Within the last 30 minutes I have just been informed that my 90 year old mother with advanced Alzheimer’s who is in a care home in Ireland has been found to be positive. The care home tested all residents after some staff had tested positive a couple of days back. They were testing all staff every 48 hours for weeks. This particular care home were due to have vaccinations next week. Ireland in the last week has seen a meteoric rise in cases moving from 300 a day mid December to over 8000 one day. If similar rates were in UK there would be over 100,000 new cases daily. It has the world’s worst infection rates now having been previously one of the least in the western world. 45% new variant apparently.
In the county I am from, Louth, they are seeing a large acceleration in case numbers and it is amongst the worst areas affected in the country. Weddings are limited to 25 people (including staff serving) in the current restriction period. Over the Christmas period a wedding was held somewhere in the county where there were 80 guests and the couple wanted a “mask free” day. Many cases have been traced back to this event and it is currently subject to a police investigation.
I post this to portray just how easily this thing can get out of control. Ireland had been doing relatively well up until Christmas but allowed a comparatively relaxed Christmas period. The consequences of that are truly now becoming apparent. Hospitals are filling, ICU beds are filling up.
This is the first person in my sphere (for want of a better word) I know to become infected. Of course, inevitably it had to be the most vulnerable person.