China Coronavirus

[Angelo]

SF wheel out Colm Gildernew on Talkback to defend the lockdown easing document. This man has not got a notion. Anyone who is seriously thinking about voting for these gobshites in the future would want their heads looked at. He hasn't got a clue, O'Neill hasn't got a clue. They've never worked a day in their lives and have no idea. This document of nonsense needs to be put straight into the bin.

unbelievable. trying to defend the indefensible.

It's laughable. They don't seem to listen to any experts. They don't seem to know what to do. It's a consensus of nonsense. It's a document for the sake of a document. They'll be driven by data but we won't tell you want the data is... and you know why? Because they making it up on the hoof.

Please tell me you realise your beloved Stoops are involved in this?

[Armagh18]

SF wheel out Colm Gildernew on Talkback to defend the lockdown easing document. This man has not got a notion. Anyone who is seriously thinking about voting for these gobshites in the future would want their heads looked at. He hasn't got a clue, O'Neill hasn't got a clue. They've never worked a day in their lives and have no idea. This document of nonsense needs to be put straight into the bin.

unbelievable. trying to defend the indefensible.

It's laughable. They don't seem to listen to any experts. They don't seem to know what to do. It's a consensus of nonsense. It's a document for the sake of a document. They'll be driven by data but we won't tell you want the data is... and you know why? Because they making it up on the hoof.

Please tell me you realise your beloved Stoops are involved in this?

All 5 parties are responsible for this mess

[Angelo]

SF wheel out Colm Gildernew on Talkback to defend the lockdown easing document. This man has not got a notion. Anyone who is seriously thinking about voting for these gobshites in the future would want their heads looked at. He hasn't got a clue, O'Neill hasn't got a clue. They've never worked a day in their lives and have no idea. This document of nonsense needs to be put straight into the bin.

unbelievable. trying to defend the indefensible.

It's laughable. They don't seem to listen to any experts. They don't seem to know what to do. It's a consensus of nonsense. It's a document for the sake of a document. They'll be driven by data but we won't tell you want the data is... and you know why? Because they making it up on the hoof.

Please tell me you realise your beloved Stoops are involved in this?

All 5 parties are responsible for this mess

Trailer is in full on propaganda mode today.

I don't think anyone could say SF have performed well this but no political party has. Trailer seems to be utterly obsessed at trying to pin every Executive decision as SF's fault when his own party is happy to go along with it.

I have to say I am very surprised at the volume of SDLP voters on here, they seem to be the majority which is a huge contrast to the vast amount of people of a nationalist/republican persuasion in the O6.

[sid waddell]

Brazil is hitting a new peak for deaths

1,726 deaths announced yesterday which this graphic doesn't cover

This has happened in what are the summer months for the majority of the country



Here one of Brazil's top scientists describes how the country is becoming a massive laboratory for new variants

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/03/brazil-covid-global-threat-new-more-lethal-variants-miguel-nicolelis

[trailer]

SF wheel out Colm Gildernew on Talkback to defend the lockdown easing document. This man has not got a notion. Anyone who is seriously thinking about voting for these gobshites in the future would want their heads looked at. He hasn't got a clue, O'Neill hasn't got a clue. They've never worked a day in their lives and have no idea. This document of nonsense needs to be put straight into the bin.

unbelievable. trying to defend the indefensible.

It's laughable. They don't seem to listen to any experts. They don't seem to know what to do. It's a consensus of nonsense. It's a document for the sake of a document. They'll be driven by data but we won't tell you want the data is... and you know why? Because they making it up on the hoof.

Please tell me you realise your beloved Stoops are involved in this?

All 5 parties are responsible for this mess

I am well aware all 5 parties are in the executive. SF and The DUP have 4 ministers each. I think it's fair to say that this is a document of their making.

RE: "The Stoops" I am often critical of their position on certain issues including Schools for example. You're allowed to be. Weird concept if you're a supporter of SF were disagreement is punished, used to be with violence but I think they just intimidate and bully now. But unlike others I can see their faults and am not dogmatically wedded to their positions. I don't defend them when I believe they have gotten it wrong. However there is no doubt that they have all the talent at the minute. Matthew O'Toole, Nichola Mallon (who has come under repeated attack from SF as she's doing such a good job), Cara Hunter, Claire Hanna and Colm Eastwood are all performing well. Can we say the same for the other parties? Gordon Lyons? Martina Anderson? Colm Gildernew? Edwin Poots?

Earlier you said you "liked the look of Aontu" a one issue party. They've attracted some talented people to their team I have to say. The guy who ran in Armagh last time believes Covid is a hoax. He's about one Facebook group away from going full Gemma O'Doherty. Anne McCloskey in Derry is regarded as a real authority on this Covid issue as well. So much so that she had to quit the party! They're nothing more than a political holding pen for eejits!

So thanks but I think I will stay with the SDLP even if they are not perfect.

[GetOverTheBar]

Brazil is hitting a new peak for deaths

1,726 deaths announced yesterday which this graphic doesn't cover

This has happened in what are the summer months for the majority of the country



Here one of Brazil's top scientists describes how the country is becoming a massive laboratory for new variants

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/03/brazil-covid-global-threat-new-more-lethal-variants-miguel-nicolelis

Bit worrying considering the Brazilian population in Southern Ireland.

[thebigfella]

I'm confused with the line of thinking behind the document issued by the Executive. Outdoor sports can start without spectators at level 2. Leisure centres and all indoor sports facilities including gyms can open in level 3 but spectators are only allowed back into outdoor sports at level 4. That means that I can go indoors and sweat, breath heavily and produce aerosols before I can go and watch a club match in open spaces. Who thought this up?

You can't win with some people. Actually does make sense to me, it's prioritising the people that participate in sport over people sitting on their asses at mass gatherings 

[imtommygunn]

3 hospital admissions in the north over the last 24 hours which is very positive.

Trailer I agree with a lot of what you say but I really don't know what you see in Eastwood.

[GetOverTheBar]

3 hospital admissions in the north over the last 24 hours which is very positive.

Trailer I agree with a lot of what you say but I really don't know what you see in Eastwood.

It's great news, it appears the vaccines are paying off big now. Assuming these drops continue, at this kind of rate we are surely looking at "normal" end of April in the North.

Rossfan, I'll take you for a pint and show you around Tyrone....we aren't all bad up here.

[Rossfan]

Best offer I got all year

[Gmac]

Texas has removed mask mandate and is opening up 100% they don't have a huge amount of people vaccinated so it will be very interesting to see what happens there . Here's hoping it goes well for them.

[GetOverTheBar]

NI's interim mental health champion Prof Siobhan O'Neill on the podium with Robin Swann and CMO McBride here now.

Wonder if there is any significance to this

[J70]

Texas has removed mask mandate and is opening up 100% they don't have a huge amount of people vaccinated so it will be very interesting to see what happens there . Here's hoping it goes well for them.

I don't get why he didn't let it go another few weeks; their levels are still fairly high.

And local officials don't have to option to issue local mandates.

It will be interesting indeed. And yes, hopefully it goes well.

[johnnycool]

Interesting take on the UK and it's vaccine process in getting as many people as possible with the first dose and then hold off for 10 weeks for the second but it looks like the 26 counties are getting the second dose out quicker;

[Angelo]

Interesting take on the UK and it's vaccine process in getting as many people as possible with the first dose and then hold off for 10 weeks for the second but it looks like the 26 counties are getting the second dose out quicker;

Looking at the lag there. the 8th of Dec is the start date but the rollout was slow initially and did not hit 5% until about month later in terms of first doses so I'd expect first doses will probably rise steadily for the remainder of March - probably hitting over 50% of the adult population and then from there on will slow down with the second doses beginning to rise.

I think the UK got their vaccine rollout strategy right (if the vaccine is successful). The data tells who the virus is a threat to and who it is not really a threat to so getting as many of the at risk categories any form of protection will be a big bonus. With over 1/3 of the adult population now done, all the most at risk categories should have some form of protection and if the vaccine works, the number of deaths and hopsitalisations due to Covid should now begin to fall off a cliff.

The South look to have a far more arduous path out of it.