Covid immunity period
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has advised the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) that the duration of immunity following Covid-19 diagnosis should be extended from six to nine months.
Following a review of international evidence and advice from the Covid-19 Expert Advisory Group, Hiqa found most people develop immune memory to the virus that lasts for “at least nine months”.
Hiqa deputy CEO Dr Máirín Ryan added: “Across all the studies we examined, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) reinfection was consistently low, with no increase in infection risk over time."
"Increasing the period of presumptive immunity from six to nine months has widespread positive implications for people.
Public toilets
Dublin City Council as part of a major Capital recovery plan is adding 150 additional public toilets both north and south of the river Liffey.
The Council will be installing 150 portaloo toilets, 54 large eurobins and 80 barrel bins across the city from this weekend with a specific focus on high footfall areas in the centre.
This is in addition to the existing 3,310 bins and our 28 public toilet locations across the city.
In a statement the Council said: “We will also be putting additional direct labour human resources in place to service the additional waste collection and contracted services for toilet management, including cleaning and queue management.”
Mother and Baby Homes Commission
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has called on members of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes to explain its findings to survivors and the Oireachtas “without delay.”
One of the commissioners, Professor Mary Daly, provoked anger on Wednesday when she discussed the report at an online history event organised by Oxford’s Hertford College.
Prior to that, none of the commissioners had discussed the findings in public, despite requests by the Oireachtas Children’s Committee for chairperson Judge Yvonne Murphy to appear before it.
Prof Daly defended the report’s findings at the Oxford event, but admitted the commission discounted the testimony of hundreds of survivors because it was given in private.
Eamon Kelly murder trial
Two men will go on trial for the murder of gangland figure Eamon Kelly at the Special Criminal Court next week after their application to get their cases moved away from the three-judge, non-jury court failed this morning.
Lawyers for the two men argued that the court was a de-facto permanent court but had only been established as an emergency court in 1972 and therefore did not have the jurisdiction to hear the cases. They also argued that the human rights of their clients could arguably be being breached by not having their cases heard before a jury.
The two men, Kenneth Donohoe (42) of Hazelgrove Estate, Tallaght, Dublin 24, and Darren Murphy, (50) of Rory O'Connor House, Dublin 1, are both accused of the murder of Eamon Kelly (65), a father of nine, at Furry Park Road, Killester, Dublin 5, on December 12, 2012.
Both men are also accused of possession of a firearm, a Glock pistol, with intent to endanger life, on the same date and at the same location.
Cyberattack impact
The head of the Health Service Executive has said the damage caused by the recent cyberattack had a “devastating impact”.
Chief executive Paul Reid said it wiped out more than 2,000 systems and “completely disarmed” many clinical and medical teams of the basic tools they need for treating patients.
“We continue to make further progress, but it can’t be overstated the devastating impact that this has had on our health service,” he said.
