theirishtimes--2020-11-12--Covid-19: Outbreaks in three hospitals severely curtail services

Large Covid-19 outbreaks in three hospitals have severely curtailed services , with one hospital , in Naas , halting all but critical care work , according to HSE officials .
In three hospitals this week – Naas , Letterkenny and Limerick – big outbreaks of the virus have impacted on staffing , with the knock-on effect of putting wards out of action and forcing a halt to elective care .
Currently , 161 staff in the University of Limerick Hospitals Group are off work due to being cases or contacts , most of them in University Hospital Limerick , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General Hospital are out , along with 55 in Letterkenny General Hospital .
Naas hospital finds itself in the same position as last April , with only critical care being provided , according to HSE chief executive Paul Reid .
This showed the need for the public to maintain their public health behaviours .
“ Many a game is lost in the second half , so we need the public to stick with us and see us through the duration of level 5 restrictions , ” Mr Reid said .
Most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contacts rather than cases but hospitals were being hit by a “ double whammy ” causing severe disruption of services , HSE chief operations officer Anne O ’ Connor pointed out .
Ms O ’ Connor said there were a range of factors behind hospital outbreaks , and in some locations capacity and older infrastructure may be contributory factors .
In a significant change in policy , hospitals are now required to test all inpatients before admission .
Pre-admission testing had been advised for inpatients , but was not practised by all hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past two weeks , according to HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry .
Mr Reid told the weekly HSE briefing indicators such as case numbers , positivity and numbers of contacts were all positive , while hospital and ICU numbers were “ stabilised and holding ” .
“ We haven ’ t seen the significant reduction we would liked to have seen ” in hospital and intensive care numbers , he said .
“ As long as we have the virus and its presence , it puts our system at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the prospect of a vaccine , he urged the public not to get “ distracted ” when so many steps have to be gone through before one is approved .
There are currently 287 people with Covid-19 in hospital including 39 in ICU .
The average length of stay of virus patients in hospital is 17.7 days , and for those who require an intensive care stay , 34.7 days .
Over the last seven days , 78,245 tests have been processed , with an end-to-end turnaround time from referral to test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is negative , and 2.2 days when it is positive .
Overall positivity rates are 3.9 per cent , and 3 per cent for children .
Among the latter , rates range from 5 per cent in childcare , 2 per cent in post-primary and 2.8 per cent in primary .
Outlining a picture of continuous improvement in trends , Dr Henry said cases were declining by up to 6 per cent , the 14-day incidence now stood at 145 cases per 100,000 people against a peak of 310 , and cases among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If the fall is sustained , we ’ re on track to reach 50-100 cases a day by the beginning of December , but that depends on everyone playing their part.
” Emergency department attendances and admissions rose last week , but are still up to 15 per cent lower than the same time last year .
More than 500,000 patients have been seen in virtual clinics set up during the pandemic , Ms O ’ Connor said .
The did not attend rate , at 1 per cent , is much lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were currently 161 people in Citywest , including 68 people in self-isolation and 93 healthcare workers .
Asked whether people should be booking holidays to come home for Christmas , Mr Reid said it was “ far too early ” to call this either way .
“ The next few weeks is our immediate lens , for people to hold their resilience .
It is all very volatile .
We would be reluctant to look beyond December 1st ” when Level 5 measures are due to end .
Asked whether the HSE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased demand this winter , Mr Reid said this was not possible .
This year ’ s order was 20 per cent higher than last year ’ s , he pointed out .

Most staff absences in the affected hospitals were due to staff being contacts rather than cases. Photograph: iStock
Large Covid-19 outbreaks in three hospitals have severely curtailed services, with one hospital, in Naas, halting all but critical care work, according to HSE officials.
In three hospitals this week – Naas, Letterkenny and Limerick – big outbreaks of the virus have impacted on staffing, with the knock-on effect of putting wards out of action and forcing a halt to elective care.
Currently, 161 staff in the University of Limerick Hospitals Group are off work due to being cases or contacts, most of them in University Hospital Limerick, officials said.
Another 77 staff at Naas General Hospital are out, along with 55 in Letterkenny General Hospital.
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Naas hospital finds itself in the same position as last April, with only critical care being provided, according to HSE chief executive Paul Reid.
This showed the need for the public to maintain their public health behaviours. “Many a game is lost in the second half, so we need the public to stick with us and see us through the duration of level 5 restrictions,” Mr Reid said.
Most of the staff absences were due to staff being contacts rather than cases but hospitals were being hit by a “double whammy” causing severe disruption of services, HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor pointed out.
Range of factors
Ms O’Connor said there were a range of factors behind hospital outbreaks, and in some locations capacity and older infrastructure may be contributory factors.
In a significant change in policy, hospitals are now required to test all inpatients before admission. Pre-admission testing had been advised for inpatients, but was not practised by all hospitals. However, the guidance was changed in the past two weeks, according to HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry.
Mr Reid told the weekly HSE briefing indicators such as case numbers, positivity and numbers of contacts were all positive, while hospital and ICU numbers were “stabilised and holding”.
“We haven’t seen the significant reduction we would liked to have seen” in hospital and intensive care numbers, he said. “As long as we have the virus and its presence, it puts our system at risk.”
While recognising the hope offered by the prospect of a vaccine, he urged the public not to get “distracted” when so many steps have to be gone through before one is approved.
There are currently 287 people with Covid-19 in hospital including 39 in ICU.
The average length of stay of virus patients in hospital is 17.7 days, and for those who require an intensive care stay, 34.7 days.
Over the last seven days, 78,245 tests have been processed, with an end-to-end turnaround time from referral to test result of 1.6 days where the test is negative, and 2.2 days when it is positive.
Overall positivity rates are 3.9 per cent, and 3 per cent for children. Among the latter, rates range from 5 per cent in childcare, 2 per cent in post-primary and 2.8 per cent in primary.
Outlining a picture of continuous improvement in trends, Dr Henry said cases were declining by up to 6 per cent, the 14-day incidence now stood at 145 cases per 100,000 people against a peak of 310, and cases among young people had fallen dramatically.
On track
“If the fall is sustained, we’re on track to reach 50-100 cases a day by the beginning of December, but that depends on everyone playing their part.”
Emergency department attendances and admissions rose last week, but are still up to 15 per cent lower than the same time last year.
More than 500,000 patients have been seen in virtual clinics set up during the pandemic, Ms O’Connor said. The did not attend rate, at 1 per cent, is much lower than with normal clinics.
She said there were currently 161 people in Citywest, including 68 people in self-isolation and 93 healthcare workers.
Asked whether people should be booking holidays to come home for Christmas, Mr Reid said it was “far too early” to call this either way.
“The next few weeks is our immediate lens, for people to hold their resilience. It is all very volatile. We would be reluctant to look beyond December 1st” when Level 5 measures are due to end.
Asked whether the HSE should order more flu vaccine to meet increased demand this winter, Mr Reid said this was not possible. This year’s order was 20 per cent higher than last year’s, he pointed out.


theirishtimes--2020-11-12--Man accused of stealing Noah Donohoe’s laptop appears in court

A man accused of stealing Noah Donohoe ’ s laptop allegedly attempted a trade-in while searches for the tragic Belfast schoolboy were ongoing , a court heard on Thursday .
Daryl Paul was identified on CCTV footage trying to sell a computer at a Cash Converters store two days after the 14-year-old went missing , a judge was told .
Mr Paul ( 33 ) claims he found a rucksack containing the device and schoolbooks but did not know who they belonged to .
The defendant , of Cliftonville Avenue in Belfast , faces a single charge of theft of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21st this year .
There is no suggestion that he had any direct contact with the boy who disappeared on that date .
The St Malachy ’ s College pupil vanished during a cycle trip from his home in the south of the city , sparking a massive operation to locate him .
His body was found in a north Belfast storm drain on June 27th .
A postmortem examination established he died as a result of drowning .
Paul was not brought before Belfast Magistrates ’ Court due to Covid-19 protocols .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ man and woman went into Cash Converters on June 23rd , but were refused when they tried to sell a laptop .
CCTV from the store allegedly showed a man identified as Paul .
An anonymous call was then made to police about someone being in possession of the computer , a rucksack and green North Face jacket and school books with Noah ’ s name on them .
Officers attended Mr Paul ’ s home on June 25th - four days after Noah went missing - and recovered his backpack and books @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time the accused was in custody for unrelated matters , but claimed he had found the laptop and given it to a friend to look after .
The computer was then said to have been located at the other person ’ s address .
During the hearing it was stressed that Mr Paul is not believed to have ever encountered Noah .
Instead , detectives suspect he found the bag after it was discarded .
The court also heard police have been searching for the accused since he was released from custody on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face and tried to run away when located in the street .
During interviews he said that he discovered the rucksack and its contents perched up against a wall .
Claiming not to have examined the books inside in any detail , he said he would have returned them if he had known who they belonged to .
Paul also told officers that he planned to return the bag back at some stage .
Defence solicitor Una Conway said he had fully co-operated with police as a witness on June 25th .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this laptop , ” she contended .
Stressing her client is only charged with theft , Ms Conway added : “ There is no suggestion that Mr Paul ’ s involvement was anything more than coming across this rucksack.
” But Mr Magill responded : “ It ’ s theft of not just any rucksack , it ’ s theft of the rucksack of a young boy who was missing and who the whole populace of Northern Ireland knew was missing and was being actively sought .
“ Descriptions were out in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought , that ’ s the circumstances that make this particularly unpleasant.
” Seeking bail , Ms Conway acknowledged Noah ’ s tragic death and how Mr Paul discovered his bag .
“ Yes , we accept the evidence suggests he didn ’ t hand that in to police as soon as he should have , ” she added .
“ But he has made the case he was making efforts to get to the bottom of who owned it.
” It was also claimed that Mr Paul has been attacked in custody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bail was refused , however , due to concerns he could re-offend or fail to turn up for any trial .
Remanding Mr Paul in custody for four weeks , Mr Magill also denied an application for reporting restrictions .
The judge emphasised : “ There is no suspicion that ( Mr Paul ) had any contact directly with Noah Donohoe .
He says he found that backpack and there is nothing to indicate otherwise .
“ I think apart from anything else there is a greater public interest ; I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ danger .
“ At the moment , as of my direction , he is in custody where I fully expect he will be protected .
”

The judge remanded Daryl Paul in custody for four weeks. File photograph: Dara Mac Donaill
A man accused of stealing Noah Donohoe’s laptop allegedly attempted a trade-in while searches for the tragic Belfast schoolboy were ongoing, a court heard on Thursday.
Daryl Paul was identified on CCTV footage trying to sell a computer at a Cash Converters store two days after the 14-year-old went missing, a judge was told.
Mr Paul (33) claims he found a rucksack containing the device and schoolbooks but did not know who they belonged to.
The defendant, of Cliftonville Avenue in Belfast, faces a single charge of theft of a laptop belonging to Noah on June 21st this year.
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There is no suggestion that he had any direct contact with the boy who disappeared on that date.
The St Malachy’s College pupil vanished during a cycle trip from his home in the south of the city, sparking a massive operation to locate him.
His body was found in a north Belfast storm drain on June 27th. A postmortem examination established he died as a result of drowning.
Paul was not brought before Belfast Magistrates’ Court due to Covid-19 protocols.
District Judge Peter Magill was told a man and woman went into Cash Converters on June 23rd, but were refused when they tried to sell a laptop.
CCTV from the store allegedly showed a man identified as Paul.
An anonymous call was then made to police about someone being in possession of the computer, a rucksack and green North Face jacket and school books with Noah’s name on them.
Officers attended Mr Paul’s home on June 25th - four days after Noah went missing - and recovered his backpack and books, the court heard.
At the time the accused was in custody for unrelated matters, but claimed he had found the laptop and given it to a friend to look after.
The computer was then said to have been located at the other person’s address.
During the hearing it was stressed that Mr Paul is not believed to have ever encountered Noah.
Instead, detectives suspect he found the bag after it was discarded.
The court also heard police have been searching for the accused since he was released from custody on November 5th.
He allegedly covered his face and tried to run away when located in the street.
During interviews he said that he discovered the rucksack and its contents perched up against a wall.
Claiming not to have examined the books inside in any detail, he said he would have returned them if he had known who they belonged to.
Paul also told officers that he planned to return the bag back at some stage.
Defence solicitor Una Conway said he had fully co-operated with police as a witness on June 25th.
“He led police to the recovery of this laptop,” she contended.
Stressing her client is only charged with theft, Ms Conway added: “There is no suggestion that Mr Paul’s involvement was anything more than coming across this rucksack.”
But Mr Magill responded: “It’s theft of not just any rucksack, it’s theft of the rucksack of a young boy who was missing and who the whole populace of Northern Ireland knew was missing and was being actively sought.
“Descriptions were out in the media about all of these things being sought, that’s the circumstances that make this particularly unpleasant.”
Seeking bail, Ms Conway acknowledged Noah’s tragic death and how Mr Paul discovered his bag.
“Yes, we accept the evidence suggests he didn’t hand that in to police as soon as he should have,” she added.
“But he has made the case he was making efforts to get to the bottom of who owned it.”
It was also claimed that Mr Paul has been attacked in custody due to media speculation about the case.
Bail was refused, however, due to concerns he could re-offend or fail to turn up for any trial.
Remanding Mr Paul in custody for four weeks, Mr Magill also denied an application for reporting restrictions.
The judge emphasised: “There is no suspicion that (Mr Paul) had any contact directly with Noah Donohoe. He says he found that backpack and there is nothing to indicate otherwise.
“I think apart from anything else there is a greater public interest; I’m not persuaded this man is in danger.
“At the moment, as of my direction, he is in custody where I fully expect he will be protected.”


theirishtimes--2020-11-12--Nora Quoirin inquest: Father says teenager had no survival instinct

The father of a Franco-Irish teenager whose body was found in a Malaysian jungle has said his daughter had no survival instinct and was not capable of walking alone through such slippery , hazardous terrain .
Sebastien Quoirin , whose daughter Nora ( 15 ) went missing while on a family holiday at an eco-resort last year , rejected police suggestions that she had simply climbed out of her bedroom window and wandered off during the night .
Speaking by video link at an inquest into Nora ’ s death , he said such behaviour would have been completely out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neurological condition that meant she would have struggled to venture so far .
“ Nora ’ s mobility , Nora ’ s balance was not great .
Nora wasn ’ t capable of - she didn ’ t have any survival instinct , ” he said .
“ Given the fact that she was not clothed , she was only wearing underwear , she didn ’ t have any shoes , I could not understand or imagine first of all how she would get out of the resort and venture into the jungle.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nora ’ s body , he noticed that her feet were dirty but not injured in the way that would be expected had she walked barefoot through the jungle for days .
Nora ’ s body was found unclothed beside a stream more than a kilometre from the holiday resort after a 10-day search operation .
Nora had been sharing a room with her brother and sister .
When the family woke one morning , she had disappeared and a large window in the hotel room was open .
Police maintain that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that there was no indication Nora had been abducted .
Nora ’ s mother and father have criticised the police for what they see as a slow and ineffective response .
Mr Quoirin said rescuers searched the area where Nora was eventually discovered four times , including once with a sniffer dogs , but failed to spot her .
He challenged suggestions that Nora was not found sooner because she had been constantly on the move .
His daughter , who had learning disabilities and physical disabilities , did not have the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said .
“ Nora would not know what to eat , she would have been seriously dehydrated I think after a couple of days , she would have been extremely weak.
” On Wednesday Nora ’ s mother , Meabh Quoirin , told the inquest she heard “ muffled whispering ” inside the family ’ s chalet on the night her daughter disappeared , but she was half asleep at the time and did not act .
Sebastien said he too heard such noises .
Ms Quoirin also said it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30kg , would have been capable of pushing open and climbing out of the bedroom window .
Mr Quoirin said Nora had never wandered out of their front door at home .
The resort ’ s owner , Haanum Bamadhaj , admitted to the inquest in August that the window of the chalet was broken and that it could be opened from the outside .
Some of the fencing around the resort was also broken , Mr Quoirin said , and had Nora walked across it , she would have injured her feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nora was abducted and that the perpetrator abandoned her when they realised she had disabilities and that her disappearance had attracted media attention .
Nora ’ s parents have described the police response as lacking urgency .
On Wednesday , Ms Quoirin said the officer sent to interview her could not communicate effectively in English , and that on the first day of the hunt for Nora the police were initially reluctant to continue searching into the night .
It was not until days after Nora had vanished that police took fingerprints from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nora was likely to have died of starvation and stress after spending seven days in the jungle .
Her family have said many questions remain unanswered .
The inquest is expected to continue into December .
– Guardian News and Media

The father of a Franco-Irish teenager whose body was found in a Malaysian jungle has said his daughter had no survival instinct and was not capable of walking alone through such slippery, hazardous terrain.
Sebastien Quoirin, whose daughter Nora (15) went missing while on a family holiday at an eco-resort last year, rejected police suggestions that she had simply climbed out of her bedroom window and wandered off during the night.
Speaking by video link at an inquest into Nora’s death, he said such behaviour would have been completely out of character and that she had a neurological condition that meant she would have struggled to venture so far.
“Nora’s mobility, Nora’s balance was not great. Nora wasn’t capable of - she didn’t have any survival instinct,” he said. “Given the fact that she was not clothed, she was only wearing underwear, she didn’t have any shoes, I could not understand or imagine first of all how she would get out of the resort and venture into the jungle.”
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He said that when he identified Nora’s body, he noticed that her feet were dirty but not injured in the way that would be expected had she walked barefoot through the jungle for days.
Nora’s body was found unclothed beside a stream more than a kilometre from the holiday resort after a 10-day search operation. Nora had been sharing a room with her brother and sister. When the family woke one morning, she had disappeared and a large window in the hotel room was open.
Police maintain that their investigation found no sign of criminal activity and that there was no indication Nora had been abducted. Nora’s mother and father have criticised the police for what they see as a slow and ineffective response.
Mr Quoirin said rescuers searched the area where Nora was eventually discovered four times, including once with a sniffer dogs, but failed to spot her.
He challenged suggestions that Nora was not found sooner because she had been constantly on the move. His daughter, who had learning disabilities and physical disabilities, did not have the stamina to be walking for seven days, he said. “Nora would not know what to eat, she would have been seriously dehydrated I think after a couple of days, she would have been extremely weak.”
On Wednesday Nora’s mother, Meabh Quoirin, told the inquest she heard “muffled whispering” inside the family’s chalet on the night her daughter disappeared, but she was half asleep at the time and did not act. Sebastien said he too heard such noises.
Ms Quoirin also said it was highly unlikely that Nora, who weighed 30kg, would have been capable of pushing open and climbing out of the bedroom window. Mr Quoirin said Nora had never wandered out of their front door at home.
The resort’s owner, Haanum Bamadhaj, admitted to the inquest in August that the window of the chalet was broken and that it could be opened from the outside.
Some of the fencing around the resort was also broken, Mr Quoirin said, and had Nora walked across it, she would have injured her feet. He said it was possible that Nora was abducted and that the perpetrator abandoned her when they realised she had disabilities and that her disappearance had attracted media attention.
Nora’s parents have described the police response as lacking urgency. On Wednesday, Ms Quoirin said the officer sent to interview her could not communicate effectively in English, and that on the first day of the hunt for Nora the police were initially reluctant to continue searching into the night. It was not until days after Nora had vanished that police took fingerprints from the chalet.
An autopsy concluded that Nora was likely to have died of starvation and stress after spending seven days in the jungle. Her family have said many questions remain unanswered. The inquest is expected to continue into December. – Guardian News and Media


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Man fatally impaled on spike while mistakenly fleeing gardaí, inquest hears

A man died from blood loss after being impaled on the garden gate of a house in Dublin after fleeing from gardaí in the mistaken belief that they had been looking for him , an inquest has heard .
Ciprian Aioanei ( 38 ) , a Romanian national and father of two , was found collapsed in the front garden of a house at Greenridge Court , Corduff on August 14th , 2018 after running out the back of his nearby home the previous night when gardaí  called to his door .
A postmortem concluded that Mr Aioanei died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wound to his right groin which had perforated a major artery , resulting in a severe loss of blood .
The inquest heard the injury was consistent with having been impaled by a spike and that death could have occurred within a few minutes .
The inquest heard small amounts of cocaine and alcohol were found in his body , which may have affected Mr Aioanei ’ s judgement .
Sergeant John O ’ Donovan of Cabra Garda station told Dublin Coroner ’ s Court he had called to a house where Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corduff at about 9.45pm on August 13th to check that another resident of the house was meeting his bail conditions .
Sgt O ’ Donovan said he noticed a man look out an upstairs window and then saw through the frosted glass of the front door the shadow of a man coming down the stairs and going into a kitchen at the back of the property .
He said a woman who answered the door became evasive when he asked who had come down the stairs .
Sgt O ’ Donovan said three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denied there had been anyone else in the house .
However , when he searched the back garden he caught a glimpse of a man on top of a gate at a laneway .
“ I called after this male but I believe he didn ’ t hear me , ” said Sgt O ’ Donovan .
He and a colleague drove around the area and searched the laneway but found no trace of the man .
Sabrina Titi , who discovered Mr Aioanei lying across the boundary wall of the front garden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was leaving for working at 7.10am on August 14th , said she initially believed he was drunk .
She then saw blood stains on his clothing and large quantities of blood on his legs and stomach .
Ms Titi then raised the alarm .
Detective Garda Brendan O ’ Hora from Blanchardstown Garda station said gardaí found body tissue was found on top of a spiked steel garden gate at Greenridge Court and footwear nearby .
He told the inquest Mr Aioanei was wanted by gardaí at the time of his death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It is for this reason it is believed the deceased fled Edgewood Lawns and injured himself on the steel gate spike , ” he said .
Gardaí said they were unaware Mr Aioanei had been living at the house .

A man died from blood loss after being impaled on the garden gate of a house in Dublin after fleeing from gardaí in the mistaken belief that they had been looking for him, an inquest has heard.
Ciprian Aioanei (38), a Romanian national and father of two, was found collapsed in the front garden of a house at Greenridge Court, Corduff on August 14th, 2018 after running out the back of his nearby home the previous night when gardaí  called to his door.
A postmortem concluded that Mr Aioanei died as a result of a single puncture wound to his right groin which had perforated a major artery, resulting in a severe loss of blood. The inquest heard the injury was consistent with having been impaled by a spike and that death could have occurred within a few minutes.
The inquest heard small amounts of cocaine and alcohol were found in his body, which may have affected Mr Aioanei’s judgement.
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Sergeant John O'Donovan of Cabra Garda station told Dublin Coroner's Court he had called to a house where Mr Aioanei was living at Edgewood Lawn in Corduff at about 9.45pm on August 13th to check that another resident of the house was meeting his bail conditions.
Evasive
Sgt O’Donovan said he noticed a man look out an upstairs window and then saw through the frosted glass of the front door the shadow of a man coming down the stairs and going into a kitchen at the back of the property.
He said a woman who answered the door became evasive when he asked who had come down the stairs.
Sgt O’Donovan said three men who were in an upstairs bedroom denied there had been anyone else in the house. However, when he searched the back garden he caught a glimpse of a man on top of a gate at a laneway.
“I called after this male but I believe he didn’t hear me,” said Sgt O’Donovan.
He and a colleague drove around the area and searched the laneway but found no trace of the man.
A neighbour*, who discovered Mr Aioanei lying across the boundary wall of the front garden of her home at Greenridge Court as she was leaving for working at 7.10am on August 14th, said she initially believed he was drunk. She then saw blood stains on his clothing and large quantities of blood on his legs and stomach. She* then raised the alarm.
Detective Garda Brendan O'Hora from Blanchardstown Garda station said gardaí found body tissue was found on top of a spiked steel garden gate at Greenridge Court and footwear nearby.
He told the inquest Mr Aioanei was wanted by gardaí at the time of his death but did not provide any further details. “It is for this reason it is believed the deceased fled Edgewood Lawns and injured himself on the steel gate spike,” he said.
Gardaí said they were unaware Mr Aioanei had been living at the house.
The coroner, Dr Cróna Gallagher, returned a verdict of accidental death.
*This article was edited on November 30th, 2020


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Residents seek to challenge approval for Hellfire Club visitor centre

A local residents group is seeking leave from the High Court to bring proceedings aimed at overturning permission for a €15 million visitor centre at Dublin ’ s Hell Fire club .
The action by Hellfire Massy Residents Association ( HMRA ) concerns An Bord Pleanála ’ s grant of permission to South Dublin County Council to develop a visitor centre in the Dublin mountains at the Massy ’ s Wood estate and Montpelier Hill .
The site includes the Hell Fire club , a protected structure and national monument built around 1725 .
The project is being developed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Partnership .
When the case came before Mr Justice Richard Humphreys this week , he agreed , at the request of John Kenny BL , instructed by solicitor Brian Harrington , for the HMRA , to adjourn to next week the application for leave to bring it .
In the intended judicial review proceedings against the board , the Minister for Housing , Planning and Local Government , and the State , the residents assocation wants orders quashing the board ’ s permission , granted last June , for a visitors centre , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hill .
It claims the proposed development will , if built , function as a visitor ’ s hub for the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and “ profoundly change ” the way the population of the greater Dublin region interacts with the upland areas to the south of the city .
They claim it will alter the type , intensity , mix and balance of the visitors that arrive to visit Montpelier Hill , the Natura 2000 sites in close proximity and Massy ’ s Wood across the road .
The association says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montpelier Hill but believes the development as proposed will have “ profound ” and “ inadequately assessed ” environmental consequences .
It claims the council does not know how many people currently use the site and no basis was provided for Coillte ’ s estimate three years ago of about 100,000 users annually or for the council ’ s calculation the centre is likely to attract about 300,000 visitors annually .
The HMRA fears the proposed centre will be used by visitors as a gateway for accessing the mountains trail network and claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Much of its dispute with the council is predicated upon an assessment of how much disturbance will be caused by visitors to sensitive ecological receptors in the development area , the association says .
The problem is the current and future level of disturbance of the site caused by recreational users can not be calculated because of the lack of clarity over user numbers , it says .
This uncertainty “ fatally undermines ” the planning application because , with just a “ bald ” assumption as to future usage by visitors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to levels of disturbance for the purposes of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Directive .
It is claimed the board , in granting permission , failed to consider adequately or at all , as required by the Directives , the impacts on natural habitats , bats , red squirrels , otters and the Marsh Frittilary butterfly .
It also claims the board erred in law in conducting a stage two appropriate assessment that concluded there would be no significant effects from the development on qualifying interests of the Wicklow Mountains Special Area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The case against the State includes claims section 175 of the Planning and Development Act , which requires further information relating to a planning application by a local authority be published via newspaper notice , does not vindicate observers ’ rights to effective public participation in the planning process .
When a planning applicant is not a local authority , further information has to be published via newspaper notice and a revised site notice so a participant in a planning process where the applicant is a local authority is at a “ significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is claimed .

A local residents group is seeking leave from the High Court to bring proceedings aimed at overturning permission for a €15 million visitor centre at Dublin's Hell Fire club.
The action by Hellfire Massy Residents Association (HMRA) concerns An Bord Pleanála's grant of permission to South Dublin County Council to develop a visitor centre in the Dublin mountains at the Massy's Wood estate and Montpelier Hill.
The site includes the Hell Fire club, a protected structure and national monument built around 1725.
The project is being developed in co-operation with Coillte and the Dublin Mountains Partnership.
READ MORE
When the case came before Mr Justice Richard Humphreys this week, he agreed, at the request of John Kenny BL, instructed by solicitor Brian Harrington, for the HMRA, to adjourn to next week the application for leave to bring it.
In the intended judicial review proceedings against the board, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, and the State, the residents assocation wants orders quashing the board’s permission, granted last June, for a visitors centre, car park and associated works at Montpelier Hill.
It claims the proposed development will, if built, function as a visitor’s hub for the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and “profoundly change” the way the population of the greater Dublin region interacts with the upland areas to the south of the city.
They claim it will alter the type, intensity, mix and balance of the visitors that arrive to visit Montpelier Hill, the Natura 2000 sites in close proximity and Massy’s Wood across the road.
‘Profound’ effect
The association says it is not opposed to development on Montpelier Hill but believes the development as proposed will have “profound” and “inadequately assessed” environmental consequences.
It claims the council does not know how many people currently use the site and no basis was provided for Coillte’s estimate three years ago of about 100,000 users annually or for the council’s calculation the centre is likely to attract about 300,000 visitors annually.
The HMRA fears the proposed centre will be used by visitors as a gateway for accessing the mountains trail network and claims this effect has not been assessed.
Much of its dispute with the council is predicated upon an assessment of how much disturbance will be caused by visitors to sensitive ecological receptors in the development area, the association says.
The problem is the current and future level of disturbance of the site caused by recreational users cannot be calculated because of the lack of clarity over user numbers, it says.
Butterfly
This uncertainty “fatally undermines” the planning application because, with just a “bald” assumption as to future usage by visitors, it is impossible to reach conclusions as to levels of disturbance for the purposes of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Directive.
It is claimed the board, in granting permission, failed to consider adequately or at all, as required by the Directives, the impacts on natural habitats, bats, red squirrels, otters and the Marsh Frittilary butterfly.
It also claims the board erred in law in conducting a stage two appropriate assessment that concluded there would be no significant effects from the development on qualifying interests of the Wicklow Mountains Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.
The case against the State includes claims section 175 of the Planning and Development Act, which requires further information relating to a planning application by a local authority be published via newspaper notice, does not vindicate observers’ rights to effective public participation in the planning process.
When a planning applicant is not a local authority, further information has to be published via newspaper notice and a revised site notice so a participant in a planning process where the applicant is a local authority is at a “significant disadvantage” when further information is submitted, it is claimed.


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Taoiseach says Ireland ‘can’t be at Level 5 forever’ as Government considers easing restrictions at

Taoiseach says Ireland ‘can’t be at Level 5 forever’ as Government considers easing restrictions at Christmas

Restrictions on people travelling between counties and limits on household visitors are expected to be eased for Christmas , under plans for a staggered exit from lockdown being examined by the Government .
Earlier this week , Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed moving to Level 3 of the phased Living with Covid-19 plan by December 1st was the “ target.
” Under Level 3 restrictions people are required to stay within their county , unless travelling for work , education , or other essential reasons , and home visits are limited to one other household .
The Government is expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between counties and household visits specifically for the Christmas period in late December , sources said .
This would allow families to celebrate Christmas together where people live in different counties , and to some extent for people to meet up and socialise with friends .
Speaking on Friday , Mr Martin said people will not be “ going on the lash ” or to Christmas parties , when the country emerges from lockdown next month .
The plan to exit Level 5 was still being worked out , and the Government would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in place so they can make preparations , he said .
“ The fact that we are doing well gives us flexibility … I want a meaningful Christmas , we can ’ t be at Level 5 forever , ” he told RTÉ ’ s News at One .
“ We ’ re all on trust here .
We ’ ve learned from Level 2 , what worked and what didn ’ t work .
People won ’ t be going on the lash , to Christmas parties , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same Christmas as last year , ” he said .
Mr Martin said he expected churches would be open for religious services on Christmas week .
He also said he would prefer for lockdown measures to be lifted nationally , rather than at different times on a regional basis .
The National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) will consider what level of easing of limits on family and social gatherings could be permitted over the holiday period .
One Government source said the timing of any decision to relax limits on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family gatherings was still uncertain .
Officials would also look at further rolling back of limits around religious services and outdoor gatherings .
Another source cautioned that while a “ number of options ” were being considered for the Christmas period , the decision would ultimately be taken in the last week of November .
“ The lower we can get the case numbers , R-rate , hospitalisations , the more flexibility the Government will have .
We ’ ve another three weeks to go and the trend is positive , ” they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on October 19th , Mr Martin appealed to people to pull together in order to suppress the spread of the coronavirus , to allow the country “ to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.
” The extent to which current measures will be eased from the start of December will depend on Nphet ’ s modelling on the virus at the end of this month , sources said .
It is expected that restaurants and pubs that serve food will be permitted to reopen , however officials have signalled drink-only pubs may still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Retaining current restrictions for the so-called “ wet pubs ” is likely to be strongly opposed by the vintners lobby , who have said not allowing all pubs to reopen for the traditionally busy Christmas period will force many out of business .
Speaking on Thursday , chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan cautioned that it was “ too early ” for people to be making plans for the Christmas season .
Large social gatherings involving alcohol and other “ normal ” Christmas activities , such as office parties and big family get-togethers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible ” , he said .
Dr Holohan also said Irish people living overseas should not plan to travel home this Christmas , due to the risk of importing Covid-19 cases into the country .
“ Travel that would normally happen at Christmas would have to be regarded as non-essential this Christmas , ” he said .
Similarly , Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said people intending to come home from abroad for Christmas should not to book flights “ at the moment , ” due to the uncertainty .

Chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, has said that non essential travel 'will include the Christmas period'. Video: RTE
Restrictions on people travelling between counties and limits on household visitors are expected to be eased for Christmas, under plans for a staggered exit from lockdown being examined by the Government.
Earlier this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed moving to Level 3 of the phased Living with Covid-19 plan by December 1st was the "target."
Under Level 3, people are required to stay within their county unless travelling for work, education, or other essential reasons, and home visits are limited to one other household.
Hospital Report
The Government is expected to consider further easing of restrictions on travel between counties and household visits specifically for the Christmas period in late December, sources said.
READ MORE
This would allow families to celebrate Christmas together where people live in different counties, and to some extent for people to meet up and socialise with friends.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Martin said people will not be “going on the lash” or to Christmas parties, when Ireland emerges from lockdown next month.
The plan to exit Level 5 was still being worked out, and the Government would give people notice of what restrictions would be in place before December 1st, so they can make preparations, he said.
“The fact that we are doing well gives us flexibility… I want a meaningful Christmas, we can’t be at Level 5 forever,” he told RTÉ’s News at One.
“We’re all on trust here. We’ve learned from Level 2, what worked and what didn’t work,” he said. People won’t be “going on the lash”, or to Christmas parties, he said. “It will not be the same Christmas as last year.”
Churches and pubs
Mr Martin said he expected churches would be open for religious services in Christmas week. He also said he would prefer for lockdown measures to be lifted nationally, rather than at different times on a regional basis.
Mr Martin said reopening pubs that did not serve food would be challenging and faced “real issues”.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will consider what level of easing of limits on family and social gatherings could be permitted over the holiday period.
One Government source said the timing of any relaxation of limits on cross-county travel and household visits, or family gatherings was still uncertain.
Another source cautioned that while a “number of options” were being considered for the Christmas period, the decision would ultimately be taken in the last week of November, adding: “The lower we can get the case numbers, R-rate, hospitalisations, the more flexibility the Government will have. We’ve another three weeks to go and the trend is positive.”
Announcing the six-week national lockdown on October 19th, Mr Martin urged people to pull together in order to suppress the spread of the coronavirus, to allow the country “to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.”
The extent to which current measures will be eased from the start of December will depend on Nphet’s modelling on the virus at the end of this month, sources said.
It is expected that restaurants and pubs that serve food will be permitted to reopen, however officials have signalled drink-only pubs may still be limited to takeaway services.
Retaining current restrictions for the so-called “wet pubs” is likely to be strongly opposed by the vintners lobby, who have said not allowing all pubs to reopen for the traditionally busy Christmas period will force many out of business.
Overseas travel
Speaking on Thursday, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said it was "too early" for people to be making plans for the Christmas season.
Large social gatherings involving alcohol and other “normal” Christmas activities, such as office parties and big family get-togethers, “are not going to be possible”, he said.
Dr Holohan also said Irish people living overseas should not plan to travel home this Christmas, due to the risk of importing Covid-19 cases into the country.
“Travel that would normally happen at Christmas would have to be regarded as non-essential this Christmas,” he said.
Similarly, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said people intending to come home from abroad for Christmas should not to book flights "at the moment," due to the uncertainty.
The aviation industry had “written off the next two months” and were instead preparing for Spring 2021, Mr Martin said. Echoing statements from Dr Holohan and Mr Varadkar, he said: “We don’t want lots of people travelling from red zones into Ireland.”
Commenting on the recent vote in the Northern Ireland Executive on the lifting of restrictions, Mr Martin said the cross community veto should not have been used in relation to public health. He said he had been in touch with the Northern Ireland Executive to express his concerns.
“From the get-go we’ve had different perspectives. I’m glad they’re continuing quite a number of the restrictions. Their numbers are worryingly high. The spillover effect is there,” he said.


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Teenager (17) helps rescue swimmer in Co Wicklow

A 17-year-old Leaving Cert student has told of how he assisted in the rescue of a woman who got into difficulty while swimming in the sea off Greystones , Co Wicklow on Wednesday .
Conor Power , who is from Roundwood , had been on Greystones beach with the intention of completing a physical education project , but conditions were too rough so it was cancelled by his teacher .
Instead he went for an ice-cream and was walking on the beach with a friend when he noticed a person who seemed to be in trouble in the water .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the person had been in difficulty for 20 minutes .
The teen , who is a member of the Poseidon Lifesaving Group in Greystones , told RTÉ ’ s Today with Claire Byrne show , that before he got into the water ( with a buoyancy aid ) he made sure the Coast Guard had been informed .
He swam out to the swimmer and encouraged her to swim towards him away from rocks .
The woman was “ out of energy ” at that stage , he said .
Recognising that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buoy to the woman and swam back to the beach .
By that stage gardaí had arrived and put him in the squad car to heat up , but his body heat had dropped swiftly after the adrenaline rush passed , he explained .
An ambulance was called and brought him to St Vincent ’ s hospital where he warmed up after half an hour .
While there , the swimmer approached him and thanked him for his efforts .
Mr Power added that as part of the training at the life saving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their limitations .
As an asthmatic , after some minutes he knew his chest was going to “ give in ” if he kept going .
“ I knew my muscles would give in.
” Giving the swimmer the buoy , then getting out of the water himself meant that the Coast Guard would not have to deal with two casualties , he said .
John Doyle of Poseidon Lifesaving Group , who is also a member of the Greystones Coast Guard voluntary group , said he was “ most proud ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limitations and did what he could .
“ Fifty per cent of people who drown went in to help someone else.
” Mr Doyle said he knew that Mr Power had a very high level of competence in life saving .
“ I knew he wouldn ’ t take undue risks.
” Mr Doyle also said he was not an advocate of winter sea swimming as muscles can get tired faster and lead to loss of control in the cold water .

A 17-year-old Leaving Cert student has told of how he assisted in the rescue of a woman who got into difficulty while swimming in the sea off Greystones, Co Wicklow on Wednesday.
Conor Power, who is from Roundwood, had been on Greystones beach with the intention of completing a physical education project, but conditions were too rough so it was cancelled by his teacher.
Instead he went for an ice-cream and was walking on the beach with a friend when he noticed a person who seemed to be in trouble in the water. A worker on a nearby building site said the person had been in difficulty for 20 minutes.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 3 The swimmer being rescued in Greystones by emergency services. Photograph: Greystones Coast Guard Unit Facebook page
The teen, who is a member of the Poseidon Lifesaving Group in Greystones, told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne show, that before he got into the water (with a buoyancy aid) he made sure the Coast Guard had been informed.
READ MORE
He swam out to the swimmer and encouraged her to swim towards him away from rocks. The woman was “out of energy” at that stage, he said. Recognising that he was flagging he gave the torpedo buoy to the woman and swam back to the beach.
By that stage gardaí had arrived and put him in the squad car to heat up, but his body heat had dropped swiftly after the adrenaline rush passed, he explained. An ambulance was called and brought him to St Vincent’s hospital where he warmed up after half an hour. While there, the swimmer approached him and thanked him for his efforts.
Mr Power added that as part of the training at the life saving club, they are taught to recognise their limitations. As an asthmatic, after some minutes he knew his chest was going to “give in” if he kept going. “I knew my muscles would give in.”
Giving the swimmer the buoy, then getting out of the water himself meant that the Coast Guard would not have to deal with two casualties, he said.
John Doyle of Poseidon Lifesaving Group, who is also a member of the Greystones Coast Guard voluntary group, said he was “most proud” of the fact that Conor had recognised his limitations and did what he could. “Fifty per cent of people who drown went in to help someone else.”
Mr Doyle said he knew that Mr Power had a very high level of competence in life saving. “I knew he wouldn’t take undue risks.”
Mr Doyle also said he was not an advocate of winter sea swimming as muscles can get tired faster and lead to loss of control in the cold water.


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Covid-19: Ireland heading for under 100 cases a day by December, says Nphet expert

Ireland is on course to have fewer than 100 cases a day of Covid-19 by December 1st , Prof Philip Nolan has claimed .
The chairman of the National Public Health Emergency Team ( Nphet ) modelling advisory group , said the reproduction rate is now close to 0.5 , meaning incidences of the disease are declining rapidly .
The R rate at 0.5 means that two people who have Covid-19 will only pass it on to one person , and eventually the disease will die out .
Separately , Health Service Executive chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Covid-19 better than most of Europe .
He told Newstalk Breakfast ’ s programme : “ We ’ re almost best in class in terms of reversing the trends .
I ’ m really hoping we ’ ll be in a position to go back , that we ’ ll have options , that we ’ ll have a range of options that will allow for people coming together .
The better we perform now , the better options we ’ ll have in December .
“ We ’ re keeping our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all other hospital services are open for business , if you need urgent or emergency care they are there for you , ” Mr Henry said .
Prof Nolan said the situation in Ireland had changed from where it was three weeks ago when there were 1,200 cases per day and numbers were growing at between 5 and 8 per cent .
Now , numbers are declining by between 5 and 7 per cent per day , he said in his latest Twitter thread .
“ When we started this phase of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we could not be certain that we , collectively , would get to where we are today : R safely less than 1.0 and close to 0.5 ; daily case numbers less than 400 and decreasing at -5 % to -7 % per day .
“ Three weeks ago we were reporting 1,200 cases per day , growing exponentially at 5 % -8 % per day , and were probably 2-3 weeks away from our health system being overwhelmed .
“ We are in a very different position now .
We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next three weeks will make all the difference .
If we keep it up , we will have fewer that 100 cases per day by 1 December , and a brighter future .
# HoldFirm , ” Prof Nolan tweeted .
Last week Nphet ’ s modelling was criticised by independent TD Michael McNamara , the former chair of the Oireachtas special committee on Covid-19 .
Mr McNamara said Level 5 was unnecessary citing a graphic done by economist and statistician David Higgins based on Covid-19 daily figures .
It showed case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best case scenario as envisaged by Nphet when projections were published on October 19th at the start of the Level 5 lockdown .
The graph produced by Nphet then envisaged a best case scenario of 500 cases a day this week and a worse case scenario of 1,200 cases a day .
Mr McNamara tweeted : “ On 22 October , NPHET stated : The current estimate of R is 1.3-1.4 .
That was clearly wrong .
“ R > 1 numbers rise , R < 1 numbers fall .
On 22 October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put on PUP is an appalling vista.
” Prof Nolan defended Nphet ’ s modelling stating that the R rate then was a “ good estimate of reproduction number .
The estimate was made on 20 October 2020 based on confirmed cases to midnight 18 October ” .
He explained that “ nowcasting ’ the R number is difficult as it may take days for newly diagnosed cases to transmit the virus on to other people .
“ This is why we do not rely on R estimates alone to understand the likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a variety of indicators and analyses , ” he stated .
The latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre ( HPSC ) shows all key metrics of the disease are declining .
There were 395 cases and one death announced on Thursday evening .
The numbers in hospital declined by 13 to 285 .
The numbers in intensive care units at 38 was up two from the day before .
The positivity rate of 3.5 per cent is half of what it was at the peak of the second wave of the @ @

Ireland is on course to have fewer than 100 cases a day of Covid-19 by December 1st, Prof Philip Nolan has claimed.
The chairman of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) modelling advisory group, said the reproduction rate is now close to 0.5, meaning incidences of the disease are declining rapidly.
The R rate at 0.5 means that two people who have Covid-19 will only pass it on to one person, and eventually the disease will die out.
Separately, Health Service Executive chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said Ireland is dealing with the second wave of Covid-19 better than most of Europe.
READ MORE
He told Newstalk Breakfast’s programme: “We’re almost best in class in terms of reversing the trends. I’m really hoping we’ll be in a position to go back, that we’ll have options, that we’ll have a range of options that will allow for people coming together. The better we perform now, the better options we’ll have in December.
“We’re keeping our hospitals safe, our emergency departments, and all other hospital services are open for business, if you need urgent or emergency care they are there for you,” Mr Henry said.
Prof Nolan said the situation in Ireland had changed from where it was three weeks ago when there were 1,200 cases per day and numbers were growing at between 5 and 8 per cent .
Now, numbers are declining by between 5 and 7 per cent per day, he said in his latest Twitter thread.
“When we started this phase of our Covid-19 response three weeks ago, we could not be certain that we, collectively, would get to where we are today: R safely less than 1.0 and close to 0.5; daily case numbers less than 400 and decreasing at -5% to -7% per day.
“Three weeks ago we were reporting 1,200 cases per day, growing exponentially at 5%-8% per day, and were probably 2-3 weeks away from our health system being overwhelmed.
“We are in a very different position now. We’ve shown what we can achieve, and the next three weeks will make all the difference. If we keep it up, we will have fewer that 100 cases per day by 1 December, and a brighter future. #HoldFirm,” Prof Nolan tweeted.
Last week Nphet's modelling was criticised by independent TD Michael McNamara, the former chair of the Oireachtas special committee on Covid-19.
Mr McNamara said Level 5 was unnecessary citing a graphic done by economist and statistician David Higgins based on Covid-19 daily figures.
It showed case numbers are much lower than even the best case scenario as envisaged by Nphet when projections were published on October 19th at the start of the Level 5 lockdown.
The graph produced by Nphet then envisaged a best case scenario of 500 cases a day this week and a worse case scenario of 1,200 cases a day.
Mr McNamara tweeted: “On 22 October, NPHET stated: The current estimate of R is 1.3-1.4. That was clearly wrong.
“R >1 numbers rise, R<1 numbers fall. On 22 October, numbers were falling. 55,000 needlessly put on PUP is an appalling vista.”
Prof Nolan defended Nphet’s modelling stating that the R rate then was a “good estimate of reproduction number. The estimate was made on 20 October 2020 based on confirmed cases to midnight 18 October”.
He explained that “nowcasting’ the R number is difficult as it may take days for newly diagnosed cases to transmit the virus on to other people.
“ This is why we do not rely on R estimates alone to understand the likely trajectory of the epidemic, but use a variety of indicators and analyses,” he stated.
The latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows all key metrics of the disease are declining.
There were 395 cases and one death announced on Thursday evening. The numbers in hospital declined by 13 to 285. The numbers in intensive care units at 38 was up two from the day before. The positivity rate of 3.5 per cent is half of what it was at the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.


theirishtimes--2020-11-13--Taoiseach pays tribute to ‘great national effort’ in adhering to Covid-19 restrictions

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has commended the public for adhering to the enhanced Covid-19 restrictions , adding that he particularly wants to pay tribute to young people who are “ missing out on a lot ” .
Under Level 5 restrictions , which are in place until December 1st , people are asked to stay at home as much as possible , with the exception of essential reasons such as work , caring for family or exercising within 5km of home .
After reaching mid-point in the restrictions , Mr Martin said he wanted to “ pay tribute to the great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to suppress the virus and reduce the rate of transmission .
“ The data that we are seeing suggests that the effort is working , and that we are one of the leaders in Europe in terms of our progress in pushing back the virus , ” he said .
“ However , we can not take anything for granted and we must continue to adhere to the restrictions for the next three weeks.
” He added that the country must “ see this through ” .
“ By continuing to drive down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give ourselves the best chance to reopen parts of our society and to enjoy a meaningful Christmas.
” The Taoiseach said the fact that the State managed to reduce the spread of the virus , while keeping schools and construction open , is “ testament to the tremendous efforts ” of the individuals in those sectors and the “ sacrifice and discipline of everyone else ” .
“ Our frontline workers continue to be an inspiration in terms of their courage and commitment , ” he added .
“ I would like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the successful suppression of the virus among their age groups .
They are missing out on a lot , but their time will come and they should take great pride in the effort they are making to protect the more vulnerable in our society.
” Mr Martin added that he is “ acutely conscious ” of how difficult the situation is , and is aware of the “ very heavy price ” some sectors are paying .
“ However , I also know that the effort we are making now , together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will allow us to reopen our society and our economy safely and sustainably into the future .
”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin: ‘We cannot take anything for granted and we must continue to adhere to the restrictions for the next three weeks.’ Photograph: Julien Behal
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has commended the public for adhering to the enhanced Covid-19 restrictions, adding that he particularly wants to pay tribute to young people who are “missing out on a lot”.
Under Level 5 restrictions, which are in place until December 1st, people are asked to stay at home as much as possible, with the exception of essential reasons such as work, caring for family or exercising within 5km of home.
After reaching mid-point in the restrictions, Mr Martin said he wanted to "pay tribute to the great national effort" that is under way to suppress the virus and reduce the rate of transmission.
Hospital Report
"The data that we are seeing suggests that the effort is working, and that we are one of the leaders in Europe in terms of our progress in pushing back the virus," he said.
READ MORE
“However, we cannot take anything for granted and we must continue to adhere to the restrictions for the next three weeks.”
He added that the country must “see this through”.
“By continuing to drive down the incidence of the disease, we give ourselves the best chance to reopen parts of our society and to enjoy a meaningful Christmas.”
The Taoiseach said the fact that the State managed to reduce the spread of the virus, while keeping schools and construction open, is “testament to the tremendous efforts” of the individuals in those sectors and the “sacrifice and discipline of everyone else”.
“Our frontline workers continue to be an inspiration in terms of their courage and commitment,” he added.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to our young people for the successful suppression of the virus among their age groups. They are missing out on a lot, but their time will come and they should take great pride in the effort they are making to protect the more vulnerable in our society.”
Mr Martin added that he is “acutely conscious” of how difficult the situation is, and is aware of the “very heavy price” some sectors are paying.
“ However, I also know that the effort we are making now, together as a nation, is saving lives and will allow us to reopen our society and our economy safely and sustainably into the future.”


theirishtimes--2020-11-12--Coronavirus search: How is Covid-19 spreading in your locality?

Buncrana in Co Donegal continues to have the highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the State , running at almost four times the national average .
The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre ( HPSC ) for the two weeks from October 27th to November 9th examines the number of people infected per 100,000 of population by area , giving a better understanding of the rate of transmission than straight case numbers .
Buncrana recorded a rate of 536.5 cases per 100,000 , down from almost 595 on November 2nd .
The second highest rate was also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which had a rate of 409.5 cases per 100,000 .
The national rate has been decreasing gradually since the move to tighter restrictions and stood at 135 as of Thursday , down from a peak of 310 .
Speaking on Thursday , chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan highlighted Donegal as he said not every part of the State has experienced the same reduction in cases since the latest lockdown began .
Four electoral areas - Lismore in Co Waterford , Ballinamore and Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim and Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Covid-19 , resulting in a 14-day incidence rate of 0 .
In Dublin , the local electoral areas with the highest incidence rates were Tallaght South ( 310.2 ) , Swords ( 288.1 ) and Ballymun-Finglas ( 272.2 ) .
On the lower end of the scale in the capital were Killiney-Shankill ( 47.3 ) , Blackrock ( 68.2 ) and Dundrum with ( 69.4 ) .
Electoral areas that recorded some of the lowest 14-day incidence rates included Rosslare in Co Wexford ( 32.5 ) , Carrickmacross-Castleblayney in Co Monaghan ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 34.4 ) .
Meanwhile , other areas with high rates included Listowel in Co Kerry ( 404.5 ) , Newcastle West in Co Limerick ( 331.9 ) and Cardonagh in Co Donegal ( 312.4 ) .
The data is recorded according to local electoral areas of which there are 31 in Dublin and a total of 166 nationally .
By county , Donegal recorded the highest 14-day incidence between October 29th and November 11th at 281 per 100,000 .
This was followed by Limerick with 197.5 , Roscommon at 172 and Westmeath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lowest rates were Wexford with 49.4 , Leitrim at 53.1 , Wicklow at 72.3 and Kildare , which had an incidence rate of 93.9 .
Search the table with this story to see how your area is coping with Covid-19 .
If you are reading this on The Irish Times app and can ’ t see the searchable table , go here .

Buncrana in Co Donegal continues to have the highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the State, running at almost four times the national average. Image: Google Streetview.
Buncrana in Co Donegal continues to have the highest 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 in the State, running at almost four times the national average.
The latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) for the two weeks from October 27th to November 9th examines the number of people infected per 100,000 of population by area, giving a better understanding of the rate of transmission than straight case numbers.
Buncrana recorded a rate of 536.5 cases per 100,000, down from almost 595 on November 2nd. The second highest rate was also in Co Donegal, in Letterkenny, which had a rate of 409.5 cases per 100,000.
The national rate has been decreasing gradually since the move to tighter restrictions and stood at 135 as of Thursday, down from a peak of 310.
READ MORE
Speaking on Thursday, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan highlighted Donegal as he said not every part of the State has experienced the same reduction in cases since the latest lockdown began.
Zero rate
Four electoral areas - Lismore in Co Waterford, Ballinamore and Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim and Corca Dhuibhne in Co Kerry - each recorded fewer than five cases of Covid-19, resulting in a 14-day incidence rate of 0.
In Dublin, the local electoral areas with the highest incidence rates were Tallaght South (310.2), Swords (288.1) and Ballymun-Finglas (272.2).
On the lower end of the scale in the capital were Killiney-Shankill (47.3), Blackrock (68.2) and Dundrum with (69.4).
Electoral areas that recorded some of the lowest 14-day incidence rates included Rosslare in Co Wexford (32.5), Carrickmacross-Castleblayney in Co Monaghan (32.7) and Baltinglass in Co Wicklow (34.4).
Meanwhile, other areas with high rates included Listowel in Co Kerry (404.5), Newcastle West in Co Limerick (331.9) and Cardonagh in Co Donegal (312.4).
The data is recorded according to local electoral areas of which there are 31 in Dublin and a total of 166 nationally.
By county, Donegal recorded the highest 14-day incidence between October 29th and November 11th at 281 per 100,000. This was followed by Limerick with 197.5, Roscommon at 172 and Westmeath at 167.8.
The counties with the lowest rates were Wexford with 49.4, Leitrim at 53.1, Wicklow at 72.3 and Kildare, which had an incidence rate of 93.9.
Search the table with this story to see how your area is coping with Covid-19. If you are reading this on The Irish Times app and can't see the searchable table, go here.


theirishtimes--2020-11-14--Coronavirus: Nearly 150 care homes currently require HSE support

Almost 150 residential care facilities currently require support from the Health Service Executive to fight coronavirus , amid an increase in Covid-19 outbreaks in recent weeks , figures show .
Some 113 nursing homes are receiving supports as of Wednesday , according to internal HSE analysis .
There are 31 residential centres for people with disabilities receiving supports , as well as three mental health residential facilities .
Of the 149 long-term residential care facilities receiving supports , 118 are categorised as “ green ” under the HSE ’ s traffic light system for tracking the virus in care homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stable following intervention .
Twenty-seven facilities are in the “ amber ” category , receiving enhanced levels of support .
There are currently four facilities in the health service ’ s high-risk “ red ” category , battling significant outbreaks .
The figures do not include facilities which the HSE class as stable , or “ white ” in its traffic light system , and these would still receive routine deliveries of personal protective equipment .
There are currently 101 coronavirus outbreaks across 2,000 residential care facilities , 53 of which are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled care at University Hospital Limerick ( UHL ) and Ennis Hospital were on Friday extended for a further week with all routine outpatient appointments and the majority of elective procedures cancelled until at least November 20th .
Six wards at UHL were closed to admissions and a total of 188 staff across the UL Hospitals Group currently off work and self-isolating , having either tested positive for the virus or been designated as close contacts , a spokesman said .
Outbreak control teams established in both hospitals are continuing to work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect patients and staff , he said .

There are currently four facilities in the health service’s high-risk “red” category, battling significant outbreaks. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Wire
Almost 150 residential care facilities currently require support from the Health Service Executive to fight coronavirus, amid an increase in Covid-19 outbreaks in recent weeks, figures show.
Some 113 nursing homes are receiving supports as of Wednesday, according to internal HSE analysis. There are 31 residential centres for people with disabilities receiving supports, as well as three mental health residential facilities.
Of the 149 long-term residential care facilities receiving supports, 118 are categorised as “green” under the HSE’s traffic light system for tracking the virus in care homes. This means the centres are considered stable following intervention.
Twenty-seven facilities are in the “amber” category, receiving enhanced levels of support. There are currently four facilities in the health service’s high-risk “red” category, battling significant outbreaks.
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The figures do not include facilities which the HSE class as stable, or “white” in its traffic light system, and these would still receive routine deliveries of personal protective equipment.
Outbreaks
There are currently 101 coronavirus outbreaks across 2,000 residential care facilities, 53 of which are in nursing homes.
Elsewhere significant reductions in scheduled care at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and Ennis Hospital were on Friday extended for a further week with all routine outpatient appointments and the majority of elective procedures cancelled until at least November 20th.
Six wards at UHL were closed to admissions and a total of 188 staff across the UL Hospitals Group currently off work and self-isolating, having either tested positive for the virus or been designated as close contacts, a spokesman said.
Outbreak control teams established in both hospitals are continuing to work with public health to contain the virus and protect patients and staff, he said.


theirishtimes--2020-11-14--Leaders to meet again as constitutional and political crisis over Woulfe deepens

Leaders of Government and Opposition parties will meet early next week in an effort to resolve the deepening political and Constitutional crisis surrounding Supreme Court justice , Séamus Woulfe .
A meeting between the Taoiseach and leaders of all parties and groupings on Friday afternoon finished inconclusively , with no certainty or agreement if triggering an impeachment process to remove Mr Justice Woulfe would be appropriate or proportionate .
Opposition leaders leaving the meeting in Government Buildings said they will now seek independent legal advice and also full documentation on the controversy , including all the correspondence between Mr Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Chief Justice told the former attorney general it was his opinion that he should resign from the court .
The meeting convened by Mr Martin , Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan lasted for two hours .
Labour leader Alan Kelly said the outcome of the meeting had been inconclusive and Opposition leaders would need to get their own advice .
He said another meeting would be required early next week as it was now urgent and the “ clock had started ticking ” on the impasse .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to gather all the relevant documentation surrounding the episode .
Mr Justice Clarke has asserted that the manner in which Mr Woulfe has handled his attendance at a golf dinner in Clifden during the summer has damaged the reputation and the authority of the Supreme Court .
“ We have only got partial disclosure and partial documentation from Justice Woulfe and Chief Justice Clarke .
We want the full documentation , ” said Mr Kelly .
He also said that impeachment under Article 35.4 of the Constitution was only one of several options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that doing nothing was also an option as it would pass responsibility for the matter back to the judiciary .
The sense of urgency was stressed at the meeting .
A motion under Article 35.4 can be tabled by any Oireachtas member .
Richard Boyd-Barrett of Solidarity-People Before Profit confirmed his alliance may consider putting forward such a motion .
If that occurs , the Houses must act quickly and deal with it within five working days .
Mr Kelly was one of a number of leaders who also brought up the disclosure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vacant position on the Supreme Court but that information had not been conveyed to the Taoiseach by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee , or the Tánaiste .
In a statement , Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said this raised serious questions which needed to be answered by the Government .
The three Government leaders were very cautious in their approach to the meeting , according to others in attendance , and had not pushed any particular standpoint , view or possible solution .
Social Democrats co-leader CatherineMurphy said it was obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal advice .
She said she was yet to be convinced that impeachment was an option .
“ I think you have got to set the bar high in relation to impeachments .
I ’ m still not convinced that the bar is high enough in this particular case , ” she said .
Mattie McGrath of the Rural Independents said he thought it “ bizarre ” that Mr Justice Clarke was chair of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board ( JAAB ) which recommended Mr Woulfe .
He said he was opposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appointment of former attorney general Máire Whelan to the Court of Appeal in 2016 .
Mr Martin in a Dáil debate in 2017 described it as an “ insider appointment ” and “ squalid ” .
He said nobody was told in 2016 three High Court judges had applied .
Government sources dismissed contentions of Mr Martin holding different positions then and now , saying Mr Woulfe had gone through the JAAB process , and Ms Whelan had not .
The Taoiseach also confirmed he was told a few days after the Programme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Government was formed , that Mr Woulfe had come through the JAAB process .
It is understood the Green Party was informed at the same time .

Leaders of Government and Opposition parties will meet early next week in an effort to resolve the deepening political and Constitutional crisis surrounding Supreme Court justice, Séamus Woulfe.
A meeting between the Taoiseach and leaders of all parties and groupings on Friday afternoon finished inconclusively, with no certainty or agreement if triggering an impeachment process to remove Mr Justice Woulfe would be appropriate or proportionate.
Opposition leaders leaving the meeting in Government Buildings said they will now seek independent legal advice and also full documentation on the controversy, including all the correspondence between Mr Justice Woulfe and Chief Justice Frank Clarke. The Chief Justice told the former attorney general it was his opinion that he should resign from the court.
The meeting convened by Mr Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan lasted for two hours.
READ MORE
Labour leader Alan Kelly said the outcome of the meeting had been inconclusive and Opposition leaders would need to get their own advice. He said another meeting would be required early next week as it was now urgent and the "clock had started ticking" on the impasse.
It is understood the Taoiseach gave an undertaking to gather all the relevant documentation surrounding the episode. Mr Justice Clarke has asserted that the manner in which Mr Woulfe has handled his attendance at a golf dinner in Clifden during the summer has damaged the reputation and the authority of the Supreme Court.
“We have only got partial disclosure and partial documentation from Justice Woulfe and Chief Justice Clarke. We want the full documentation,” said Mr Kelly.
He also said that impeachment under Article 35.4 of the Constitution was only one of several options open to the Oireachtas. He added that doing nothing was also an option as it would pass responsibility for the matter back to the judiciary.
The sense of urgency was stressed at the meeting. A motion under Article 35.4 can be tabled by any Oireachtas member. Richard Boyd-Barrett of Solidarity-People Before Profit confirmed his alliance may consider putting forward such a motion. If that occurs, the Houses must act quickly and deal with it within five working days.
Expressed interest
Mr Kelly was one of a number of leaders who also brought up the disclosure that other judges had expressed interest in the vacant position on the Supreme Court but that information had not been conveyed to the Taoiseach by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, or the Tánaiste.
In a statement, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said this raised serious questions which needed to be answered by the Government.
The three Government leaders were very cautious in their approach to the meeting, according to others in attendance, and had not pushed any particular standpoint, view or possible solution.
Social Democrats co-leader CatherineMurphy said it was obvious that the Oireachtas needs its own independent legal advice. She said she was yet to be convinced that impeachment was an option. “I think you have got to set the bar high in relation to impeachments. I’m still not convinced that the bar is high enough in this particular case,” she said.
Mattie McGrath of the Rural Independents said he thought it “bizarre” that Mr Justice Clarke was chair of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board (JAAB) which recommended Mr Woulfe. He said he was opposed to impeachment.
Controversy also arose about the appointment of former attorney general Máire Whelan to the Court of Appeal in 2016. Mr Martin in a Dáil debate in 2017 described it as an "insider appointment" and "squalid". He said nobody was told in 2016 three High Court judges had applied. Government sources dismissed contentions of Mr Martin holding different positions then and now, saying Mr Woulfe had gone through the JAAB process, and Ms Whelan had not.
The Taoiseach also confirmed he was told a few days after the Programme for Government was agreed, but before the Government was formed, that Mr Woulfe had come through the JAAB process. It is understood the Green Party was informed at the same time.


theirishtimes--2020-11-14--Irish company to develop world’s first human challenge trial for Covid-19

An Irish company is to develop the world ’ s first human challenge trial for Covid-19 , which will see healthy volunteers exposed to the virus as a first step to testing the effectiveness of potential vaccines .
The initial study , which is being funded by the British government in a deal worth up to €11.1 million , will begin in January in London , pending regulatory and ethical approval .
It is being run by Dublin-based Open Orphan and its UK subsidiary , hVIVO , which has a history of running human challenge trials for viruses like influenza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Volunteers are being recruited now , and are typically university students motivated by altruism or curiosity , says Open Orphan ’ s executive chairman Cathal Friel .
They are paid £3,500 ( €3,900 ) for their time , a rate set by a UK ethics panel .
“ Quite a few are journalists writing books or people finishing theses .
Anything that needs two weeks ’ peace and quiet.
” During the first study in January , volunteers will check into a private suite , which they will not be allowed to leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they are exposed to low doses of SARS-CoV-2 to determine the level at which most people will become infected .
If they get sick , they will be treated with antivirals .
In later vaccine trials , volunteers will be given either a new vaccine candidate or a placebo before being exposed to the virus .
This week , Pfizer announced the results of an interim analysis which found that its vaccine is 90 per cent effective .
There are 10 other vaccine candidates at phase-3 stage .
Mr Friel , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and finance , became involved in the trials when his company acquired hVIVO in January , just as the first cases of a new novel coronavirus strain were beginning to emerge in Wuhan , China .

An Irish company is to develop the world’s first human challenge trial for Covid-19, which will see healthy volunteers exposed to the virus as a first step to testing the effectiveness of potential vaccines.
The initial study, which is being funded by the British government in a deal worth up to €11.1 million, will begin in January in London, pending regulatory and ethical approval. It is being run by Dublin-based Open Orphan and its UK subsidiary, hVIVO, which has a history of running human challenge trials for viruses like influenza, malaria and the common cold.
Volunteers are being recruited now, and are typically university students motivated by altruism or curiosity, says Open Orphan’s executive chairman Cathal Friel. They are paid £3,500 (€3,900) for their time, a rate set by a UK ethics panel. “Quite a few are journalists writing books or people finishing theses. Anything that needs two weeks’ peace and quiet.”
During the first study in January, volunteers will check into a private suite, which they will not be allowed to leave for two weeks. After two days, they are exposed to low doses of SARS-CoV-2 to determine the level at which most people will become infected. If they get sick, they will be treated with antivirals.
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In later vaccine trials, volunteers will be given either a new vaccine candidate or a placebo before being exposed to the virus. This week, Pfizer announced the results of an interim analysis which found that its vaccine is 90 per cent effective. There are 10 other vaccine candidates at phase-3 stage.
Mr Friel, a Donegal man with a background in stockbroking and finance, became involved in the trials when his company acquired hVIVO in January, just as the first cases of a new novel coronavirus strain were beginning to emerge in Wuhan, China.


theirishtimes--2020-11-14--Covid-19: Ireland has longest streak of falling infections in Europe

Ireland was the first country to go back into a national lockdown in Europe .
However , there are signs that this has paid off , as the State has now clocked up the longest streak of decreasing infections of any European state .
The figures are collected by the EU ’ s European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control , which monitors data including infection rates , hospitalisations and deaths for the United Kingdom , the EU and the European Economic Area .
Starting in late October , the 14-day average infection rate per 100,000 people in Ireland began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a long period from August in which the rate rose almost each week without a break .
Now , the Republic has the longest streak of weekly decreasing infections .
While the number of tests has fallen , the percentage of positive tests has also dropped since late October , indicating that undetected cases are also falling .
The rate of deaths in Ireland has not yet begun to decrease , but is stable .
Because people take time to develop symptoms and become ill , there is always a delay before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infection rate .
As of Thursday night , when the ECDC data was last updated , Ireland ’ s infection rate was 138.9 cases per 100,000 people , with a testing positivity rate that has dropped to 4.3 per cent .
This still puts the country firmly in the “ red ” category according to ECDC ’ s system of classification , but compares favourably to to trends seen in much of Europe .
To be classified as “ green ” , countries must have fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In contrast , the prevalence of infection in the population in some countries has reached almost 10 times Ireland ’ s level , such as in Czechia ( 1,331.4 per 100,000 ) and Luxembourg ( 1,311.6 per 100,000 ) .
These rates are followed closely by Liechtenstein ( 1,128.3 ) , Belgium ( 1,060.4 ) , Slovenia ( 995.9 ) , and Austria ( 900.8 ) .
In addition , some countries have a very high percentages of tests coming back positive , which indicates the true size of the outbreak is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Poland , more than one in three tests is positive , a level that Czechia , Bulgaria , and Slovenia are not far off .
In Croatia , Romania , Hungary , Belgium , Austria , and France , between one in four and one in five tests are positive , which is also a dangerously high rate .
There are signs that the growth in infections has begun to level off in Czechia , Belgium and Slovenia .
But in most countries in Europe outbreaks are still growing sharply , particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Germany , Greece , Hungary , Italy , Latvia , Liechtenstein , Lithuania , Poland , Portugal and Sweden .
The level of the outbreak in Ireland puts it in a group of lesser-affected countries including Iceland ( 131.9 cases per 100,000 ) Finland , ( 53.8 cases per 100,000 ) , and Norway ( 135.5 per 100,000 ) .
Among the Scandinavian countries , Sweden is the worst affected with 414.2 infections per 100,000 , while Denmark is at 255.2 per 100,000 .
For comparison , the rate of infection is 471.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the percentage of tests coming back positive has been rising to reach 7.5 per cent .
Northern Ireland has a higher rate of infections per 100,000 than the Republic according to UK figures , at 203.8 across the North and as high as 325.1 in the Causeway Coast and Glens area , but overall the rate has also been dropping .
Ireland is far from out of the woods however .
The ECDC reported that the Republic was among the countries with concerning levels of infections among people aged over 65 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in society are only at a slightly lower rate than the general population .
There is also still pressure on intensive care facilities , as Ireland is still among the countries flagged for high ICU occupancy or rising admissions .
Across Europe , governments have put in place restrictions including curfews , moving education online , and closing bars and restaurants to try to curb a surge of infections that began as the summer period ended in September and saw total cases double from 5 million to break through the 10 million milestone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ October 30th , France has once more been in total lockdown , with citizens required to carry a certificate to justify their reason for leaving the house .
Many countries are dealing with outbreaks that are much worse than the initial wave in the spring and health systems are strained across the continent , while the hard-hit countries of Italy , Belgium , Spain and France have seen deaths jump again to reach hundreds a day .

While the number of Covid-19 tests being done in the Republic has fallen, the percentage of positive tests has also dropped since late October, indicating that undetected cases are also falling. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Ireland was the first country to go back into a national lockdown in Europe. However, there are signs that this has paid off, as the State has now clocked up the longest streak of decreasing infections of any European state.
The figures are collected by the EU's European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which monitors data including infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths for the United Kingdom, the EU and the European Economic Area.
Starting in late October, the 14-day average infection rate per 100,000 people in Ireland began to drop. This was a turnaround from a long period from August in which the rate rose almost each week without a break.
Now, the Republic has the longest streak of weekly decreasing infections. While the number of tests has fallen, the percentage of positive tests has also dropped since late October, indicating that undetected cases are also falling.
READ MORE
The rate of deaths in Ireland has not yet begun to decrease, but is stable. Because people take time to develop symptoms and become ill, there is always a delay before intensive care admissions and deaths follow the infection rate.
As of Thursday night, when the ECDC data was last updated, Ireland’s infection rate was 138.9 cases per 100,000 people, with a testing positivity rate that has been dropping and was 4.3 per cent. This still puts the country firmly in the “red” category according to ECDC’s system of classification, but compares favourably to to trends seen in much of Europe.
To be classified as “green”, countries must have fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate below 4 per cent.
In contrast, the prevalence of infection in the population in some countries has reached almost 10 times Ireland's level, such as in Czechia (1,331.4 per 100,000) and Luxembourg (1,311.6 per 100,000). These rates are followed closely by Liechtenstein (1,128.3), Belgium (1,060.4), Slovenia (995.9), and Austria (900.8).
In addition, some countries have a very high percentages of tests coming back positive, which indicates the true size of the outbreak is greater than the tests are capturing. In Poland, more than one in three tests is positive, a level that Czechia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia are not far off. In Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Belgium, Austria, and France, between one in four and one in five tests are positive, which is also a dangerously high rate.
There are signs that the growth in infections has begun to level off in Czechia, Belgium and Slovenia. But in most countries in Europe outbreaks are still growing sharply, particularly in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
The level of the outbreak in Ireland puts it in a group of lesser-affected countries including Iceland (131.9 cases per 100,000) Finland, (53.8 cases per 100,000), and Norway (135.5 per 100,000). Among the Scandinavian countries, Sweden is the worst affected with 414.2 infections per 100,000, while Denmark is at 255.2 per 100,000.
For comparison, the rate of infection is 471.8 per 100,000 people in the UK, and the percentage of tests coming back positive has been rising to reach 7.5 per cent. Northern Ireland has a higher rate of infections per 100,000 than the Republic according to UK figures, at 203.8 across the North and as high as 325.1 in the Causeway Coast and Glens area, but overall the rate has also been dropping.
Ireland is far from out of the woods however. The ECDC reported that the Republic was among the countries with concerning levels of infections among people aged over 65, as cases among the most vulnerable group in society are only at a slightly lower rate than the general population. There is also still pressure on intensive care facilities, as Ireland is still among the countries flagged for high ICU occupancy or rising admissions.
Across Europe, governments have put in place restrictions including curfews, moving education online, and closing bars and restaurants to try to curb a surge of infections that began as the summer period ended in September and saw total cases double from 5 million to break through the 10 million milestone in a matter of weeks. Since October 30th, France has once more been in total lockdown, with citizens required to carry a certificate to justify their reason for leaving the house.
Many countries are dealing with outbreaks that are much worse than the initial wave in the spring and health systems are strained across the continent, while the hard-hit countries of Italy, Belgium, Spain and France have seen deaths jump again to reach hundreds a day.