theirishtimes--2020-09-10--People attending events breaching Covid-19 rules can not be prosecuted

People can not not be prosecuted for attending indoor or outdoor gatherings deemed to breach the Covid-19 regulations , with only organisers or hosts regarded as culpable , Garda headquarters has informed its members .
In a notice sent to all personnel , Garda management summarises the current Covid-19 measures and outlines those that are merely guidelines and others that can be enforced under law , which is only a small number .
“ It is only the event organiser who potentially commits an offence ; there is no offence for attending an event , ” the notice says of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nobody at a gathering of more than six in a private dwelling , including the host , can be subject to enforcement by gardaí , the notice says .
In relation to the policing of pubs and restaurants that sell alcohol , the notice is not clear on who would face prosecution for breaching regulations on opening hours or for not serving food to customers drinking alcohol .
Gardaí could pursue any one of a number of people linked to such businesses including the “ controller ” , the “ occupier ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , the note states .
It says pubs can face enforcement action for staying open beyond closing time – 11.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11pm on Sundays – and that food and drink can only be served to people who are seated at a table .
It is also a breach if they can not provide records of customers ’ names , arrival times and contact details over the previous 28 days , which are gathered for contact-tracing purposes , to gardaí who visit to inspect the premises .
Gardaí have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the force ’ s Pulse system of all pub inspections , even if a pub they visit is closed .
On gatherings in homes , members were told there should be no more than six guests from a maximum of three different households , not including the dwelling where the gathering takes place .
Outdoor events should be limited to “ groups of no more than 15 ” , the notice says .
However , if gardaí find breaches of these measures , they have no enforcement options .
Some entertainment and cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not exceed 50 people , but only if they take place in an auditorium with a stage and fixed seating rows : the National Concert Hall ; cinemas ; art galleries or museums .
However , none of the measures relating to the holding of these events is a penal provision meaning nobody can be prosecuted for breaching these measures .
Similarly , while weddings can go ahead if limited to 50 people or less , no enforcement options were available to the Garda if weddings were found in breach of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could still go ahead once they were “ held for competitive sport reasons and authorised by a national governing body of sport or an educational institution ” .
Only those necessary for the event to go ahead are allowed to be present , the notice says .

Garda headquarters has informed its members that only event organisers or hosts are regarded as culpable in cases where regulations are breached. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
People cannot not be prosecuted for attending indoor or outdoor gatherings deemed to breach the Covid-19 regulations, with only organisers or hosts regarded as culpable, Garda headquarters has informed its members.
In a notice sent to all personnel, Garda management summarises the current Covid-19 measures and outlines those that are merely guidelines and others that can be enforced under law, which is only a small number.
“It is only the event organiser who potentially commits an offence; there is no offence for attending an event,” the notice says of gatherings other than those in private dwellings.
Nobody at a gathering of more than six in a private dwelling, including the host, can be subject to enforcement by gardaí, the notice says.
READ MORE
In relation to the policing of pubs and restaurants that sell alcohol, the notice is not clear on who would face prosecution for breaching regulations on opening hours or for not serving food to customers drinking alcohol.
Gardaí could pursue any one of a number of people linked to such businesses including the “controller”, the “occupier” of a premises or the “manager”, the note states.
It says pubs can face enforcement action for staying open beyond closing time – 11.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11pm on Sundays – and that food and drink can only be served to people who are seated at a table.
It is also a breach if they cannot provide records of customers’ names, arrival times and contact details over the previous 28 days, which are gathered for contact-tracing purposes, to gardaí who visit to inspect the premises.
Gardaí have been told they must make a record on the force’s Pulse system of all pub inspections, even if a pub they visit is closed.
On gatherings in homes, members were told there should be no more than six guests from a maximum of three different households, not including the dwelling where the gathering takes place. Outdoor events should be limited to “groups of no more than 15”, the notice says. However, if gardaí find breaches of these measures, they have no enforcement options.
Sporting events
Some entertainment and cultural events are permitted once numbers in attendance do not exceed 50 people, but only if they take place in an auditorium with a stage and fixed seating rows: the National Concert Hall; cinemas; art galleries or museums.
However, none of the measures relating to the holding of these events is a penal provision meaning nobody can be prosecuted for breaching these measures.
Similarly, while weddings can go ahead if limited to 50 people or less, no enforcement options were available to the Garda if weddings were found in breach of this measure.
The notice says sporting events could still go ahead once they were “held for competitive sport reasons and authorised by a national governing body of sport or an educational institution”. Only those necessary for the event to go ahead are allowed to be present, the notice says.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Covid-19: New visitor restrictions for Dublin nursing homes

New visiting restrictions are being introduced in nursing homes in Dublin for the next three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases due to higher infections in the county .
Nursing homes are being asked to reduce the number of visitors to one nominated visitor per resident , down from the current number of four , to reduce resident contacts .
The Department of Health has told nursing homes the measures will remain in place for three weeks from Sunday , September 13th and the situation will be kept under review .
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Health Service Executive , has been asked to update its visiting guidance accordingly .
The guidance is aimed at all long-term residential care facilities , including nursing homes .
The new rules are being introduced at the recommendation of the State ’ s National Public Health Emergency Team ( NPHET ) , which met this week to consider the higher number of cases in Dublin .
Mass testing of nursing homes to identify Covid-19 cases where people are not showing symptoms to prevent outbreaks will continue despite a surge in demand for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing symptoms being referred by GPs .
Nursing homes are among the most vulnerable congregated settings to the coronavirus disease , accounting for more than 55 per cent of the 1,781 deaths from Covid-19 in the State .
The latest figures on Covid-19 infections show Dublin has the highest rate of infection over the past 14 days for every 100,000 people at 73.2 , compared with the national average of 40.2 .
The incidence rate within Dublin ranges from 36.7 per 100,000 in Dublin South to 93.8 per 100,000 in Dublin South East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest 14-day report on Covid-19 .
The infection rate across Dublin is still less than half the level recorded in Kildare last month that led to the lockdown of the county following outbreaks in meat and food processing plants .
After Dublin , Limerick is the county with the highest rate of incidence of the disease at 66.2 per 100,000 people , followed by Kildare at 61.6 per 100,000 .
State health officials permitted nursing homes to reopen to two named visitors per resident on June 15th after a three-month blanket ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the end of July , restrictions were eased again , allowing nursing home residents have as many nominated visitors as they wished , though visits were generally limited to two people at a time .
On August 20th NPHET limited visiting to four nominated visitors per resident in response to rising infection rates .

Nursing homes are being asked to reduce the number of visitors to one nominated visitor per resident. File photograph: The Irish Times
New visiting restrictions are being introduced in nursing homes in Dublin for the next three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases due to higher infections in the county.
Nursing homes are being asked to reduce the number of visitors to one nominated visitor per resident, down from the current number of four, to reduce resident contacts.
The Department of Health has told nursing homes the measures will remain in place for three weeks from Sunday, September 13th and the situation will be kept under review.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre, which issues public health guidelines on behalf of the Health Service Executive, has been asked to update its visiting guidance accordingly.
READ MORE
The guidance is aimed at all long-term residential care facilities, including nursing homes.
The new rules are being introduced at the recommendation of the State's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), which met this week to consider the higher number of cases in Dublin.
Mass testing of nursing homes to identify Covid-19 cases where people are not showing symptoms to prevent outbreaks will continue despite a surge in demand for testing from the increased number of people showing symptoms being referred by GPs.
Nursing homes are among the most vulnerable congregated settings to the coronavirus disease, accounting for more than 55 per cent of the 1,781 deaths from Covid-19 in the State.
The latest figures on Covid-19 infections show Dublin has the highest rate of infection over the past 14 days for every 100,000 people at 73.2, compared with the national average of 40.2.
The incidence rate within Dublin ranges from 36.7 per 100,000 in Dublin South to 93.8 per 100,000 in Dublin South East, according to the HPSC's latest 14-day report on Covid-19.
The infection rate across Dublin is still less than half the level recorded in Kildare last month that led to the lockdown of the county following outbreaks in meat and food processing plants.
After Dublin, Limerick is the county with the highest rate of incidence of the disease at 66.2 per 100,000 people, followed by Kildare at 61.6 per 100,000.
An estimated 7,500 nursing home residents in Dublin will be affected by the new restrictions.
Tadhg Daly, chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, the representative body for private nursing homes that account for 80 per cent of the sector, said that the decision was “clearly disappointing for residents and their families but the priority is the safety and welfare of residents and staff.”
“From the outset we have known that the community transmission is the single biggest predictor of an outbreak so that would lead us to believe that it is prudent to move to more restricted visiting measures,” he said.
Sage Advocacy, a group that supports vulnerable older people and health patients, said that it appreciated decisions on visiting protocols had to be taken on a day-to-day basis but warned that they had to be balanced knowing the risks that social isolation can bring to nursing home residents.
Sarah Lennon, Sage’s executive director, urged Government to examine urgently measures to ensure the bond between residents and their loved ones is not broken by the threat from Covid-19.
“We need to ensure that effective emergency response measures are in place because this is an issue that we may have to live with for some time and there are already lessons that must be learned from Covid-19,” she said/
State health officials permitted nursing homes to reopen to two named visitors per resident on June 15th after a three-month blanket ban on visits during the worst of the pandemic.
At the end of July, restrictions were eased again, allowing nursing home residents have as many nominated visitors as they wished, though visits were generally limited to two people at a time.
On August 20th NPHET limited visiting to four nominated visitors per resident in response to rising infection rates.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--CAO points for most college courses surge with some seeing 80-point hikes, new figures show

CAO points for entry into most college courses have increased significantly this year , new figures show Grade inflation in this year ’ s Leaving Cert results has seen CAO points rise up to 70 or 80 points at the top end .
At universities , most courses are up with colleges such as Trinity College Dublin recording an average points increase of 27 .
In addition , several courses have climbed above the 600-point mark include at Trinity College Dublin and UCD .
They include medicine ( 735 , up five ) , management and information systems ( 613 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 613 , up 23 ) , law and business ( 602 , up 26 ) and law and political science ( 602 , up 35 ) at Trinity , and About 78 per cent of college applicants are understood to have received an offer from one of their top-three choices this year at honours degree or level eight courses .
This rises to above 90 per cent among students at ordinary degree or higher diploma , know as level six or seven courses .
This is despite frantic efforts by the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of extra third-level places .
A total of 53,815 applicants of out of just over 78,000 received offers online at 2pm on Friday .
This represents one of the largest ever-intakes into higher education in the the State .
The overall number of third level places has risen by an unprecedented 12 per cent this year due to last-minute efforts to create thousands of additional places .
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has offered his congratulations to students who received their first round CAO offers .
“ This has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is my hope that these additional places will alleviate some of the pressure , ” “ These additional places mean significantly more applicants have received offers of places at this stage this year and more students will be admitted to college in the coming weeks than in any previous year .
“ I do recognise the strong competition for places this year .
I have worked with the sector to increase places to the greatest extent possible .
I welcome the fact that the proportion of applicants receiving an offer of one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between years , despite this strong competition.
” All CAO applicants can check to see if they have received an offer by logging on to their account using the ‘ My Application ’ facility at www.cao.ie from 2pm .
Successful applicants will also receive an offer notification via email and a text message if they have selected this option on their application form .
Separate emails and texts will issue in respect of Level 8 and Level 7/6 offers .
There will be no postal offer notice .
Offers must be accepted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @

At universities, most courses are up with colleges such as Trinity College Dublin recording an average points increase of 27.
CAO points for entry into most college courses have increased significantly this year, new figures show
Grade inflation in this year’s Leaving Cert results has seen CAO points rise up to 70 or 80 points at the very top end.
Overall, points are up for about three quarters of honours degree or level eight courses this year.
LIVE: CAO 2020 Helpdesk: please submit your questions here.
READ MORE
At university level, many have recorded average points increases of between 20 and 30 points across a broad range of courses.
In addition, several university course have climbed above the previous high of 600 points.
They include two at UCD - economics & finance (613, up 12 points ) and actuarial & financial studies (601, up 24 points) - and four at Trinity College Dublin (management science &Information Systems Studies (613, +24 points); dental science (613, +23 points); law and business (602, +26 points) and law and political science (602, +35 points).
In all, about 78 per cent of college applicants are understood to have received an offer from one of their top-three choices this year at honours degree or level eight level. This is a similar proportion to last year.
This rises to about 98 per cent for applicants seeking a top three choice at ordinary degree/advanced diploma, or level six/seven.
Most higher education figures say the points increases are greater than expected , despite frantic efforts by the Government to ease upward pressure by creating thousands of extra third-level places.
However, Government figures say the points increases would have been higher still were it not for a last-minute move to create an additional 2,000-plus third level places created in recent weeks.
In all, there are 12 per cent more places this year compared to last as a result.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said these additional places mean significantly more applicants have received offers of places at this stage this year and more students will be admitted to college in the coming weeks than in any previous year.
“I do recognise the strong competition for places this year. I have worked with the sector to increase places to the greatest extent possible. I welcome the fact that the proportion of applicants receiving an offer of one of their top three preferences is stable between years, despite this strong competition,” he said.
All CAO applicants can check to see if they have received an offer by logging on to their account using the 'My Application' facility at www.cao.ie from 2pm.
Successful applicants will also receive an offer notification via email and a text message if they have selected this option on their application form. Offers must be accepted by 3pm on Wednesday, September 16th.
At Trinity, around 80 per cent of courses saw a points rise, with an average increase of 27 points.
The biggest single jump was drama and theatre studies (564, +69), a course which at the centre of media attention due to number of actors who appeared in the Normal People TV series.
At UCD, points were up across the board with the exception of arts.
The biggest increases were for midwifery (480, +80), social policy & sociology (378, +58), and physiotherapy (578, + 56).


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Gardaí can examine calls, texts, social media, photos, videos on journalist’s phone, court rules

A High Court judge has ruled gardaí are entitled to carry out a limited examination of the contents of a mobile phone seized from the home of a provincial newspaper editor as part of their investigation into a violent incident at a repossessed house in Co Roscommon .
The ruling means gardaí can access calls , texts , social media messages , photos , videos and other information on the phone between December 11th and 17th 2018 .
In an important judgment on Friday addressing the protection of journalistic sources and other issues , Mr Justice Garrett Simons refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quashing a search warrant forcing him to hand over his phone when officers arrived at his Strokestown home .
Mr Corcoran , editor of the Strokestown-based “ The Democrat ” , and Oncar Ventures Ltd , publisher and owner of that newspaper , represented by Michael McDowell SC , with Tony McGillicuddy BL , had initiated judicial review proceedings within hours of a search of his home and seizure of his phone in April 2019 on foot of a search warrant issued by a district court judge in late 2018 .
The phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation into violence at a house in Strokestown which had been repossessed in December 2018 .
A number of people are facing charges arising from that incident .
Following a tip-off , Mr Corcoran says he arrived at the scene , where a number of vehicles were on fire , before gardaí and fire services arrived and he shot some phone footage which was put on the Democrat ’ s website .
Before his phone was seized , Mr Corcoran , who invoked journalistic privilege some months earlier in relation to its contents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide the PIN .
He has provided gardaí with a copy of the video shot by him and some photos .
Gardaí had undertaken not to examine the phone pending the outcome of the judicial review .
In his judgment , Mr Justice Simons said the core of the applicants ’ case was that the Oireachtas was required but had failed to enact laws which prescribe an appropriate procedure whereby court authorisation is required before a search warrant is issued concerning a premises or property belonging to a journalist .
While Mr Corcoran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seizure of his phone , there is strictly speaking no such thing as journalistic privilege , the judge noted .
The relevant constitutional right , to freedom of expression , rather sought to protect the dissemination of information and public debate .
Journalists are central to that entire process and the constitutional rights would be meaningless if the law could not , or would not , protect their “ general ” right to protect their sources .
This right is “ not absolute ” and may have to yield to other countervailing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case , in the proper investigation and prosecution of criminal offences .
He ruled Section 10 of the Criminal Justice Act 1997 , under which the warrant was issued , meant the District Court ’ s function is confined principally to determining there are reasonable grounds for suspecting the evidence of , or relating to the commission of an arrestable offence , is to be found in the place in respect of which the warrant is sought .
The District Court had no jurisdiction in such an application to determine any issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A journalist will not be ordered to disclose their sources unless such disclosure is justified by an overriding requirement in the public interest and the need for any restriction on freedom of expression must be “ convincingly established ” , he said .
In this case , there is no right to rely on journalistic privilege to resist disclosing the phone contents , he ruled .
He stressed his judgment did not address the validity of Section 10 as the applicants had not contended it was unconstitutional or inconsistent with the ECHR .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the identity of the source of the tip off which lead to Mr Corcoran attending the aftermath of a criminal incident should be protected , he said .
“ Perhaps tellingly ” , Mr Corcoran had provided no information whatsoever as to the circumstances in which that individual approached him and there had been no attempt to explain the motivation of the source or what public interest they sought to advance by publication of the criminal incident .
Without in any way questioning Mr Corcoran ’ s own bona fides , there must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the source in seeking to have the events publicised .
It might not be unreasonable to infer the motivation may have been to propagate the “ message ” that action would be taken against those , such as security personnel allegedly assaulted , who seek to facilitate repossessions by financial institutions .
The evidence did not establish this source was motivated to provide information the public were entitled to know .
The court had to balance the asserted public interest in protecting journalistic sources against the countervailing public interest in investigation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , the public interest in ensuring all relevant evidence is available in the pending criminal proceedings overrides the claim for journalistic privilege , he ruled .
He ruled gardaí were entitled to carry out their proposed examination of the phone , confined to activity on the phone over a specified period of time shortly before and after the events of December 16th 2018 .
Their examination is limited to dates between December 11th and December 17th 2018 .
Final orders will be made on a later date .

A High Court judge has ruled gardaí are entitled to carry out a limited examination of the contents of a mobile phone seized from the home of a provincial newspaper editor as part of their investigation into a violent incident at a repossessed house in Co Roscommon.
The ruling means gardaí can access calls, texts, social media messages, photos, videos and other information on the phone between December 11th and 17th 2018.
In an important judgment on Friday addressing the protection of journalistic sources and other issues, Mr Justice Garrett Simons refused to grant Emmet Corcoran and his company orders quashing a search warrant forcing him to hand over his phone when officers arrived at his Strokestown home.
Mr Corcoran, editor of the Strokestown-based "The Democrat", and Oncar Ventures Ltd, publisher and owner of that newspaper, represented by Michael McDowell SC had initiated judicial review proceedings within hours of a search of his home and seizure of his phone in April 2019 on foot of a search warrant issued by a district court judge in late 2018.
READ MORE
The phone was seized as part of a Garda investigation into violence at a house in Strokestown which had been repossessed in December 2018. A number of people are facing charges arising from that incident.
Following a tip-off, Mr Corcoran says he arrived at the scene, where a number of vehicles were on fire, before gardaí and fire services arrived and he shot some phone footage which was put on the Democrat’s website.
Before his phone was seized, Mr Corcoran, who invoked journalistic privilege some months earlier in relation to its contents, switched it off and refused to provide the PIN. He has provided gardaí with a copy of the video shot by him and some photos.
Gardaí had undertaken not to examine the phone pending the outcome of the judicial review, which was opposed by gardaí and the State represented by Frank Callanan SC with Tony McGillicuddy BL.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Simons said the core of the applicants' case was that the Oireachtas was required but had failed to enact laws which prescribe an appropriate procedure whereby court authorisation is required before a search warrant is issued concerning a premises or property belonging to a journalist.
No journalistic privilege
While Mr Corcoran maintained the right to resist the examination and seizure of his phone, there is strictly speaking no such thing as journalistic privilege, the judge noted.
The relevant constitutional right, to freedom of expression, rather sought to protect the dissemination of information and public debate.
Journalists are central to that entire process and the constitutional rights would be meaningless if the law could not, or would not, protect their “general” right to protect their sources.
This right is “not absolute” and may have to yield to other countervailing public interests, including, relevantly in this case, in the proper investigation and prosecution of criminal offences.
He ruled Section 10 of the Criminal Justice Act 1997, under which the warrant was issued, meant the District Court’s function is confined principally to determining there are reasonable grounds for suspecting the evidence of, or relating to the commission of an arrestable offence, is to be found in the place in respect of which the warrant is sought.
The District Court had no jurisdiction in such an application to determine any issue concerning journalistic privilege, he held.
A journalist will not be ordered to disclose their sources unless such disclosure is justified by an overriding requirement in the public interest and the need for any restriction on freedom of expression must be “convincingly established”, he said.
In this case, there is no right to rely on journalistic privilege to resist disclosing the phone contents, he ruled.
He stressed his judgment did not address the validity of Section 10 as the applicants had not contended it was unconstitutional or inconsistent with the ECHR.
The height of their case was that the identity of the source of the tip off which lead to Mr Corcoran attending the aftermath of a criminal incident should be protected, he said.
“Perhaps tellingly”, Mr Corcoran had provided no information whatsoever as to the circumstances in which that individual approached him and there had been no attempt to explain the motivation of the source or what public interest they sought to advance by publication of the criminal incident.
Without in any way questioning Mr Corcoran’s own bona fides, there must be some doubt as to the motivation of the source in seeking to have the events publicised. It might not be unreasonable to infer the motivation may have been to propagate the “message” that action would be taken against those, such as security personnel allegedly assaulted, who seek to facilitate repossessions by financial institutions. The evidence did not establish this source was motivated to provide information the public were entitled to know.
The court had to balance the asserted public interest in protecting journalistic sources against the countervailing public interest in investigation and prosecution of criminal offences.
In this case, the public interest in ensuring all relevant evidence is available in the pending criminal proceedings overrides the claim for journalistic privilege, he ruled.
He ruled gardaí were entitled to carry out their proposed examination of the phone, confined to activity on the phone over a specified period of time shortly before and after the events of December 16th 2018. Their examination is limited to dates between December 11th and December 17th 2018.
Final orders will be made on a later date.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Students should consider not returning home at weekends - CAO board chairman

Third-level students should consider not returning home at the weekends during the academic term , in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19 , the chairman of the CAO board has said .
The suggestion has been challenged by the Union of Students in Ireland ( USI ) , which said visiting family is important for the mental health of young people .
Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh of the CAO said he recognised many students were involved in local sports clubs and had part-time jobs at weekends to help finance their studies , but “ in an ideal world ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college accommodation for the semester and going home “ only occasionally.
” Speaking on RTÉ radio ’ s Today with Claire Byrne show , he added that travelling between counties on a weekly basis is “ very different ” from attending school or commuting to and from work .
“ Students go on a weekly basis , they will be meeting others from all over the country and then going back into their home communities and that is a potential spreader , there ’ s no doubt about that , for all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colleges in the country , so I think it would be really important that students , if at all possible , were to stay in the campus , in the university , in the college setting , for most of the semester , ” he added .
Prof Ó Dochartaigh , who is also the deputy president of NUI Galway , said he understood this would be “ a tough ask ” especially for first years .
“ We ’ re not saying to people that you absolutely must do this , come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think where anyone can reasonably do that and can cope with that , I think they should consider it , seriously , ” he added .
Lorna Fitzpatrick , president of the USI , said this suggestion is “ very unfair ” and “ does not align with any of the other messaging we received from the Government ” .
“ It baffles me that people are being encouraged to take staycations , to eat in restaurants and cafes , but now students are being told they can ’ t see their families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These comments are extremely concerning .
It ’ s not public health advice .
It is important that the Minister clarifies this as soon as possible.
” Sources from the third-level sector believe this move would not need to be implemented as the academic term is being carried out primarily online in many higher education facilities .
The sources believe with some lectures moving online , under a system known as hybrid or blended learning , many students will opt to remain at home for the year , rather than taking up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trinity College Dublin said the proposal is not something that has been considered at the university , while a spokesman for DCU said it is offering “ flexible on-campus accommodation ” as it is “ highly unlikely ” any given student would need to be on campus more than a small number of days per week .
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has been contacted for comment .

Third-level students should consider not returning home at the weekends during the academic term, in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19, chairman of CAO board says.
Third-level students should consider not returning home at the weekends during the academic term in order to reduce spread of Covid-19, the chairman of the CAO board has said.
The suggestion has been challenged by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), which said visiting family is important for the mental health of young people.
Prof Pól Ó Dochartaigh of the CAO said he recognised many students were involved in local sports clubs and had part-time jobs at weekends to help finance their studies, but “in an ideal world”, students should consider staying in their college accommodation for the semester and going home “only occasionally.”
Speaking on RTÉ radio's Today with Claire Byrne show, he added that travelling between counties on a weekly basis is "very different" from attending school or commuting to and from work.
READ MORE
“Students go on a weekly basis, they will be meeting others from all over the country and then going back into their home communities and that is a potential spreader, there’s no doubt about that, for all of the universities, for all of the colleges in the country, so I think it would be really important that students, if at all possible, were to stay in the campus, in the university, in the college setting, for most of the semester,” he added.
Prof Ó Dochartaigh, who is also the deputy president of NUI Galway, said he understood this would be "a tough ask" especially for first years.
“We’re not saying to people that you absolutely must do this, come hell or high water, but I think where anyone can reasonably do that and can cope with that, I think they should consider it, seriously,” he added.
‘Very unfair’
USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick said this suggestion was "very unfair" and "does not align with any of the other messaging we received from the Government".
“It baffles me that people are being encouraged to take staycations, to eat in restaurants and cafes, but now students are being told they can’t see their families,” Ms Fitzpatrick said. “These comments are extremely concerning. It’s not public health advice. It is important that the Minister clarifies this as soon as possible.”
Sources from the third-level sector believe this move would not need to be implemented as the academic term is being carried out primarily online in many higher education facilities.
The sources believe with some lectures moving online, under a system known as hybrid or blended learning, many students will opt to remain at home for the year, rather than taking up the option of college accommodation.
A spokeswoman for Trinity College Dublin said the proposal is not something that has been considered at the university, while a spokesman for DCU said it is offering "flexible on-campus accommodation" as it is "highly unlikely" any given student would need to be on campus more than a small number of days per week.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has been contacted for comment.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Goalkeeper awarded €16,000 after injuring toe in footgolf

A top amateur goalkeeper , who injured his big toe while playing footgolf – football played to the rules of golf – has been awarded damages in the Circuit Civil Court against the owner of the Co Dublin course .
Stuart O ’ Dwyer , a van-driving courier of Glenhill Avenue , Finglas , Dublin 11 , and Leinster Senior League goalkeeper for Glasnevin FC , told judge John O ’ Connor he had been injured while kicking the ball out of the rough in a round of footgolf with his dad .
Mr O ’ Dwyer , who successfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pub restaurant , New Park , The Ward , Co Dublin , said his right foot had struck a metal stake concealed by long grass just off the 10th green at Rutledge ’ s course .
He said he was a patron of the White House premises .
Barrister Laurence Masterson told the court Thursday that Mr O ’ Dwyer ’ s claim for damages for personal injuries against Rutledge had been undefended since proceedings had issued .
He said Mr O ’ Dwyer had been injured in the footgolf game on 14th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who appeared with Francis Callaghan of Spelman Callaghan Solicitors for O ’ Dwyer , said judgment had been marked by the County Registrar against Mr Rutledge in the absence of an appearance in the case .
Mr O ’ Dwyer told the judge he played in goal for Glasnevin FC at Leinster Senior League level and on the day of the fun game with his dad he had kicked the ball off the 10th tee into very long grass .
As he attempted to kick the ball onto the nearby green his foot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been firmly driven into the ground and which was concealed in the grass .
He had injured the big toe on his right foot and had to attend the accident and emergency department of James Connolly Memorial Hospital , Blanchardstown , following the game .
He had been treated by Mr J.A McKeever , consultant in emergency medicine who diagnosed a soft tissue injury .
The court heard Mr O ’ Dwyer had lost the nail on his big toe and he had been left with a mild deformity in the shape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the nail had regrown .
He told Mr Masterson he had suffered severe pain , discomfort and bruising in his toe which had been splinted with a buddy strap in the hospital where he had been given crutches .
He did not have to miss work and was not making any claim for lost earnings .
Mr O ’ Dwyer said he had joined members of his family 10 days after the accident in a pre-booked holiday to Florida and while his injury had not specifically ruined the vacation he had suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had cleared up after about nine months .
The judge said he felt compensation would fall in at the lower end of the Circuit Court jurisdiction and awarded Mr O ’ Dwyer €16,000 damages and Circuit Court legal costs against Rutledge who was not in court nor legally represented .
The judge , on foot of the original judgment , had been asked to assess damages against Rutledge .

A top amateur goalkeeper playing in the Leinster Senior League sued Simon Rutledge of the White House pub restaurant, New Park, The Ward, Co Dublin.
A top amateur goalkeeper, who injured his big toe while playing footgolf – football played to the rules of golf – has been awarded damages in the Circuit Civil Court against the owner of the Co Dublin course.
Stuart O'Dwyer, a van-driving courier of Glenhill Avenue, Finglas, Dublin 11, and Leinster Senior League goalkeeper for Glasnevin FC, told judge John O'Connor he had been injured while kicking the ball out of the rough in a round of footgolf with his dad.
Mr O'Dwyer, who successfully sued Simon Rutledge of the White House pub restaurant, New Park, The Ward, Co Dublin, said his right foot had struck a metal stake concealed by long grass just off the 10th green at Rutledge's course. He said he was a patron of the White House premises.
Barrister Laurence Masterson told the court Thursday that Mr O'Dwyer's claim for damages for personal injuries against Rutledge had been undefended since proceedings had issued.
READ MORE
He said Mr O’Dwyer had been injured in the footgolf game on 14th June, 2018.
Mr Masterson, who appeared with Francis Callaghan of Spelman Callaghan Solicitors for O'Dwyer, said judgment had been marked by the County Registrar against Mr Rutledge in the absence of an appearance in the case.
Mr O’Dwyer told the judge he played in goal for Glasnevin FC at Leinster Senior League level and on the day of the fun game with his dad he had kicked the ball off the 10th tee into very long grass.
As he attempted to kick the ball onto the nearby green his foot had crashed into the metal spike that had been firmly driven into the ground and which was concealed in the grass.
He had injured the big toe on his right foot and had to attend the accident and emergency department of James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, following the game.
He had been treated by Mr J.A McKeever, consultant in emergency medicine who diagnosed a soft tissue injury.
The court heard Mr O’Dwyer had lost the nail on his big toe and he had been left with a mild deformity in the shape of a small lump on the toe after the nail had regrown.
He told Mr Masterson he had suffered severe pain, discomfort and bruising in his toe which had been splinted with a buddy strap in the hospital where he had been given crutches. He did not have to miss work and was not making any claim for lost earnings.
Mr O’Dwyer said he had joined members of his family 10 days after the accident in a pre-booked holiday to Florida and while his injury had not specifically ruined the vacation he had suffered some pain and discomfort. His injury had cleared up after about nine months.
The judge said he felt compensation would fall in at the lower end of the Circuit Court jurisdiction and awarded Mr O’Dwyer €16,000 damages and Circuit Court legal costs against Rutledge who was not in court nor legally represented.
The judge, on foot of the original judgment, had been asked to assess damages against Rutledge.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Weekend forecast: Mostly dry but rain in the northwest

The weather is set to be mostly dry this weekend , with outbreaks of rain in the northwest of the country , the national forecaster has said .
Met Éireann said current indications show the beginning of next week will be warmer than this week , although there will be further spells of rain .
Friday morning will be wet and breezy in the west and northwest , with some heavy falls of rain , but it will remain dry elsewhere .
The rain will spread southeastwards through the day , becoming lighter and patchier as it moves .
Brighter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the afternoon , with sunny spells , scattered showers and highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees .
Saturday morning ’ s weather will be very similar , with a generally dry start over most of the country , but sunny spells and occasional showers in the northwest .
However , cloud will build from the west through the morning with persistent and occasionally heavy rain developing in the northwest by evening .
Further south it is forecast to remain dry with sunny spells with highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ winds , growing increasingly stronger on western coasts late in the afternoon with , gales developing along western and northwestern coasts by the evening .
The overnight rain will clear from the northwest on Sunday morning , and any remaining drizzle patches near western coasts will die out by early afternoon .
It will brighten up in most parts with warm sunny spells developing across the bulk of the country , although a few areas of low cloud and mist may linger near some southern and western coasts .
Highest temperatures will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain mainly over the western half of the country .
Some heavy downpours are possible but it will warm again with highs of 17 to 22 degrees in moderate southeast winds .
Monday night will be cloudy with further rain , turning persistent and heavy at times over the western half of the country .
Lowest temperatures will be 13 to 15 degrees in a light east to southeast breeze .
Looking into the rest of next week , current indications state that Tuesday to Thursday will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and further outbreaks of rain at times .

The weather is set to be mostly dry this weekend, with outbreaks of rain in the northwest of the country, the national forecaster has said.
Met Éireann said current indications show the beginning of next week will be warmer than this week, although there will be further spells of rain.
Friday morning will be wet and breezy in the west and northwest, with some heavy falls of rain, but it will remain dry elsewhere.
The rain will spread southeastwards through the day, becoming lighter and patchier as it moves.
READ MORE
Brighter conditions will follow from the northwest by the afternoon, with sunny spells, scattered showers and highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees.
Saturday morning’s weather will be very similar, with a generally dry start over most of the country, but sunny spells and occasional showers in the northwest.
However, cloud will build from the west through the morning with persistent and occasionally heavy rain developing in the northwest by evening.
Further south it is forecast to remain dry with sunny spells with highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees.
There will be moderate to fresh southwest winds, growing increasingly stronger on western coasts late in the afternoon with, gales developing along western and northwestern coasts by the evening.
The overnight rain will clear from the northwest on Sunday morning, and any remaining drizzle patches near western coasts will die out by early afternoon.
It will brighten up in most parts with warm sunny spells developing across the bulk of the country, although a few areas of low cloud and mist may linger near some southern and western coasts. Highest temperatures will be between 17 and 22 degrees.
Monday will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain mainly over the western half of the country.
Some heavy downpours are possible but it will warm again with highs of 17 to 22 degrees in moderate southeast winds.
Monday night will be cloudy with further rain, turning persistent and heavy at times over the western half of the country. Lowest temperatures will be 13 to 15 degrees in a light east to southeast breeze.
Looking into the rest of next week, current indications state that Tuesday to Thursday will continue to be warm, with showers and further outbreaks of rain at times.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Have a CAO query? Join our Facebook Live Q&A

In a year like no other , students are facing into a host of unanswered question .
Is is worth @ @ @ @ @ much will CAO points for my course go up ?
Should I defer college until @ @ @ @ @ worth getting student accommodation if I ’ ll be on campus for just a day @ @ @ @ @ to college are out there ?
Irish Times education editor Carl O ’ Brien will @ @ @ @ @ queries to guidance counsellor Brian Mooney at 5pm on Friday , September 11th , during @ @ @ @ @ If you have a query , please email Carl send it in advance ( cobrien @ @ @ @ @ a comment on Facebook during the live broadcast .
It will be broadcast on the @ @ @ @ @ will be available to replay .
In the meantime , our live helpdesk staffed by @ @ @ @ @ 11.45am to 8pm each day .
Also , you can check out answers to previously-asked @ @ @ @ @ here .

Irish Times education editor Carl O’Brien will put readers’ queries on everything to do with Leaving Cert results and CAO options to guidance counsellor Brian Mooney at 5pm on Tuesday, September 8th, during a Facebook Live event.
In a year like no other, students are facing into a host of unanswered question.
Is is worth appealing my results? How much will CAO points for my course go up? Should I defer college until Covid-19 subsides? Is it worth getting student accommodation if I’ll be on campus for just a day a week? What alternatives to college are out there?
Irish Times education editor Carl O'Brien will put all your Leaving Cert queries to guidance counsellor Brian Mooney at 5pm on Friday, September 11th, during a Facebook Live event.
If you have a query, please email Carl send it in advance (cobrien@irishtimes.com) or leave a comment on Facebook during the live broadcast.
It will be broadcast on the Irish Times Facebook page and will be available to replay.
READ MORE
Helpdesk
In the meantime, our live helpdesk staffed by guidance counsellors is available from 11.45am to 8pm each day.
Also, you can check out answers to previously-asked questions from earlier this week here.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--PSNI investigates video of ‘child driving lorry’

Police are investigating a video that appears to show a child driving a lorry on a motorway .
The clip @ @ @ @ @ on Snapchat , is understood to have been filmed on the M1 motorway near Dungannon @ @ @ @ @ boy in the driver ’ s seat of a lorry cab , apparently steering the @ @ @ @ @ the motorway .
A male is audible in the background talking to the child .
@ @ @ @ @ making inquiries into the incident .
A spokesman said : “ We have received a @ @ @ @ @ footage which has been shared on social media and are making inquiries.
” – PA

The PSNI is investigating a video that appears to show a child driving a lorry
A man has been arrested by police investigating a video showing a child apparently driving a lorry on a motorway in Co Tyrone.
The 37-year-old was detained in the Cookstown area on suspicion of aiding and abetting driving while disqualified due to age, and cruelty to children, the PSNI said.
He remains in custody.
The clip, which was apparently shared on Snapchat, was believed to have been filmed on the M1 motorway eastbound near Dungannon.
READ MORE
It reportedly showed a boy in the driver’s seat of a lorry cab steering the vehicle along the motorway.
A male is audible in the background talking to the child. – PA


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Detailed CAO points coverage available on irishtimes.com

It ’ s been a long and difficult year but the wait for this year ’ s crop of prospective third-level students ends today .
Tens of thousands of applicants will find out this afternoon if their college application has been successful when they receive Round One offers through the Central Applications Office ( CAO ) .
The Round One offer constitutes the main body of offers that takes place after the results of the Leaving Cert are issued , or as in this year ’ s case , the calculated grades , which were made available last Monday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in mobile and in print throughout the day and over the weekend .
Our coverage will feature news , analysis and expert opinion , plus advice and updates from students , teachers and experts .
Guidance counsellors Brian Howard and Deirdre Garrett will be on hand at irishtimes.com/helpdesk from 2pm to answer your questions about the college offers .
Readers can also submit queries by email to studenthub @ irishtimes.com .
The helpdesk will reopen on Saturday at 10am and will operate until 7pm .
It will be open again on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1pm .
The Irish Times will continue its coverage over the weekend with a special supplement on Saturday featuring full CAO listings , news , extensive advice , and analysis .
The Round One offers will be available to view online from 2pm and successful applicants should also receive an offer notification by email and text message if they selected this option during the application process .
Students can choose to accept the offer immediately if they wish but they have time to consider their offer as the deadline for Round One offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to figures released by the CAO , 78,168 applications were received by CAO this year - an increase of 462 applicants on the previous year .
First preference data , released by the CAO in July , gives some indication of where demand is up and down this year across categories of courses , such as arts , business or science , and this can influence whether points are likely to rise , fall or stay the same for individual courses .
Some applicants will look to the first preference application data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of guessing how application numbers might impact the points allocation for their chosen course ; but they will have to wait until this afternoon to discover for certain if they have secured the college place of their choice .
There are other variables at play .
Most of this year ’ s CAO applicants ( 61,043 ) adjusted their course choices in the run-up to the change of mind deadline , a period during which it was announced that Leaving Cert exams would be postponed and replaced with calculated grades .
The 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July showed an increase in applications for the following subject areas : some of the biggest year-on-year percentage increases in applications for honours degree courses include physiotherapy ( +25 per cent ) , dentistry ( +17 per cent ) , veterinary medicine , and law ( +16 per cent ) .
There were also increases in courses linked to the environment ( +8 per cent ) , architecture ( +8 per cent ) , secondary education ( +7 per cent ) , medicine , pharmacy and engineering ( + 6 per cent ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications were for humanities ( -9 per cent ) , arts ( -7 per cent ) , agriculture ( -5 per cent ) , and art and design ( -3 per cent ) .
Journalism ( +5 per cent ) recovered somewhat from an eight per cent drop last year while social and behavioural sciences also saw an increase ( + 5 per cent ) .
The surge in applications for high points courses may also be a sign that some students felt inclined to apply for courses with stronger employment prospects amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic .
While it is reasonable to look to these figures in the hope of getting a rough indication as to how courses will fare , it is worth noting that the categories used by the CAO when collating these figures are quite broad and represent the average changes in preferences across sectors , rather than applications to individual courses .
The Irish Times helpdesk will operate at irishtimes.com/helpdesk from 2.30pm until 8pm on Friday and from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and 10am to 1pm on Sunday to answer any questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the college applications .

Round One CAO offers will be available to view online from 2pm today.
It’s been a long and difficult year but the wait for this year’s crop of prospective third-level students ends today.
Tens of thousands of applicants will find out this afternoon if their college application has been successful when they receive Round One offers through the Central Applications Office (CAO).
The Round One offer constitutes the main body of offers that takes place after the results of the Leaving Cert are issued, or as in this year’s case, the calculated grades, which were made available last Monday.
The Irish Times will provide coverage online, in mobile and in print throughout the day and over the weekend.
READ MORE
Our coverage will feature news, analysis and expert opinion, plus advice and updates from students, teachers and experts.
Guidance counsellors Brian Howard and Deirdre Garrett will be on hand at irishtimes.com/helpdesk from 2pm to answer your questions about the college offers. Readers can also submit queries by email to studenthub@irishtimes.com.
The helpdesk will reopen on Saturday at 10am and will operate until 7pm. It will be open again on Sunday morning and will remain in operation until 1pm.
The Irish Times will continue its coverage over the weekend with a special supplement on Saturday featuring full CAO listings, news, extensive advice, and analysis.
Round One offers
The Round One offers will be available to view online from 2pm and successful applicants should also receive an offer notification by email and text message if they selected this option during the application process.
Students can choose to accept the offer immediately if they wish but they have time to consider their offer as the deadline for Round One offer acceptance is 3pm on September 16th.
According to figures released by the CAO, 78,168 applications were received by CAO this year - an increase of 462 applicants on the previous year.
First preference data, released by the CAO in July, gives some indication of where demand is up and down this year across categories of courses, such as arts, business or science, and this can influence whether points are likely to rise, fall or stay the same for individual courses.
Some applicants will look to the first preference application data released by the CAO in the hope of guessing how application numbers might impact the points allocation for their chosen course; but they will have to wait until this afternoon to discover for certain if they have secured the college place of their choice.
There are other variables at play. Most of this year’s CAO applicants (61,043) adjusted their course choices in the run-up to the change of mind deadline, a period during which it was announced that Leaving Cert exams would be postponed and replaced with calculated grades.
The 2020 applications figures released by the CAO in July showed an increase in applications for the following subject areas: some of the biggest year-on-year percentage increases in applications for honours degree courses include physiotherapy (+25 per cent), dentistry (+17 per cent), veterinary medicine, and law (+16 per cent).
There were also increases in courses linked to the environment (+8 per cent), architecture (+8 per cent), secondary education (+7 per cent), medicine, pharmacy and engineering (+ 6 per cent).
Some of the biggest decreases in applications were for humanities (-9 per cent), arts (-7 per cent), agriculture (-5 per cent), and art and design (-3 per cent). Journalism (+5 per cent) recovered somewhat from an eight per cent drop last year while social and behavioural sciences also saw an increase ( + 5 per cent).
The surge in applications for high points courses may also be a sign that some students felt inclined to apply for courses with stronger employment prospects amid concerns of rising unemployment and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
While it is reasonable to look to these figures in the hope of getting a rough indication as to how courses will fare, it is worth noting that the categories used by the CAO when collating these figures are quite broad and represent the average changes in preferences across sectors, rather than applications to individual courses.
The Irish Times helpdesk will operate at irishtimes.com/helpdesk from 2.30pm until 8pm on Friday and from 10am to 7pm on Saturday and 10am to 1pm on Sunday to answer any questions students or their parents might have about the college applications.
Good luck all.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--Have high-achieving schools lost out under the calculated grades process?

With fees in excess of €7,000 per student , full-time grind schools have always justified their cost on the basis that their results speak for themselves .
Students in their schools , they say , are top pupils who significantly outperform the national average .
“ Let ’ s face it , parents pay a lot of money and there is an expectation that students will fulfil their potential , ” says the head of one grind school , who declined to be named .
“ But this year , we can ’ t say that .
So many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calculated grades process ... Something has gone wrong.
” The Institute of Education , the State ’ s largest grind school , is one of many which feels it has been penalised under the new process .
It says “ endemic flaws ” in the system meant that 96 per cent of its students had one or more of their teachers ’ estimated grades reduced .
Overall , they say , 44 per cent of teachers ’ grades were lowered compared with an average of 17 per cent .
But it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the outcome of the new process .
Many top-performing schools in the country – both private and non-fee paying – feel they have also lost out under the process .
Most feel the Government ’ s decision to withdraw controversial “ school profiling ” – a measure originally aimed at recognising a school ’ s performance over three years – ended up disproportionately lowering their results .
Certainly , that is the belief at St Kilian ’ s Deutsche Schule in Clonskeagh , a private school specialising in the teaching of German @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students to secure a H1 in German based on past performance , just 14 per cent secured this grade under the calculated grades process .
“ The students in St Kilian ’ s have been seriously disadvantaged because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK , ” said school principal Alice Lynch , in a letter to the Department of Education this week .
“ Where is the justice here ?
How is this wrong to be righted ?
” The Department of Education , however , has said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and there is no evidence of bias towards any school type .
While it has not commented on individual schools , Government sources feel the new system delivered results in the fairest way possible , with an overall increase in grades .
Sources say there was evidence that some schools were significantly over-predicting students ’ grades by up to two , three or even four times what might have been expected in normal times .
This , they say , is why a standardisation process was needed : to ensure students ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit disproportionately ; and that students whose teachers gave predicted grades closer in line to historical achievement patterns were not penalised .
As a result , they say the proportion of downgrades of teachers ’ estimated grades in an individual schools is not a reliable indicator ; they say schools performance this year compared to its historical performance is more likely .
Even so , some high-achieving schools still insist that overall grades this year are significantly down on last year .
The hope within Government is that the CAO round one offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that frustration will begin to melt away .
But with students set to be able to see their teachers ’ predicted grades from next Monday , there is every chance this will reignite a sense among some that they have been treated unfairly by an algorithm which failed to recognise high achievement in all cases .

The Institute of Education, the State’s largest grind school, is one of many which feels it has been penalised under the new process. Photograph: Brendan Duffy
With fees in excess of €7,000 per student, full-time grind schools have always justified their cost on the basis that their results speak for themselves.
Students in their schools, they say, are top pupils who significantly outperform the national average.
“Let’s face it, parents pay a lot of money and there is an expectation that students will fulfil their potential,” says the head of one grind school, who declined to be named.
“But this year, we can’t say that. So many of our students have been downgraded under the calculated grades process ... Something has gone wrong.”
READ MORE
The Institute of Education, the State’s largest grind school, is one of many which feels it has been penalised under the new process.
It says “endemic flaws” in the system meant that 96 per cent of its students had one or more of their teachers’ estimated grades reduced. Overall, they say, 44 per cent of teachers’ grades were lowered compared with an average of 17 per cent.
But it’s not just grind schools that are angry at the outcome of the new process. Many top-performing schools in the country – both private and non-fee paying – feel they have also lost out under the process.
Most feel the Government’s decision to withdraw controversial “school profiling” – a measure originally aimed at recognising a school’s performance over three years – ended up disproportionately lowering their results.
The students in St Kilian's have been seriously disadvantaged because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK
Certainly, that is the belief at St Kilian's Deutsche Schule in Clonskeagh, a private school specialising in the teaching of German.
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.
"The students in St Kilian's have been seriously disadvantaged because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK," said school principal Alice Lynch, in a letter to the Department of Education this week. "Where is the justice here? How is this wrong to be righted?"
The Department of Education, however, has said the calculated grades process was “blind” and there is no evidence of bias towards any school type.
While it has not commented on individual schools, Government sources feel the new system delivered results in the fairest way possible, with an overall increase in grades.
CAO offers
Sources say there was evidence that some schools were significantly over-predicting students’ grades by up to two, three or even four times what might have been expected in normal times.
This, they say, is why a standardisation process was needed: to ensure students’ whose teachers were overly generous did not benefit disproportionately; and that students whose teachers gave predicted grades closer in line to historical achievement patterns were not penalised.
As a result, they say the proportion of downgrades of teachers’ estimated grades in an individual schools is not a reliable indicator; they say schools performance this year compared to its historical performance is more likely.
Even so, some high-achieving schools still insist that overall grades this year are significantly down on last year.
The hope within Government is that the CAO round one offers will provide most students with offers and that frustration will begin to melt away.
But with students set to be able to see their teachers’ predicted grades from next Monday, there is every chance this will reignite a sense among some that they have been treated unfairly by an algorithm which failed to recognise high achievement in all cases.


theirishtimes--2020-09-11--‘It absolutely destroys you’: Covid-19 survivor five months later

A 49-year-old prison officer , who spent six days on a ventilator with Covid-19 , has expressed concern about growing public complacency , warning younger people that “ nobody is invulnerable to this ” .
The Dubliner , who did not want to be named because of the nature of his work , spent 20 days in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin in April .
Five months on , he still suffers from long-term effects from being critically ill with the virus .
The married father of two has had to endure debilitating fatigue some days when he can not get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from headaches , severe muscle and joint pain , a lack of concentration , the loss of taste , sleepless nights and nightmares .
“ I still do feel a physical and mental wreck from the experience .
It is not something I would wish on anybody .
I was like a newborn baby coming home from the hospital .
I couldn ’ t do anything for myself , ” he says .
The officer says that younger people should not assume that because they are at lower risk of becoming seriously ill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not affect their health adversely in the longer term .
“ This isn ’ t some made up thing that Lemsip is going to clear .
This absolutely destroys you if it takes hold of you .
I am very fortunate that I came out the end of this.
” A medical consultant looking after him kept telling him how lucky he was to survive , he adds .
“ Every day varies from being absolutely exhausted to very tired.
” One of the strangest long-term effects from the illness is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was writing a thank you card for the nurses in the hospital and could not think of the word for Sellotape .
Another day , he wanted to butter toast and forgot the word for knife .
“ The concentration is just gone .
It is very , very hard , even now with my attention span .
I love to read and even watching TV , I have to keep rewinding or go back a few pages .
A lot of stuff just doesn ’ t sink in , ” he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care consultant and anaesthetist at Beaumont who is a lead doctor in the Dublin hospital ’ s Covid Survivorship Clinic , says the long-term effect of the disease has been severe in some cases .
“ I am more worried about some of the long-term effects of Covid-19 than I was in March .
I am looking at people who have survived it but who can not walk up a flight of stairs , ” she says .
“ It has been life-altering for some people.
” The prison officer suspects that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public transport to work .
A diabetic , he is prone to urine infections and thought he had another infection when he started feeling unwell on Monday , March 30th .
By Wednesday , he had a cough and by Sunday he was struggling to breathe .
That day he collapsed in his bedroom .
He was taken to hospital by ambulance the following day and sent to intensive care .
“ In the space of 24 hours , I went from feeling a bit crappy , like ‘ leave me alone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from me ’ , to being intubated , ” he recalls .
The rising number of infections and a public he sees as becoming increasingly lax in following health guidelines are “ a cause of concern ” .
“ It is ‘ mé féin ’ syndrome – ‘ I ’ m alright , Jack ; don ’ t worry about me ’ – that seems to becoming more and more prevalent .
People can not drop their guard , ” he says .
“ Even if you are not going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass it on to somebody that will be and they unfortunately could be very badly affected.
” He wonders about the planned reopening of so-called wet pubs on September 21st .
“ It is worth losing a lot more people to this for the sake of opening up the pubs ?
” he asks .
He hopes that he will be well enough to return to work soon .
“ It has taken its toll but there is a big light at the end of the tunnel .
I am close .
”

A 49-year-old prison officer, who spent six days on a ventilator with Covid-19, has expressed concern about growing public complacency, warning younger people that “nobody is invulnerable to this”.
The Dubliner, who did not want to be named because of the nature of his work, spent 20 days in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin in April. Five months on, he still suffers from long-term effects from being critically ill with the virus.
The married father of two has had to endure debilitating fatigue some days when he cannot get out of bed. He has suffered from headaches, severe muscle and joint pain, a lack of concentration, the loss of taste, sleepless nights and nightmares.
“I still do feel a physical and mental wreck from the experience. It is not something I would wish on anybody. I was like a newborn baby coming home from the hospital. I couldn’t do anything for myself,” he says.
READ MORE
The officer says that younger people should not assume that because they are at lower risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from the disease that it will not affect their health adversely in the longer term.
“This isn’t some made up thing that Lemsip is going to clear. This absolutely destroys you if it takes hold of you. I am very fortunate that I came out the end of this.”
A medical consultant looking after him kept telling him how lucky he was to survive, he adds. “Every day varies from being absolutely exhausted to very tired.”
One of the strangest long-term effects from the illness is the short-term memory loss. One day he was writing a thank you card for the nurses in the hospital and could not think of the word for Sellotape. Another day, he wanted to butter toast and forgot the word for knife.
“The concentration is just gone. It is very, very hard, even now with my attention span. I love to read and even watching TV, I have to keep rewinding or go back a few pages. A lot of stuff just doesn’t sink in,” he says.
I am looking at people who have survived it but who cannot walk up a flight of stairs
Dr Fiona Kiernan, an intensive care consultant and anaesthetist at Beaumont who is a lead doctor in the Dublin hospital's Covid Survivorship Clinic, says the long-term effect of the disease has been severe in some cases.
“I am more worried about some of the long-term effects of Covid-19 than I was in March. I am looking at people who have survived it but who cannot walk up a flight of stairs,” she says.
“It has been life-altering for some people.”
‘Concern’
The prison officer suspects that he caught the virus in April while taking public transport to work. A diabetic, he is prone to urine infections and thought he had another infection when he started feeling unwell on Monday, March 30th.
By Wednesday, he had a cough and by Sunday he was struggling to breathe. That day he collapsed in his bedroom. He was taken to hospital by ambulance the following day and sent to intensive care.
“In the space of 24 hours, I went from feeling a bit crappy, like ‘leave me alone, curl up in a ball, stay away from me’, to being intubated,” he recalls.
The rising number of infections and a public he sees as becoming increasingly lax in following health guidelines are “a cause of concern”.
“It is ‘mé féin’ syndrome – ‘I’m alright, Jack; don’t worry about me’ – that seems to becoming more and more prevalent. People cannot drop their guard,” he says.
“Even if you are not going to be affected by it, you could easily pass it on to somebody that will be and they unfortunately could be very badly affected.”
He wonders about the planned reopening of so-called wet pubs on September 21st. “It is worth losing a lot more people to this for the sake of opening up the pubs?” he asks.
He hopes that he will be well enough to return to work soon.
“It has taken its toll but there is a big light at the end of the tunnel. I am close.”


theirishtimes--2020-09-12--Community Covid testing and tracing times raise concerns

Median Covid-19 testing and tracing times for positive cases in the community are in excess of three days , new figures show .
The figures , which relate to those outside the acute hospital system who have contracted the virus , have raised concerns among experts , who say they cast doubt on the State ’ s ability to stamp out clusters of infection .
Data released by the Health Service Executive ( HSE ) show that the median end-to-end turnaround time for community cases where Covid is detected is 3.5 days .
This has come down from 3.9 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend that the entire process should take no more than three days , and ideally closer to two days .
The end-to-end figure relates to the time taken from a GP referral for testing to the completion of contact tracing and the referral of a person ’ s close contacts for testing .
The figure for community testing does not include fast-track hospital tests , which are often processed in on-site laboratories , and therefore have a significantly faster turnaround time .
For example , in a hospital setting , the median time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 hours , and the time to complete all contact tracing is one day .
A HSE spokeswoman said community testing is “ a much more complex testing pathway than a testing pathway in an acute setting ” .
After a positive test , three calls take place – to inform a person of their status , to gather their contacts and then to call close contacts .
Contact tracing is , the HSE said , “ an incredibly complex process ” .
It said the contact tracing process is fraught with challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phones , which means a team is in place to source numbers and addresses .
“ Clearly , these can extend turnaround times.
” “ Furthermore , as the country has continued to open up , individuals are increasing the numbers of those who they are in social contact with , meaning the close contacts are increasing , ” the HSE said .
At present there are five close contacts on average per person .
However , experts said they were concerned by the turnaround times for community testing , and the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the HSE ’ s capacity to limit outbreaks .
“ It ’ s the community outbreaks we ’ ve been struggling with ; unless we get rapid results and rapid tracing we won ’ t be able to prevent the ongoing explosion , ” said Prof Sam McConkey , head of the department of international health and tropical medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons .
Dr Tomás Ryan of the school of biochemistry and immunology at Trinity College Dublin , who has been a staunch critic of the State ’ s testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to trace those in the community quickly as they may not be aware of their status .
“ The reason we are interested in the end-to-end process is because we want to identify and isolate people who are presymptomatic or asymptomatic and spreading the virus , ” he said .
Testing and tracing is seen as a key tool to break chains of virus transmission and facilitate some return of normal social and economic activities .
The State has invested tens of millions to create a contact tracing system from scratch since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times have come down significantly since spring .
However , concerns remain over the capacity of the system .
On Thursday , HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the impact of schools reopening had created a “ significant challenge on the daily lab testing because we are reaching capacity ” .
A spokeswoman for the HSE said there had been a “ significant increase in close contact work due to schools reopening ” .
Labour Party leader and health spokesman Alan Kelly said testing efficiency is “ absolutely critical ” .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HSE to be able to bring down the times , as the quicker we can identify and isolate those infected in community settings , the quicker we will get on top of this.
” He also called for a common reporting standard on testing to be created “ that everyone follows across the board ” .

HSE chief executive Paul Reid: School reopening has created a “significant challenge on the daily lab testing because we are reaching capacity”. Photograph: Sam Boal
Median Covid-19 testing and tracing times for positive cases in the community are in excess of three days, new figures show.
The figures, which relate to those outside the acute hospital system who have contracted the virus, have raised concerns among experts, who say they cast doubt on the State’s ability to stamp out clusters of infection.
Data released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) show that the median end-to-end turnaround time for community cases where Covid is detected is 3.5 days. This has come down from 3.9 days in the last seven days.
Experts recommend that the entire process should take no more than three days, and ideally closer to two days.
READ MORE
The end-to-end figure relates to the time taken from a GP referral for testing to the completion of contact tracing and the referral of a person’s close contacts for testing.
The figure for community testing does not include fast-track hospital tests, which are often processed in on-site laboratories, and therefore have a significantly faster turnaround time. For example, in a hospital setting, the median time taken from swabbing for a sample is 16 hours, and the time to complete all contact tracing is one day.
‘Complex pathway’
A HSE spokeswoman said community testing is “a much more complex testing pathway than a testing pathway in an acute setting”. After a positive test, three calls take place – to inform a person of their status, to gather their contacts and then to call close contacts.
Contact tracing is, the HSE said, “an incredibly complex process”. It said the contact tracing process is fraught with challenges, including people not picking up their phones, which means a team is in place to source numbers and addresses. “Clearly, these can extend turnaround times.”
“Furthermore, as the country has continued to open up, individuals are increasing the numbers of those who they are in social contact with, meaning the close contacts are increasing,” the HSE said. At present there are five close contacts on average per person.
However, experts said they were concerned by the turnaround times for community testing, and the risk that slower turnaround times would impact on the HSE’s capacity to limit outbreaks.
“It’s the community outbreaks we’ve been struggling with; unless we get rapid results and rapid tracing we won’t be able to prevent the ongoing explosion,” said Prof Sam McConkey, head of the department of international health and tropical medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Chain of transmission
Dr Tomás Ryan of the school of biochemistry and immunology at Trinity College Dublin, who has been a staunch critic of the State’s testing system, said there is a greater need to trace those in the community quickly as they may not be aware of their status.
“The reason we are interested in the end-to-end process is because we want to identify and isolate people who are presymptomatic or asymptomatic and spreading the virus,” he said.
Testing and tracing is seen as a key tool to break chains of virus transmission and facilitate some return of normal social and economic activities. The State has invested tens of millions to create a contact tracing system from scratch since the pandemic hit Ireland, and turnaround times have come down significantly since spring.
However, concerns remain over the capacity of the system. On Thursday, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the impact of schools reopening had created a “significant challenge on the daily lab testing because we are reaching capacity”.
A spokeswoman for the HSE said there had been a “significant increase in close contact work due to schools reopening”.
Labour Party leader and health spokesman Alan Kelly said testing efficiency is “absolutely critical”. “We need to ensure that we resource the HSE to be able to bring down the times, as the quicker we can identify and isolate those infected in community settings, the quicker we will get on top of this.”
He also called for a common reporting standard on testing to be created “that everyone follows across the board”.


theirishtimes--2020-09-12--Universities to limit student deferrals amid gap year concerns

Universities are to limit the number of students who are allowed to defer taking up their places amid concern that many may choose to take a gap year due to Covid-19 restrictions .
The majority of tuition across third-level institutions is set to take place remotely this year and some senior higher education figures are worried students will defer over fears of losing out on the traditional college experience .
UCD and Trinity College Dublin are among many colleges that have restrictions in place in the coming academic year to limit the number of students who may defer .
UCD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cent limit on the number of students in a class who can defer , while Trinity said it will limit deferrals to ensure there are sufficient places for the following year ’ s new applicants .
An unpublished Higher Education Authority report compiled earlier this year warned that a significant number of students were likely to defer due to the pandemic .
Points for entry into many courses climbed to record highs on foot of grade inflation in this year ’ s Leaving Cert , Central Applications Office ( CAO ) figures show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course offers on Friday and have until Wednesday to decide to accept them or not .
Overall , points were up across about two-thirds of honours degree or level-eight courses this year .
At university level , points were up on average by between 20 and 35 points .
A total of seven courses have now climbed above the previous all-time high of 600 points .
Some of the biggest individual points increases compared to last year were in excess of 100 points .
They include TU Dublin ’ s pharmaceutical science ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language ( +113 points ) , law and French at UCC ( +89 points ) and paramedic studies at University of Limerick ( +79 points ) .
About 78 per cent of level-eight college applicants received an offer from one of their top-three choices .
There was continuing anger , meanwhile , among students and their parents in high-achieving schools who feel they lost out under the new calculated grades process for Leaving Cert students .
A grind school , Bruce College in Cork , said grades awarded to its students across several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 26 per cent .
However , Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said the Government would not be reopening the Leaving Cert grading system .
“ If you pull a thread here , you risk unravelling the entire system .
.
.
If all of a sudden I am allowed to take a teacher ’ s grade in one subject and apply that to college then why can ’ t someone else do the same ?
” he said .
“ Nobody sat down in the Department of Education and said ‘ would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Leaving Cert ?
’ That is not what happened .
What happened was there was not a safe way to hold the exams this year.
” For those who were disappointed , he said there was an opportunity to sit one or more subjects in November .
Mr Harris said that removing “ school profiling ” from the calculated grades was a “ brave decision ” but the “ right decision ” .
If there had been no standardisation process , Mr Harris said there would have been “ very high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional 2,255 places this year had allowed more students to access third level than ever before .

Trinity College Dublin: Some senior higher education figures are worried students will defer over fears of losing out on the traditional college experience. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Universities are to limit the number of students who are allowed to defer taking up their places amid concern that many may choose to take a gap year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The majority of tuition across third-level institutions is set to take place remotely this year and some senior higher education figures are worried students will defer over fears of losing out on the traditional college experience.
UCD and Trinity College Dublin are among many colleges that have restrictions in place in the coming academic year to limit the number of students who may defer.
UCD said it will place a 5 per cent limit on the number of students in a class who can defer, while Trinity said it will limit deferrals to ensure there are sufficient places for the following year’s new applicants.
READ MORE
An unpublished Higher Education Authority report compiled earlier this year warned that a significant number of students were likely to defer due to the pandemic.
Points for entry into many courses climbed to record highs on foot of grade inflation in this year's Leaving Cert, Central Applications Office (CAO) figures show. More than 50,000 college applicants received course offers on Friday and have until Wednesday to decide to accept them or not.
Overall, points were up across about two-thirds of honours degree or level-eight courses this year.
Excess of 600 points
At university level, points were up on average by between 20 and 35 points. A total of seven courses have now climbed above the previous all-time high of 600 points.
Some of the biggest individual points increases compared to last year were in excess of 100 points. They include TU Dublin's pharmaceutical science (+116 points) and computing with a language (+113 points), law and French at UCC (+89 points) and paramedic studies at University of Limerick (+79 points).
About 78 per cent of level-eight college applicants received an offer from one of their top-three choices .
There was continuing anger, meanwhile, among students and their parents in high-achieving schools who feel they lost out under the new calculated grades process for Leaving Cert students.
A grind school, Bruce College in Cork, said grades awarded to its students across several subjects were down by between 13 and 26 per cent .
However, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said the Government would not be reopening the Leaving Cert grading system.
‘Unravelling entire system’
“If you pull a thread here, you risk unravelling the entire system . . . If all of a sudden I am allowed to take a teacher’s grade in one subject and apply that to college then why can’t someone else do the same?” he said.
“Nobody sat down in the Department of Education and said ‘would it not be great to get rid of the Leaving Cert?’ That is not what happened. What happened was there was not a safe way to hold the exams this year.”
For those who were disappointed, he said there was an opportunity to sit one or more subjects in November.
Mr Harris said that removing “school profiling” from the calculated grades was a “brave decision” but the “right decision”. If there had been no standardisation process , Mr Harris said there would have been “very high” grade inflation.
He said an additional 2,255 places this year had allowed more students to access third level than ever before .


theirishtimes--2020-09-12--Covid-19: Rapid testing unlikely soon due to quality issues, says de Gascun

Testing people for Covid-19 using saliva samples is under examination by public health officials , who are also considering pooling samples as a way of meeting the rise in demand for testing .
However , the health service is likely to experience challenges sourcing testing equipment as demand continues to rise this winter , Dr Cillian de Gascun , director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory , said .
Any immediate adoption of rapid testing for the virus is unlikely , due to shortcomings in the products currently available , he indicated .
The standard PCR ( polymerase chain reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Irish samples daily will continue to be “ the gold standard ” , though alternatives are being investigated .
Dr de Gascun said many of the companies developing rapid tests for Covid-19 are “ making great claims ” and engaging in “ science by press release ” but “ there ’ s very little behind it ” .
While some have called for mass testing of the population , he says this could lead to the system being “ swamped ” with up to 6.5 million false positives , due to the limitations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are looking at alternative ways of taking samples to the nose and throat swabs currently used , which some people find uncomfortable .
Testing saliva samples , for example , though less sensitive , would be less unpleasant for the patient .
“ If it works well we ’ ll look to introduce this for children , and for serial testing where people have to undergo repeat swabs , ” said Dr de Gascun .
The testing service is no longer as dependent on individual suppliers as it was in the spring , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of reagent and other key materials used in the process .
Officials are also “ actively exploring ” the use of pooled testing , given the rise in referrals in recent weeks , he says .
This would see people in a factory or other location pool their samples for testing .
A positive result would trigger individual testing , while a negative would allow testers to move on to priority cases .
Dr de Gascun warned the winter will be “ challenging ” due to supply issues and rationing of materials by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the service will be announced soon , he says , and will involve a move to a more permanent structure and an expansion to seven-day services .
The role of the GP in referring people for testing is also under examination , amid calls for an online referral system for tests to speed up the process .
“ We want to improve access and remove barriers , but we need to be careful about taking GPs out of the process , ” he cautioned .
“ GPs carry out clinical assessments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of support in a drive-through service ?
” Dr de Gascun said “ we ’ re not there yet ” in the development of faster testing systems that could process large numbers of swabs taken in the community .
The development of antigen tests , which look for virus proteins and could work in a way similar to a pregnancy test , has been mooted .
“ Companies are developing these tests but to date there is no great peer-reviewed evidence for them .
If antigen testing was as good as some claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for other things , but we ’ re not .
It sounds attractive but may not be as sensitive as PCR.
” Dr de Gascun said he finds it “ entertaining and frustrating that people on both sides are complaining ” to him .
“ We ’ re told PCR misses one in five infections , but on the other hand they want me to move to something worse.
” Regardless of test results , people with symptoms should stay home , he pointed out .
“ A test doesn ’ t cure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ piece of information and it ’ s not perfect .
I don ’ t want people to lose faith in testing but we ’ ve imbued it with more power than it has.
” The most promising alternative for speeding up testing may lie in a technology known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification ( Lamp ) , which can deliver results in 60 minutes and be scaled up to process large volumes of tests .
“ Lamp is attractive , but the problem is that no one is using it .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t seem to have arrived .
”

Dr Cillian De Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory: The standard PCR testing used in processing thousands of Irish samples daily will continue to be ‘the gold standard’. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Testing people for Covid-19 using saliva samples is under examination by public health officials, who are also considering pooling samples as a way of meeting the rise in demand for testing.
However, the health service is likely to experience challenges sourcing testing equipment as demand continues to rise this winter, Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said.
Any immediate adoption of rapid testing for the virus is unlikely, due to shortcomings in the products currently available, he indicated.
The standard PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing used in processing thousands of Irish samples daily will continue to be “the gold standard”, though alternatives are being investigated.
READ MORE
Dr de Gascun said many of the companies developing rapid tests for Covid-19 are “making great claims” and engaging in “science by press release” but “there’s very little behind it”.
Testing saliva samples, though less sensitive, would be less unpleasant for the patient
While some have called for mass testing of the population, he says this could lead to the system being “swamped” with up to 100,000 false positives*, due to the limitations of the process.
Public health officials are looking at alternative ways of taking samples to the nose and throat swabs currently used, which some people find uncomfortable.
Testing saliva samples, for example, though less sensitive, would be less unpleasant for the patient.
“If it works well we’ll look to introduce this for children, and for serial testing where people have to undergo repeat swabs,” said Dr de Gascun.
Shortages
The testing service is no longer as dependent on individual suppliers as it was in the spring, when there were delays due to shortages of reagent and other key materials used in the process.
Officials are also “actively exploring” the use of pooled testing, given the rise in referrals in recent weeks, he says. This would see people in a factory or other location pool their samples for testing. A positive result would trigger individual testing, while a negative would allow testers to move on to priority cases.
Dr de Gascun warned the winter will be “challenging” due to supply issues and rationing of materials by suppliers.
Details of the long-promised reorganisation of the service will be announced soon, he says, and will involve a move to a more permanent structure and an expansion to seven-day services.
The role of the GP in referring people for testing is also under examination, amid calls for an online referral system for tests to speed up the process.
“We want to improve access and remove barriers, but we need to be careful about taking GPs out of the process,” he cautioned. “GPs carry out clinical assessments, so would we get the same level of support in a drive-through service?”
Dr de Gascun said “we’re not there yet” in the development of faster testing systems that could process large numbers of swabs taken in the community.
A test doesn't cure you. It's only one piece of information and it's not perfect
The development of antigen tests, which look for virus proteins and could work in a way similar to a pregnancy test, has been mooted.
“Companies are developing these tests but to date there is no great peer-reviewed evidence for them. If antigen testing was as good as some claim, we’d be using it for other things, but we’re not. It sounds attractive but may not be as sensitive as PCR.”
‘Frustrating’
Dr de Gascun said he finds it “entertaining and frustrating that people on both sides are complaining” to him. “We’re told PCR misses one in five infections, but on the other hand they want me to move to something worse.”
Regardless of test results, people with symptoms should stay home, he pointed out. “A test doesn’t cure you. It’s only one piece of information and it’s not perfect. I don’t want people to lose faith in testing but we’ve imbued it with more power than it has.”
The most promising alternative for speeding up testing may lie in a technology known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Lamp), which can deliver results in 60 minutes and be scaled up to process large volumes of tests.
“Lamp is attractive, but the problem is that no one is using it. It’s been coming for a while but doesn’t seem to have arrived.”
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated 6.5 million rather than 100,000 false positives