Author name: oisinkelly

814 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Republic, and two more patients have died. The country’s top public health official is warning the rates of infection in 22 counties have more than doubled in the last week. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan says it shows “rapidly increasing growth rates across the

A hospital consultant in Derry says they’re “struggling to find beds” for Covid-19 patients in intensive care today. The Derry-Strabane area has the highest rate of Covid-19 infection anywhere in Ireland or the UK. One thousand and sixty-six people tested positive in the six counties in the last 24-hours. Respiratory consultant at the Altnagelvin Hospital,

A government minister says there’s ‘no plan’ to extend school closures at mid term as part of measures to tackle Covid-19. It had been mentioned at cabinet earlier this week that closing them for two weeks as opposed to one at Halloween could help slow the virus down. Junior Minister at the Department of Education

Sinn Féin says hospitals in the Republic should be drawing up plans to receive patients if hospitals in the North come under too much pressure. The party is calling for officials on either side of the border to pool testing and tracing to fight the outbreak on an all-island basis. 906 cases were recorded in

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association wants to see the number of ICU beds ramped up. It says at the moment there are 281 ICU beds available but it wants 400 to come on stream very quickly. HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid will address its virtual annual conference today. IHCA President, Professor Alan Irvine says non-covid

It’s claimed tighter restrictions aren’t being introduced in Northern Ireland for political reasons. It’s after a record 1,080 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the region yesterday. Almost a third of the North’s 18,200 cases have taken place in the past week – but the region still has less severe restrictions than the Republic. Anne

A Donegal Deputy says the government has failed to recognise the emergency that exists in Ireland’s Gaeltachts, and must introduce more radical changes to the Official Languages Act of 2003. The government is bringing forward a new bill, but Deputy Thomas Pringle says the act hasn’t been fit for purpose for a long time, and

A Midlands North West MEP is urging the EU not to be pressured into doing a rushed trade deal with the UK. Sinn Féin’s Chris MacManus made the comments after the European Commission updated Parliament this week. MEPs were warned that time is running out to reach an agreement. Mr MacManus is welcoming EU commitments

Northern Ireland has seen its biggest daily increase in COVID-19 infections. 1080 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the past 24 hours, there have been no new deaths. In the past week alone, there’s been over five thousand new infections North of the border, with today marking the first time the daily total

  The Principal of St. Bernadette’s Special School in Letterkenny has moved to clarify details surrounding claims of a Covid-19 outbreak at the school. The school was notified on Wednesday that a student from another school but who travels on the same bus as some of the students at St. Bernadette’s had tested positive for

  Negotiations between the EU and UK are at an “end game”, according to the Foreign Affairs Minister. EU and UK officials are holding talks in Brussels, to try to resolve the ongoing controversy over the Brexit withdrawal agreement, aimed at avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. The European Commission is taking

  Almost 20 samples from drinking water supplies in Donegal have failed inspections for an environmental pollutant this year. It’s the biggest failure rate nationwide with 59 concerns in total right across the country. Irish Water has tested 791 samples nationwide to see if they were within the allowed limit of trihalomethanes which have been

  NPHET says the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital is growing ‘exponentially’. The chairman of its modelling group says an average of 13 patients are being admitted every day. Professor Philip Nolan says ICU admissions are also rising rapidly. The total number of cases reached 40,000 last night, after 506 new infections were confirmed,

  The Dail has been told that Bus Eireann and the government must ensure that there are school bus places for all eligible and concessionary second level students. Donegal Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says the government is striving for 50% capacity on school bus services, and while that would be desirable, it cannot be achieved at

The northern executive has agreed to increase penalties for breaches of Covid-19 rules from next week. Ministers have also decided to extend the places where wearing a face covering is mandatory. 923 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the North in the last 24 hours. It is understood the standard 60 pound fixed

923 new cases of the Covid 19 have been recorded in the North in the last 24 hours. There has been one additional death. It brings to 17,110 the total number of cases in Northern Ireland, while the death toll stands at 587. Minister Heather Humphreys says the situation in the north is concerning for

More than 200 community halls, libraries, and other public spaces are to be set up as high speed broadband connection points by the end of the year. 50 of these points are already up and running in remote parts of Offaly, Kerry, Cork and Dublin as well as islands off the coast of Donegal, Mayo,

  A Donegal Deputy says the winter plan is doomed to fail unless issues surrounding capacity in ICU beds are addressed. The steady rise in the number of people with Covid-19 are being treated in hospital is continuing today. There are 159 confirmed cases within Irish hospitals today – up from 156 yesterday. While there