my PhD at UCD, one of my friends there was a post-doctoral researcher called Dr Ruth McMahon, and she had a huge impact on me. She was a person of huge integrity and I really admired the way she conducted herself and stood up for fairness and doing things properly. Sadly, she died a few years ago, and I still think about her a lot. She remains a big influence, and I try to live up to her standards.
What has it been like working on the Covid-19 vaccine project to date?
Intense! The hours are long and you really have to be rigorous in this line of work. When we were making the candidate vaccine back in February, we had collaborators internationally who were involved in testing the vaccine and I remember a lot of insomnia, waiting for emails at all hours so you could get that information to the right people and proceed to the next step. It is a marathon, but you want to get it done as quickly and safely as you can.
What keeps you going through the marathon?
I love science and working on vaccines, and I am lucky that this means I get to do something constructive in this pandemic. I want to help, and that keeps me going.
And when you do manage to get a break, what do you like to do?
I think if you had asked me back in 2019, I would have said that I like to get out for a jog. Now though, the moment I get a chance, I hang out with my husband and kids. My opportunities to do that in 2020 have been rarer.


theirishtimes--2020-09-09--Covid-19 testing at meat plants suspended by HSE due to capacity issues

The Health Service Executive ( HSE ) has suspended testing for Covid-19 at food and meat processing plants due to capacity issues and increased demand for testing .
Meat processing plants have been among the most vulnerable settings in terms of the spread of the coronavirus in the State .
There are currently four clusters at meat plants across the country , while more than 1,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in such facilities .
The increased surveillance of meat plants was announced last month in response to a surge in Covid-19 infections at four meat factories that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laois and Offaly .
In a statement to Sinn Féin , HSE director of public health mid-west Dr Mai Mannix said a decision had been taken nationally to “ postpone ” testing for the virus at food processing plants .
This was “ because of the increased capacity needed at the moment to deal with people with symptoms ” .
“ The decision to recommence Covid testing at food processing plants will also be taken at national level , ” she said .
“ All necessary actions are taken by the HSE when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – cases and close contacts are excluded from the workplace and given appropriate advice and testing.
” In a statement to The Irish Times on Wednesday , a spokeswoman for the HSE said testing would resume at plants next week .
“ Covid-19 testing of staff at meat and food processing facilities is being re-scheduled into next week , ” she said .
“ This is a precautionary measure to allow us focus our resources on meeting the significant rise in demand for testing among people with coronavirus symptoms in the community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a requirement for over 13,000 community tests and over 3000 hospital tests .
“ We are liaising directly with the facilities scheduled for testing and will be re-scheduling planned testing next week .
It is important to remember that where an outbreak occurs in a plant then normal mass testing will still occur in meat plants .
“ Public Health will be in touch locally in those situations .
In the meantime , if a staff member develops symptoms of coronavirus , we would ask them to self-isolate and phone a GP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test.
” She added that serial testing at meat plants , which began on August 21st , has yielded 40 positive cases so far and a positivity rate of 0.28 per cent .

Meat processing plants have been among the most vulnerable settings in terms of the spread of the coronavirus in the State. File photograph: David Sleator
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has suspended testing for Covid-19 at food and meat processing plants due to capacity issues and increased demand for testing.
Meat processing plants have been among the most vulnerable settings in terms of the spread of the coronavirus in the State. There are currently four clusters at meat plants across the country, while more than 1,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in such facilities.
The increased surveillance of meat plants was announced last month in response to a surge in Covid-19 infections at four meat factories that contributed to the lockdowns of Kildare, Laois and Offaly.
In a statement to Sinn Féin, HSE director of public health mid-west Dr Mai Mannix said a decision had been taken nationally to “postpone” testing for the virus at food processing plants.
READ MORE
This was “because of the increased capacity needed at the moment to deal with people with symptoms”.
“The decision to recommence Covid testing at food processing plants will also be taken at national level,” she said.
“All necessary actions are taken by the HSE when informed of positive cases in a workplace – cases and close contacts are excluded from the workplace and given appropriate advice and testing.”
In a statement to The Irish Times on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the HSE said testing would resume at plants next week.
“Covid-19 testing of staff at meat and food processing facilities is being re-scheduled into next week,” she said.
“This is a precautionary measure to allow us focus our resources on meeting the significant rise in demand for testing among people with coronavirus symptoms in the community.
“Testing demand nearly trebled on Monday with a requirement for over 13,000 community tests and over 3000 hospital tests.
“We are liaising directly with the facilities scheduled for testing and will be re-scheduling planned testing next week. It is important to remember that where an outbreak occurs in a plant then normal mass testing will still occur in meat plants.
“Public Health will be in touch locally in those situations. In the meantime, if a staff member develops symptoms of coronavirus, we would ask them to self-isolate and phone a GP to be referred for a free coronavirus test.”
She added that serial testing at meat plants, which began on August 21st, has yielded 40 positive cases so far and a positivity rate of 0.28 per cent.