Supply and communications hold key to vaccine roll-out
Last week’s schedule of vaccinations was beset by supply problems and communications mishaps that saw elderly people turned away from surgeries without receiving the jab. Can the HSE carry off the massive programme without any more big delays?
WHO calls for moral compass to direct vaccine IP towards global south
Executive Mike Ryan said states needed to ‘lay down ground rules’ as rich countries grab many times their needed allocation
State hoping to speed up pace of vaccination drive
The government’s rate of progress on vaccinating the public against Covid-19 has been heavily criticised in recent days
Eirgrid will rely on fossil fuels to maintain stable power supply
The energy demands of data centres will pose electricity supply issues for the national grid in the coming years
Donnelly fears AstraZeneca may not deliver promised vaccines on time
Minister for Health admits concern after HSE misses last week’s target of 100,000 doses due to pharma company’s delay
HSE reviews visitor ban and serial testing in nursing homes
With most staff and residents vaccinated, the health service is expected to make new proposals to Nphet for this sector
Ryan: We must accelerate linking of North and South power grids
Climate minister says the North-South interconnector is a critical factor in reaching our renewable energy targets
Potential use of rapid antigen tests in workplaces and schools to be assessed
Speedy tests for virus could be used alongside the state’s PCR testing programme as country aims for safer eventual reopening
Covid-19 here for the long haul, says expert
Coronavirus could also be the precursor to even more virulent and dangerous pandemics, according to disease expert Ian Lipkin
Deforestation, the wildlife trade and intensive farming: a recipe for lethal virus outbreaks
Conditions in the Wuhan market may have been an ‘early amplifier’ of the Covid-19 virus. Habitat destruction, the intensification of agriculture, global travel and climate change will be among the main factors in the emergence of even more deadly diseases, experts warn, as ‘we push nature to its limit’
Vaccination of community pharmacists to start this week
Move could result in vaccines being administered to the public at local pharmacies by the end of March
HSE’s latest private hospitals Covid deal estimated to cost €47 million a month
HSE considers ending surge capacity arrangements with private hospitals as number of Covid-19 hospitalisations falls
Key public health posts remain vacant
Frustrated doctors snub HSE jobs as talks over the long-promised consultant contract stall
Breakdown of HSE’s €1.6 billion war chest to fight Covid-19
The National Service Plan shows that €200m of the €1.6bn allocated to fighting the pandemic is to be spent on the rollout of vaccinations
All businesses may have to report carbon emissions
New government body will consider EU’s proposal to extend to all companies the requirement of reporting carbon emissions
Business support schemes will be extended to July in new Covid plan
Taoiseach will give no consideration to reopening hospitality before mid-summer, while chief executive of restaurants association says businesses are being pushed ‘closer to financial ruin and meltdown’
Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be approved by mid-March
Ireland would be entitled to 2.2 million doses of the single-shot vaccine
National Covid-19 biobank to be set up in the coming months
Facility will help to establish which vaccines work best for which age groups and if some are more protective than others
De Gascun says gene sequencing may hold key to efforts to track and manage virus
The chair of Nphet has said Ireland’s gene sequencing programme will become more important as more people get vaccinated against Covid-19
No gatherings of over 50 people indoors until autumn, events industry warned
Letter by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar indicates that live events and weddings are off until the majority of the population is vaccinated
