Close contact rules for children
The HSE’s director general Paul Reid has defended the decision to allow children who are close contacts to attend school if they are asymptomatic.
There were lower levels of transmission of the virus in schools, he told Newstalk Breakfast which meant that “on the balance of risk” it was safer for children to be at school.
The level of transmission in schools was only five percent while it was 25 percent in households, he added. Having significant numbers of children out of school was a much higher risk for their wellbeing.
Mr Reid also explained that the HSE was now planning for a transition phase in its treatment of Covid.
The focus would now be on planning for a transition phase, how to move from pandemic to endemic. How to monitor and assess symptoms, maintain surveillance of outbreaks. Part of the transition would also include treatment of Long Covid, he added.
Gardaí investigating how Covid patient left hospital with anti-vaccine campaigners
Gardaí are investigating an incident in which a Covid-19 patient left a hospital against medical advice in Co Donegal.
Joe McCarron appears to have been encouraged to leave Letterkenny University Hospital, but died a week later.
The 67-year-old from Dungloe left the hospital with a group of anti-vaccine campaigners but was readmitted two days later and put on a ventilator.
He died on Friday morning and was buried on Sunday.
Mica redress scheme
The Minister for Housing has said that he hopes that 2022 will deliver a slowdown in the increase in Irish property prices.
Darragh O’Brien, speaking in Donabate in Co Dublin on Monday, insisted that the Government’s housing strategy would be able to increase supply to sufficiently arrest an increase in property prices across the country.
A new survey, published on Monday, found that the race for remote working space and the urban flight from cities was driving a huge rise in property prices outside major cities.
Average house prices have risen by €3,500 per month since the end of June, with selling prices in commuter areas and small towns increasing by more than double the growth experienced in major cities.
Asked by reporters when he expected the rise in house prices to slow, Mr O’Brien said: “I hope to see this level off and we’re seeing some slowdown in the acceleration of house price increases already.”
Child told no scan appointment available until 2035
A consultant paediatric radiologist has told of the case of a pre-teen referred to her with a neurological condition who was told they could not get an appointment until 2035.
Dr Gabrielle Colleran told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that such a delay was farcical and was a huge source of frustration for the profession as well as the families involved.
Dr Colleran, who is also vice president of the Irish Hospitals Consultants Association, added that at present there were 106,000 children on waiting lists for treatment, assessment and diagnostic tests and that delays were having a serious impact on children's development and overall outcomes.
There are currently 8,000 children waiting for CT scans, ultrasounds or MRIs which was delaying the diagnosis of conditions such as autism, hearing loss and speech problems.
