Who, What, Where, When, How?
February 11, 2021
FF under Michael Martin continues its pedestrian backward approach to dealing with the pandemic. We have sloow vaccine rollout that seemingly is taking forever. We’re now told through one of his increasingly soft interviews on RTE that it will be September before a significant threshold of population coverage will be reached one that will approach herd immunity.
Given that clinical trials are taking place to discover how long immunity will last, can it be possible they’ve overlooked the possibility next September that all those immunised between February and June of 2021 will no longer lack immunity?
https://www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/immunity-covid-19-vaccine.html
Add the above to the increasing list of concerns regarding Micheal Martin’s confidence building exercises on RTE.
Questions need to be asked and here are some of them:
- Why is the pedestrian approach to immunisation being adopted so comfortably by Micheal Martin and FF/FG and the Greens.
Its not clear why immediately on a 7/24 hour basis vaccines are not being distributed urgently through both hubs and GP’s. If elections can be organised voting on a community basis through schools and other venues, why can’t rollout of the vaccine begin immediately on this basis?
It would appear the logistics involved is beyond the competence of this government to organise.
Similarly our national backward spiral under FF/FG and Green coalition continues to move backwards any positive efforts it can make to end our housing crisis.
Earliest restart of construction its estimated now mid March. Its difficult to imaging how backward government policies are if the emergency nature of construction in the housing sector is not recognised and such builds are continued having regard to the correct safety protocols in place.
Contruction is outdoors and can be easily managed to avoid dangers that may involve any risk to safety. Such concerns can be ably managed by the construction sector.
Our increasingly nanny state is not being overprotective nor can be seen as interfering unduly with personal choice. Instead, its more likely to be plain incompetence.
Previous to the last election FF lied that their policy was to empower local authorities/councils to build locally. In government FF facilitate vulture funds.
It is of grave concern that Darragh O’Brien is so comfortable wearing the Fianna Fail hypocritical new clothes.
RTE is a small organisation lacking in the resources to properly tackle government spokespeople like Darragh O’Brien our Minister for Housing who can get away with Orwellian doublespeak persuading all that black is white and will remain so for the duration of government we must endure for the next 4 years!
https://www.thejournal.ie/un-ireland-vultures-funds-tax-4563403-Mar2019/
Now its FF policy to bypass local democratically elected councillors. Public lands are being taken out from the power of local councillors and are in danger of being handed over willy nilly to private developers if not vulture funds preying on our housing sector from abroad and facilitated by our tax regime.
A more state controlled ultimately EU controlled central authority is an Orwellian risk to any remaining democracy in Ireland.
Local councils as players in addressing our housing emergency are being disenfranchised under a model that has more in common with socialist policies used by Russia in its soviet era to control its satellite states just as its used now to control the satellite state of EU controlled Ireland of today.
https://www.thejournal.ie/land-development-agency-2-5346783-Feb2021/
Darragh O’Brien Slates Sinn Fein’s Eoin O Broin After Housing Criticism (extra.ie)
There are no plans to build the minimum of 30,000 houses per anum to keep up with demand never mind the 50,000 immediately required.
There are no plans to address affordability issues other than buyer led incentives pocketed by developers that ultimately increase the cost of mortgages.
Large scale building projects built on a rent to buy model that could repay the building costs over 20 years are not even on the table for consideration. It appears that FF have fully merged with FG in their housing strategy.
Specious arguments are put out we do not have enough builders and skills to execute a grand plan. No fast track buiding trade apprenticeships mooted to expand the workforce. The construction workforce can easily be expanded with the right policies in place.
Not that there is any great alternative in choosing Sinn Fein over Fianna Fail. There is a vast difference between the Sinn Fein of today and the men of 1916.
Not one would have chosen membership of the EU given the political consequences of membership for Ireland.
Sinn Fein in jumping from the frying pan of lack of a 32 county republic in Ireland, have jumped into the fire of lack of a 32 county republic as a member of the EU. Can they be viewed as real Republicans in the tradition of 1916 now that their ‘free republic’ has become fully fledged member and leading light of the increasingly Orwellian EU.
We live in an increasingly absurd world where black is the new white.
In earlier years of our membership we had some roads built. Now we are to be considered as a net contributor to the EU budget. They already have a net interest rate being paid back on our bailout loans of €67bn.
The statutory obligations of the austerity imposed by our financial obligations have yet to be laid before the DAIL. If they were, Sinn Féin would have to reduce their targets to this of FF/FG and Green coalition.
Underlying these obligations are caps on spending that guillotine any spending on any large scale infrastructural projects such as water or housing. But we live nder the absurdity of deceptive pretence of democratic choice.
This underlies the disengenuous approach of Darragh O Brien compared to the housing approach calling for a build of 20,000 by Sinn Fein. Darragh O Brien is in government and knows the limits imposed by the Irish Central Bank under the ECB and its caps on spending.
Our real problem is our membership of the EU.
While Brexit will bestow wealth and prosperity and progress in science, research, manufacturing and social services for the UK, our membership of the EU that is tanking us economically and socially will become more apparent as more time goes by.
Deceptive EU is not like the US.
Car prices, legal costs, consumer goods, housing costs are fairly distributed across the US and are easily compared one state to another. Not so in Ireland. Our mortgage costs are higher, our housing costs, motoring costs and cost of living costs right across the board are more expensive compared to other EU jurisdictions.
The imperial nature of our membership so-called single market often brought up as a benefit of our membership, is smoke and mirrors disguising real differences between member states in particular those on the periphery and those on the inside.
We cannot state that membership of the EU has brought down the cost of housing in Ireland.
There is a substantial probability that Darragh O Brien’s criticism of Sinn Fein that their housing figures are pie in the sky is true. If elected, they will make the same UTURNs FF have made and break their promises.
Such is the tragedy of our membership of the EU and our erstwhile role as a client puppet state of the EU. Currently, the people of Ireland are not only being looted by vulture funds, they are being looted by the EU and its so-called elite political class representatives in Ireland.
Our membership of the EU has reduced the powers vested in our politicians and parliament so that it no longer represents the people but instead like a Roman Praetorian Guard its there to build confidence in the EU and defend its interests against those of the people of Ireland.
No greater example of this at the moment is there than the issue of vaccine roll out:
Ursula Von Der Lyon answered questions in the European parliament this week regarding the performance of the EU in the roll out of vaccines.
Questions abound re delays, underestimation of manufacturing and supply difficulties the EU have laid at the door of safety concerns. In Ireland roll-out has been at a snails pace.
For Q&A from EU perspective see here:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_2467
“The Commission is negotiating intensely to build a diversified portfolio of vaccines for EU citizens at fair prices. Contracts have been concluded with AstraZeneca (400 million doses), Sanofi-GSK (300 million doses), Johnson and Johnson (400 million doses ), BioNTech-Pfizer 600 million doses, CureVac (405 million doses) and Moderna (160 million doses). The Commission has concluded exploratory talks with the pharmaceutical company Novavax with a view to purchasing up to 200 million doses and with Valneva with a view to purchase up to 60 million doses.”
In the UK
“The government aims to offer vaccines to 15 million people – those aged 70 and over, healthcare workers and people required to shield – by mid-February and millions more people aged 50 and over and other priority groups by spring.
They are thought to represent 90-99% of those at risk of dying from Covid-19.”
Thankfully citizens of the UK have successfuly under Brexit escaped the rigor mortis delays of vaccine rollout Micheal Martin has been defending over the past few days.
The benefits of using Astrozeneca are compelling. It can be stored in a basic fridge a couple of degrees below freezing. It is provided at a very low cost by producers. It has been tested in the field distributed by now to millions of people without adverse effects in UK and elsewhere. It has now been ratified by the EU as safe for the elderly.
Perhaps an increasingly authoritarian approach to the management of Covid does not regard itself answerable or accountable to any questioning however reasonable such questions are.
Its hard to estimate the numbers of lives that have been lost in nursing homes and in the community in Ireland and across Europe due to the EU’s ‘safety concerns’ re AstroZeneca notwithstanding the irony of this question.
There is an argument that can be made that the raising of spurious safety concerns by the EU is more politically motivated by resentment it has been developed in the UK not in the EU. Delays in the EU re vaccine rollout are more to do with the inefficiency of EU bureaucracy and the political setup of the EU, than any problem re the production of the vaccine itself.
“The Commission has given the conditional marketing authorisation for the vaccines developed by BioNTech and Pfizer on 21 December, and Moderna on 6 January following EMA positive assessment of their safety, quality and efficacy.” These are all under active roll out but progress is painstakingly slow. The longer it takes the more likely the virus can mutate into resistant strains of the virus.
Information is sparce on vaccination roll-out. Now subject to vague caveats re availability of supply. There will be approx 40 hubs in Ireland across the country. Government have adopted a wait and see policy as regards to continually the pushng back timescales for lockdowns.
So far up to 500 agency nurses have been recruited with plans to double this number. It’s expected over 70’s to all get their first jabs by middle of April. Today the first number of those vaccinated on a daily basis will be published. But we’ve no breakdown of ages, regional and local figures.
We’ve no track and trace information.
It is likely roll-out will be complicated by further delays and logistical problems. Currently, service agencies including doctors and nurses and GP’s are actively complaining on their lack of information on roll-out plans other than vague objectives stating its hoped over 70’s by mid April.
Unbelievably, with millions being vaccinated in other jurisdictions critical numbers to contain the pandemic successfully not expected until September if you believe that moving goal post.
Testing having been overwhelmed in the second wave has just been resumed.
https://www.thejournal.ie/anitgen-testing-ireland-5322169-Jan2021/
PCR testing while generally more effective than antigen testing lacks the critical benefit of fast turnaround provided by antigen testing that can have results in a few hours.
“Nearing completion
The working group assessing rapid antigen tests is currently underway in Ireland and is nearing completion, it is understood.
In rolling out antigen testing for member states, the European Commission says that governments should clarify whether a PCR test might be needed to confirm a positive antigen test, or a second rapid antigen test is required for confirmation.
A common list of rapid antigen tests will be drawn up by the Commission to ensure that member states recognise tests from other countries.”
Its incredible this is February and both the Commission and those investigating this in Ireland have not begun deliberations on how antigen testing will be used to improve test and trace that has failed spectacularly in Ireland compared to its proven success in Iceland, New Zealand and Australia.
Antigen testing has been spectacularly successful in containing the virus in Liverpool.
The European Union Is Botching the Vaccine Rollout – Bloomberg
Management of roll-out is responsibility of EMA the European Medical Agency European Medicines Agency – Wikipedia
Hampered by the autonomous political setup of the EU it lacks the power to compel member states to cooperate fully with roll-out and data collection. Useful track and trace and monitoring methods to analyse specific roll-out vaccination acquisition and distribution is hard to come by due to so-called autonomy of member states and/or incompetent messing at Commission level, you choose.
Now we’re told over 70’s subject to caveats will get their jabs by mid April all going well.
Health Care workers represented by Irish Nurses and Midwives Association appeared before an Oireachtas Committee this week. What they had to say runs counter to the nonsense confidence roll-out Micheal Martin with the collaboration of RTE frequently rolls out.
Politicians concerned with the safety of health workers should not be reassured. Health care worker representatives want an investigation into safety and security of health care workers since the beginning of the pandemic.
Poor roll out of PPE, lack of protocols especially in early days of the pandemic led to large numbers of health care professional being infected by Covid. The following study (2) makes the recommendations:
“Recommendations
As this study focused on exploring the issues facing nurses in their response to COVID-19, and based on this discussion of our findings, it is recommended that a disaster plan for pandemics be kept in place that aims to guide nurses before, during, and after any health-related crises. It is also recommended that a plan for nursing forces be made for investing in nurses, as they make up the largest healthcare group and are very important healthcare workers who have very clear and significant roles. Furthermore, we must ensure that nurses respond effectively to the pandemic and that all medical supplies be available, such as PPE, to help keep the lives of nurses and patients safe. Finally, more research is required on the exploration of the experiences of nurses, and more research on pandemic crises involving preparedness, responsiveness, and recovery in general; more studies must focus on nurses’ levels of knowledge, preparedness, and risk perception, which affects their adherence to precautionary behaviors, as these are critical issues in the context of epidemics with no treatment.”
This week Emily O Reilly European Ombudsman published her report on ECDC European Centre for Disease Control. Its not reassuring us that the pandemic is being managed well at the highest European Level.
Reliant on data from member states ECDC lacked the power to compel or enforce obligation to maintain or acquire data from member states. So its decisions have been compromised.
Its poor legacy in this culminating in its advice to draw down Article 16 of NI Protocol in a hostile move against NI preventing the export of European vaccines to NI from the Republic. Rescinded immediately it was a huge error of judgment.
I suspect there are other huge errors of judgment that should be scrutinised in analysing how we are responding to the pandemic in Ireland and in the EU. We should question why the EU has not withdrawn intellectual property rights on vaccines chosen for distribution in Europe to make their distribution in the third World possible and affordable.
We should ask why so-called cooperaton between NI and Southern Ireland has not obtained agreement on acquisition and joint distribution of Astrozeneca?
December 15 last the US Food and Drug Administration approved a home antigen test for Covid…yes, last December? That long ago.
Not a word about using that here!
If you catch the virus or know of a friend or family member with the virus, consider using an inexpensive, easy to use Pulse Oximeter as explained here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-55040635
“The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford is highly effective at stopping people developing Covid-19 symptoms, a large trial shows.Interim data suggests 70% protection, but the researchers say the figure may be as high as 90% by tweaking the dose.
The results will be seen as a triumph, but come after Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed 95% protection.
However, the Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.”
Why in our small population is distribution of vaccines so slow, so expensive and so far so messy: we know little about how its being done, the who, what, where, when and how?
Comparing vaccines:
Spare a thought for the issues effecting nurses in their efforts to face Covid on the Frontline
https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/509361
If we look at the Lancet review of the Sputnik vaccine its clear why countries such as Hungary impatient and dissatisfied with the EU approach have decided to break ranks with the commission and adopt its use. Germany has also broken ranks going it alone with their own purchase program.
Another gathering EU mess Micheal Martin’s role is keen to build confidence in.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00191-4/fulltext
Our health service is falling apart if not bursting at the seams with a tsunami of nearly one million appointments deferred and in need of taking care of.
Our housing apocalyptic crisis is growing in tatters. Shouldn’t he resign…alas, he probably will not! At least his expected invite to Washington for Paddy’s Day did not materialise following his signal he’d like to go, Biden’s team will speak to him on Zoom
till again….
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-55040635&ved=2ahUKEwjigPrSi9XuAhVKShUIHfpSCRoQFjAJegQIIBAB&usg=AOvVaw1-doA4LDfu_RUJWul3DMrv&cf=1
- https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/509361
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