Tuesday, 5 May 2020

ELDERLY PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY HELD UNDER HOUSE ARREST FOR OVER TWO WEEKS


The Tánaiste has said the relationship between the Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team is "a fantastic one", despite reports to the contrary by some media over the weekend. Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Simon Coveney said there was complete trust between the Government and Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan and his team. He said that all decisions on dealing with Covid-19 have been based on the advice of public health and thousands of lives have been saved by following this advice and expertise. When asked if the NPHET advised not allowing people cocooning to leave their homes until August, Mr Coveney said: "No, that wasn't the advice."

He said there was a conversation about how to take into account the mental health and stress that many people have been experiencing having been "effectively locked into their own homes for weeks now" and how to balance that with "the obligation to try to keep them as safe as possible in the context of the spread of this virus".

St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Ireland.
"What we came up with, collectively, was that we would allow limited opportunity for exercise outside of the home for people over the age of 70, which is being announced today." He added that this does not mean that recommendations and decisions are not debated.

Mr Coveney said there was a plan and a template, but that could change, depending on how the virus behaves. As a country, he said, we have done a remarkable job of flattening the curve, despite the tragedy experienced by so many families.



https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/teaching-unions-warn-reopening-schools-without-caution-could-lead-to-spike-in-covid-19-997702.html

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/court-application-by-john-waters-and-gemma-odoherty-over-covid-19-laws-adjourned-until-this-afternoon-997700.html



He said there would be interaction with all sectors in order to help them adapt businesses to a new normal. The Tánaiste said a step-by-step cautious approach was needed to ease restrictions and he believed that, in time, this will prove to be the right approach. Mr Coveney said a "heads up" was given to Arlene Foster, Michelle O'Neill and Robin Swann in Stormont the night before the road map to easing restrictions was announced.

He said Minister for Health Simon Harris and his counterpart, Mr Swann, have a close relationship and that there is frequent communication between Dr Tony Holohan and his counterpart in Northern Ireland Dr Michael McBride.  Mr Coveney said Northern Ireland and the Republic are working towards an "in-sync' approach, as both sides move towards some kind of new normalcy. The National Public Health Emergency Team is to meet today to review the latest situation with Covid-19. New figures show that the number of people admitted to hospital with confirmed, or suspected Covid-19, has increased slightly to 927.

The hospitals with the largest number of cases are in Dublin, at the Mater with 106 cases, St James's, 73, and Tallaght University Hospital, 69. Elsewhere, Limerick has 48 patients, Mayo, 33, and Tullamore, 22.

There are 132 vacant critical care beds available in public and private hospitals. Most of these beds are at Galway University Hospital,14, Limerick, 9, and Sligo, 7. Three hospitals have no critical care beds free. They are Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in Dublin, Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise and Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. Yesterday, the Department of Health announced 16 more deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total number of fatalities in Ireland to 1,319. The overall number of confirmed cases stands at 21,772 after another 266 cases were confirmed. There have been 88 clusters or outbreaks in hospitals, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

So far, there have also been 225 outbreaks in nursing homes, 134 in residential institutions and 29 in community hospitals, or long stay units. The figures are up to 2 May. Meanwhile, the president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland has said that plans are in place to get urgent non-Covid-19 procedures under way this week, with cancer screening and treatments the priority. Dr Catherine Motherway, who is a consultant anaesthesiologist at University Hospital Limerick, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that 94 patients remain in ICU with Covid-19 and while there still is a significant disease burden in the intensive care units, it is coming down. She said the Irish population, by complying very well with the restrictions, has averted what we have seen in other countries and we have been - successful in "controlling the surge".

Dr Motherway said cough etiquette, frequent hand hygiene and physical distancing must remain the cornerstones of how we open up society and keep the virus down. She said life is going to be different for some time and hospitals will continue to have different streams for elective work and non-elective work in future. Dr Motherway said UHL and some other hospitals have been continuing emergency work and some urgent cancer work in private hospitals and this is now beginning to open-up again. She said health staff are working in Personal Protective Equipment and this will make the process slower and less efficient. 

She said that the Health Service Executive is continuing to plan for this. Dr Motherway said that staff sickness has put some pressure on hospitals and the availability of PPE remains a continuing worry "for all of us ... all the time".


To protect yourself from Covid-19 you should:

  • Keep a space of 2 metres (6.5 feet) between you and other people
  • Avoid communal sleeping areas
  • Avoid any crowded places
  • Not shake hands or make close contact with other people, if possible 

Additional reporting Fergal Bowers.

ENDS:

(YOUR HELPLINE LINKS):

www.alone.ie and https://www.ageuk.org.uk/




If you or someone you know has been affected by mental health issues you can contact:

·                  Samaritans - 116 123, text 087 2609090 or email jo@samaritans.ie

·                  Pieta House (Suicide & Self-harm) - 1800 247 247 or 01 623 5606

·                  Aware (Depression, Bi-Polar Disorder & Anxiety) - 1800 80 48 48

·                  Grow (Mental Health support & Recovery) - 1890 474 474

·                  Bodywhys (Eating Disorders Associations of Ireland) - 1890 200 444

·                  Childline (for under 18s)

·                   

·                   - 1800 66 66 66.

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