China Coronavirus

[Kidder81]

My nephew is one of the statistics. School spread (Belfast). My sis and her family now getting tested. He is asymptomatic. She he and his sister attend the school my sis teaches at.

Thankfully we haven't seen them in wks.

Did he have a reason to be tested if had no symptoms? The wife knows a man who had to get tested before a minor op and came back positive with no symptoms and he's in his 60s.

His friend tested positive.

I thought the advice for any of them is to self isolate & not get tested, and self isolate regardless of test result ?

[Cunny Funt]

What I said last Sunday.

Highest weekly number of cases since April 20th to 26th when it was 4,011 that week. (hopefully that number isn't topped that by next Sunday)

Sadly it's topped it by some distance.

Weekly number for ROI.

Cases - 4510 (1439 more cases than last week)
Reported deaths - 17 ( same as last week)

No testing figure given out on a Sunday but yesterday we had close to 10,000 more tests than the week before.

In hospital  201( 67 more than this time last week)
In ICU 30. ( 9 more than last Sunday)

Hard to see much improvement for the week ahead.

[armaghniac]

What I said last Sunday.

Highest weekly number of cases since April 20th to 26th when it was 4,011 that week. (hopefully that number isn't topped that by next Sunday)

Sadly it's topped it by some distance.

Weekly number for ROI.

Cases - 4510 (1439 more cases than last week)
Reported deaths - 17 ( same as last week)

No testing figure given out on a Sunday but yesterday we had close to 10,000 more tests than the week before.

In hospital  201( 67 more than this time last week)
In ICU 30. ( 9 more than last Sunday)

Hard to see much improvement for the week ahead.

All those numbers are up by almost half in a week, that is an unsustainable level of growth. Perhaps the level 3 will cut into the growth, but you still have a high level left.

[restorepride]

Derry/Strabane/Donegal in big bother if the mindset doesn't change.  There are some signs of a shift over the last 4-5 days but expect rises for another week at the very least.  Level 4 not far away probably and 'circuit breaker' may be used sooner, even before Halloween?

[Tony Baloney]

My nephew is one of the statistics. School spread (Belfast). My sis and her family now getting tested. He is asymptomatic. She he and his sister attend the school my sis teaches at.

Thankfully we haven't seen them in wks.

Did he have a reason to be tested if had no symptoms? The wife knows a man who had to get tested before a minor op and came back positive with no symptoms and he's in his 60s.

His friend tested positive.

I thought the advice for any of them is to self isolate & not get tested, and self isolate regardless of test result ?

It is. You are only supposed to test if symptomatic but I'd say lots of people have been ignoring that advice, which is why the test centres were overrun at the start of the school year.

[Tony Baloney]

A few schools in Belfast closing for a couple of days this week to be deep cleaned. I think schools are in a bit of bother. Numbers are rising at an alarming rate, pupils heading into isolation in their hundreds. I think they're struggling to keep staff & pupils safe. Abandoning social distancing in schools is coming home to roost I fear.

Numbers started to creep up as schools returned yet we don't talk about that. Look over there - communion parties, university students, football matches. Not schools, no definitely not.

Aye it was always destined to be a clusterfuck. The fundamental flaw in all these school support bubbles is the presumption that everyone goes home and behaves sensibly and comes in the next day to their bubble, thereby creating a closed system. But we can see when you go out the door that is not the case. At what point is a school sustainable when multiple year groups are isolating?! This is only getting worse over winter.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

Enforce what rules?

Bubbles and masks. It ain't happening in a lot of schools unfortunately. No staggered breaks too in a lot of cases. Very frustrating for parents

[restorepride]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

I agree, but also the school bubbles/zones are very different from 'house/family' bubbles, which can be quite robust/secure.  In schools this is compromised by all bubbles mixing on school transport twice a day, not to mention the 18th birthday parties which have been a big driver amongst the Year 14s apparently - the most affected cohort in schools, it appears.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

I agree, but also the school bubbles/zones are very different from 'house/family' bubbles, which can be quite robust/secure.  In schools this is compromised by all bubbles mixing on school transport twice a day, not to mention the 18th birthday parties which have been a big driver amongst the Year 14s apparently - the most affected cohort in schools, it appears.

Yeah, those situations present problems, the buses aren't enforcing the masks. I suppose it underlines how everyone needs to do their part to best of their ability. I don't think a lot of secondary level schools are however

[GetOverTheBar]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

Enforce what rules?

Bubbles and masks. It ain't happening in a lot of schools unfortunately. No staggered breaks too in a lot of cases. Very frustrating for parents

Under 13s do not have to wear a mask. The rest only are required to wear one going to and from a class in corridors.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

As a parent I'd be lookin for staff and management to do their jobs better and enforce the rules. Shut downs can be minimised better imo.

Enforce what rules?

Bubbles and masks. It ain't happening in a lot of schools unfortunately. No staggered breaks too in a lot of cases. Very frustrating for parents

Under 13s do not have to wear a mask. The rest only are required to wear one going to and from a class in corridors.

I know and unfortunately it isn't happening here in Derry

[marty34]

Derry/Strabane/Donegal in big bother if the mindset doesn't change.  There are some signs of a shift over the last 4-5 days but expect rises for another week at the very least.  Level 4 not far away probably and 'circuit breaker' may be used sooner, even before Halloween?

I'd say so.  Halloween break is 2 weeks away. Speed is of the essence. If cases keeps going until then, the ICU's will be under pressure.

[marty34]

A few schools in Belfast closing for a couple of days this week to be deep cleaned. I think schools are in a bit of bother. Numbers are rising at an alarming rate, pupils heading into isolation in their hundreds. I think they're struggling to keep staff & pupils safe. Abandoning social distancing in schools is coming home to roost I fear.

Numbers started to creep up as schools returned yet we don't talk about that. Look over there - communion parties, university students, football matches. Not schools, no definitely not.

How can you keep pupils 2m away from each other in a class?  Impossible, especially for the younger classes.

All this effort of keeping kids in their class based bubbles....and then when the bell rings, they all jumo on different buses for a half hour plus journey home.

Not to mention after school they meet up with their pals from different schools etc.

Schools and teachers etc. can only do so much.

[Milltown Row2]

Derry/Strabane/Donegal in big bother if the mindset doesn't change.  There are some signs of a shift over the last 4-5 days but expect rises for another week at the very least.  Level 4 not far away probably and 'circuit breaker' may be used sooner, even before Halloween?

I'd say so.  Halloween break is 2 weeks away. Speed is of the essence. If cases keeps going until then, the ICU's will be under pressure.

Will they? We've lost over 500 people in the north since March. With the rate of infection currently in past 2/3 weeks there should be at the very least a 1000 deaths