Coronavirus Ireland Live Updates: Four further deaths confirmed as lowest daily figure recorded since March – Independent.ie

Follow the latest coronavirus news in Ireland and across the world on the Independent.ie live blog.

22:30 18/05/2020

Caitlin Doherty, PA

A vaccine could train the immune system to fight coronavirus, according to US scientists.

Neutralising antibodies have been found in the first eight people who took part in safety trials for the experimental mRNA-1273 vaccine.

The drug, being tested by firm Moderna, injects a small sample of Covid-19s genetic code into patients.

The amount is enough to encourage a response from the immune system and the trials are expected to be rolled out more widely in the summer.

Tal Zaks, chief medical officer at Moderna, said: These interim Phase 1 data, while early, demonstrate that vaccination with mRNA-1273 elicits an immune response of the magnitude caused by natural infection starting with a dose as low as 25 micrograms.

He added: These data substantiate our belief that mRNA-1273 has the potential to prevent Covid-19 disease and advance our ability to select a dose for pivotal trials.

21:20 18/05/2020

David Young, PA

Irelands chief medical officer has insisted he would not be going to the Oireachtas committee on Covid-19 if he did not think it would be safe.

Dr Tony Holohan also confirmed that a scheduled meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team has been cancelled due to Tuesdays committee hearing.

His comments came amid concerns over the format of the lengthy hearings.

Dr Holohan, Department of Health secretary general Jim Breslin and HSE chief executive Paul Reid will face questions over two two-hour sessions, separated by a 15-minute break.

Tony Holohan said it was important that public health guidance was complied with during the hearings.

Former HSE director general Tony OBrien is among those who have voiced concern.

Under public health guidance people attending indoor meetings for more than two hours are considered close contacts.

20:40 18/05/2020

ITS early on the first morning Hermitage Golf Club has been open for almost eight weeks and signs are everywhere that things are a little different now.

For a start, signs are literally everywhere.

At the entrance. The car park. The pro shop. The first tee. The clubhouse. The practice area. The toilets.

Some draw attention to walkways that guide you from car to tee-box, all newly erected under physical distancing guidelines. Others offer reminders of expanded, coronavirus-related, on-course etiquette.

17:42 18/05/20

The Department of Health has been notified of four further deaths linked to Covid-19 and 88 additional confirmed cases.

There is now a total of 24,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan said two of of the deaths reported today occurred over the course of the weekend, while the other two are in relation to deaths that occurred during the month of April.

Mr Holohan said: said; On the first day of Ireland moving into Phase One of reopening we have experienced the lowest number of deaths since March 27th.

"We have suppressed the virus and limited its impact on public health. We need to sustain this in the weeks and phases ahead.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said; Every death is one too many, but the collective effort to date has saved many lives. We must save more by practising physical distancing, especially in queues and public spaces, respiratory etiquette and hand washing.

16:00 18/05/2020

Four thousand fewer people are in receipt of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week compared to the same time last week.

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection said 201.8 million euro worth of payments were issued to 585,000 people on Monday, down from 589,000 last week.

Last week, the numbers receiving the payment fell for the first time since the payment was launched on March 16.

The sectors so far with the most workers in receipt of the emergency payment are accommodation and food service (124,500), wholesale and retail (87,600) and construction (76,600).

15:00 18/05/2020

Cormac McQuinn

Brexit talks will be in "real difficulty" until the British government changes its approach, Tnaiste Simon Coveney has warned.

Mr Coveney said the latest round of Brexit negotiations have not gone well and there's still a risk of the transition period expiring at the end of the year without a trade deal.

He said this scenario is "the last thing we need on top of the economic pressures on the back of Covid-19".

The Foreign Affairs Minister was speaking as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government insists the Brexit transition period will end on December 31 with or without a trade deal.

14:50 18/05/2020

Amid fears of the seasonal flu add to problems with ICU and hospital capacities along with Covid-19 this winter, the flu vaccine will offered for free to those most at risk.

Minister for Health Simon Harris announced today his intention to extend the influenza vaccine to children without charge.

Mr Harris confirmed all of those in the HSE-defined at-risk groups, aged from 6 months to 69 years inclusive will also be available to access the vaccine without charge. People over the age of 70 already have free access to the vaccine.

The vaccination will also be available to all children between the ages of two and 12 inclusive.

Mr Harris said that work is underway to plan and give effect to this policy as soon as possible, amid fears that the flu could present a "significant challenge" to the healthcare system

14:30 18/05/2020

China's levels of some air pollutants have risen back to above last year's levels after dropping when the government imposed strict lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published on Monday.

The rebound was likely due to industrial activity, the researchers said, adding there were concerns that after months of unusually low pollution levels, a drive to kickstart economic activity was causing emissions to spike.

"There are early warning signs that China's recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is reversing air quality gains," the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which produced the study, said.

Average levels of some air pollutants in China dropped in February to significantly below levels for the same period in 2019, as lockdown measures shuttered factories, curbed electricity demand and slashed transport use as swathes of the population stayed home.

But average levels of some pollutants have since rebounded, and were higher in the 30 days ended 8 May compared with the same period in 2019, CREA said in its analysis of data from 1,500 air quality monitoring stations in China.

14:00 18/05/2020

Close

Vital tool: Scanners are seen as essential to let people back to work. Photo: REUTERS/Vincent West

REUTERS

Ralph Riegel

Common drugs used for pain relief could scupper the temperature checks businesses are hoping will help combat the coronavirus.

Tens of thousands of employees are expected to return to work in the coming days, mainly in the retail sector.

Some firms are implementing temperature checks for staff while others are considering doing so when they reopen. But it is feared paracetamol and ibuprofen hides a high temperature, one of major red flags for the virus.

There has been concern at a number of the Covid-19 clusters at factories despite temperature screening from an early stage.

13:40 18/05/2020

The English Premier League could show more matches on free-to-air TV platforms once it resumes, including during the normally protected 3pm slot on a Saturday, minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday.

Dowden, head of the department for digital, culture, media and sport, said making the games available on free platforms could help to prevent fans from turning up outside the stadium for games that are being shown behind closed doors.

"It is likely to (resume) mid June at the earliest," he told BBC TV. "It would be a good thing to do if we can and I'm also looking as we do it at increasing the number of matches that could be free to air so people wouldn't be tempted to leave their homes to watch it.

"There is a rule at the moment that at 3 pm you can't show matches on TV because people were watching it in the football stadiums, clearly that is not going to be the case anymore, so some of those slots may be available for free-to-air."

13:20 18/05/2020

Bairbre Power

Recommended but not compulsory, face masks take on a new importance in our lives from today.

The inevitable next step will be the integration of protective masks into our day-to-day dressing attire, and this weekend saw the launch of a new look 'twin set' featuring a protective mask and matching dress with embroidered embellishment on the sides.

Couturier Niall Tyrrell came up with the 'twin set' name after responding to client requests for masks matching dresses he had already made for them.

Traditionally a 'twin set' is a short cardigan worn over a matching jumper and the chic, classic look was made popular by Coco Chanel.

13:00 18/05/2020

Ellie Donnelly

Ryanair expects to record a loss of 200m for the first three months covering April, May and June due to the impact of the coronavirus.

A smaller loss is expected for the months of July, August, and September, the airline said in its annual results statement.

The company said it cannot provide a guidance on its profit before tax for this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the economic affect of the global pandemic, "coupled with no visibility on what customer behaviour and demand will be following a return to service."

Ryanair currently expects to carry less than 80 million passengers in its financial year 2021, which runs from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

This is almost 50pc below its original target of 154 million people.

12:40 18/05/2020

Coronavirus testing is to be offered to all care home residents and staff in Northern Ireland, Stormonts health minister has announced.

There had been mounting calls for Robin Swann to provide universal testing in homes amid concerns about the number of deaths of residents.

Almost half (45pc) of Covid-19 related deaths in the region have occurred in care homes, latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) have shown.

Around 25pc of all care home residents in Northern Ireland have already been tested, with resources having been focused in homes where outbreaks have happened.

12:20 18/05/2020

David Chance

Businesses will need more support from Government to reopen safely as the economy takes tentative steps towards easing the lockdowns that have shuttered most companies since March.

The call from DublinTown, the lobby group which represents 2,500 businesses, came as garden centres and other venues are due to reopen today in the first stage of a phased plan that will take us to the autumn and as data showed small businesses have shunned a State-backed scheme.

"Supports in terms of grants, reduction to interest only loans, and liquidity measures would be required within the business chain, so that additional pressure is not placed on our social welfare," said Richard Guiney, who heads the business grouping.

12:00 18/05/2020

Michel Scannil

Optometrists reopening from today have urged people to attend, to help alleviate long waiting lists.

As part of phase one of the Government's roadmap for reopening society and business, opticians and optometrists are allowed to reopen today, along with outlets providing hearing test services or selling hearing aids.

The Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI) has urged people with eye-care needs to attend as soon as they can, to help take pressure away from other areas of the healthcare system.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, eye-care already had one of the longest waiting lists.

The AOI is meeting with the Health Minister Simon Harris today to discuss the measures being taken and also what optometrists can do to help alleviate the further increased eye-care waiting lists and demand.

11:40 18/05/2020

A Catholic priest in a US city is using a water pistol in a bid to maintain social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photos posted on social media by St Ambrose Church in Detroit show Father Tim Pelc shooting holy water into a car window as it stopped by the steps of the church on Easter.

Read the original post:
Coronavirus Ireland Live Updates: Four further deaths confirmed as lowest daily figure recorded since March - Independent.ie