Coronavirus Ireland: The second wave of Covid-19 in Europe could ruin our Christmas plans

The horror generated by the tsumani in the second wave of Europe’s Covid-19 infection is the extent to which the country will be released for Christmas, despite the signal that the virus will be driven “straight” by early December. May be suppressed.

Ireland and Finland are currently the only European countries with a declining 14-day incidence of the disease. There is still a “distance to go” here, but with high levels of virus continuing yesterday, including 591 new cases, the restriction is working.

However, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tony Holohan yesterday sought advice from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control as part of an overall analysis of how his team optimally manages virus control during the holiday season. Said.

Dr. Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer of HSE, previously warned that “shocking” levels of the virus are now sweeping some European countries.

He warned that it was important to remind him of how the national outbreak could be exacerbated, with 2,500 cases per week in mid-September and now 50,000 per week. He pointed out Switzerland fighting the infection.

However, both doctors acknowledged the importance of Christmas to the Irish people.

Dr. Holohan said that the smaller the number of cases per day in early December, the more flexibility it has to relax the blockade restrictions.

He was talking yesterday as three more deaths were reported with 591 new cases of the virus.

There are promising signs that the spread of infection here, which was increasing in the elderly, is declining again.

However, Dr. Holohan said that some commentators had the view that “if you are older than a certain age or have an underlying illness”, your death is less important than other deaths. It’s unpleasant. “

He emphasized the need to prevent all deaths from Covid-related illnesses.

“We estimate the recalls to be 0.7 to 0.9,” said Professor Philip Nolan, who is tracking the virus.

However, 0.5 can be even lower. The lower the number, the less the virus spreads.

He said the average daily incidence of Covid-19 has halved in the last two weeks and is now down 5% per day. Should be 6-8pc in the next 2 weeks.

Currently, the number of deaths from the virus is 3 to 5 per day, which is expected to decrease over time.

Evidence is that the average number of contacts confirmed by the virus has decreased-from about 4 to about 2 or 3 in recent weeks.

Dr. Holohan said: “In the age group of 19 to 24 years, the incidence dropped dramatically from 450 per 100,000 to 150 per 100,000 in two weeks.

“They have also halved their contacts in the last five weeks. We all need to acknowledge the efforts of the young people and thank them.”

Yesterday’s cases included 120 in Dublin, 75 in Donegal, 50 in Cork, 46 in Kelly and 44 in Limerick. The remaining 256 cases spread to 20 other counties.

In the early days of Dáil, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said, “I don’t want to give false information about what people can do in December.” He said he wouldn’t make a promise because “I might have to look back in a few weeks and say I can’t do that.”

Meanwhile, there are new concerns about the decline in A & E attendance, and there are concerns that people who need to check for anxious symptoms may be avoiding the hospital again.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has expressed concern about the lack of consultants and competencies in Irish cancer services, forcing many patients to wait for months to see a specialist.

In a video interview released by IHCA, Professor John Crown, an oncologist at St. Vincent Hospital, said cancer treatment is complex and the Irish healthcare system “is already at risk of seams and real problems.” Stated.

The difficulty of timely access to consultant appointments and testing equipment to monitor the response, regression, and progression of cancer treatments is an important barrier faced by many patients, he said.

“The last thing the patient needs to hear is that he wants to get this scan, but he can’t do it for a month … If the treatment is delayed, the treatment is rejected.”

Earlier, HSE chief Paul Reid said consultants have warned that some patients who should have been previously treated should be given a much “higher-risk” intervention. .. “If people need urgent care, come ahead,” he added.

Dr. Colm Henry, HSE’s clinical adviser, has re-appealed to those in need of emergency care to attend the A & E department.

The diagnosis of lung and breast cancer is about the same as last year, but he said the level of prostate cancer is still low this year. In the UK, there are several models of presentation delays, they have two cancers of 6,000-8,000. He said the capacity of quickly accessible cancer clinics is currently increasing.

Online editor