Lure of lobbyists & Martin's failure to follow science puts nation's health at risk

My article in today's Indo👇

 https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/lure-of-lobbyists-and-martins-failure-to-follow-science-puts-nations-health-at-risk-40991353.html

Snippets from long unedited version:

...."Ireland’s adoption of the UK’s “Living with Covid”/survival of the fittest non-strategy is the antithesis of science and doesn’t bear scrutiny.

For example, last week Nphet’s modelling lead, physiologist professor Nolan, claimed “All international evidence says children transmit much less than adults”. What evidence? The international scientific evidence, endorsed by the WHO and ECDC is incontrovertible: Children both catch and transmit Covid and even asymptomatic children may develop Long-Covid which can be debilitating.

This month, the Journal of American Medical Association published research on the role of primary school children in the transmission of Covid and found that, where mitigations weren’t in place, they not only spread Covid more efficiently than adults, they’re the main drivers in the pandemic. Most transmission occurred between teachers and children within the school, with spill-over into their households.

Nphet’s denial of the international evidence led to flawed school guidance which served to fuel the flames of rising cases. Within weeks of re-opening, there were 200 outbreaks in Irish schools, overwhelming the test and trace system. Rather than introduce face masks for primary school children and isolate the whole class to break chains of transmission, as our European neighbours do, Micheál Martin stopped testing.

Removing testing of close contacts in schools is akin to removing the batteries from a smoke alarm. It doesn’t stop the fire, it just prevents it being detected until the building is engulfed in flames. Which is what happened in at least two schools this month alone.

With 35% of students absent due to Covid, the CBS Primary School Board of Management was forced to move learning online. Principal Vicky Barron described serious flaws in the HSE guidance regarding protecting children in schools. She raised concerns that Co2 monitors are inadequate in overcrowded classrooms with poor ventilation where opening windows is insufficient to reduce CO2 levels. Principals like Vicky Barron who put safeguarding staff and children first, are being failed, not just by government, but by opposition politicians (with the exception of the Social Democrats) and their unions.

Micheál Martin has form when it comes to science denial. Last December, he dismissed Ireland’s Independent Scientific Advisory Group’s (ISAG) and Nphet’s warnings against easing restrictions but the voices of industry prevailed. Within weeks, Ireland ranked worst in the world as Covid incidence and deaths sky-rocketed. Prolonged school closures and lockdown ensued.

In January, ISAG urged the government to impose mandatory hotel quarantine to prevent the importation of new vaccine escaping variants, something honorary epidemiologist professor Michael O-fecking-Leary objected to. Winging it on NewsTalk in July, he predicted the “variant scariant” would be proved bogus because, “Delta would not result in increased hospitalisations, serious illness and death”. Disinformation. Is. Dangerous.

In October, there were almost twice as many recorded deaths as the same time last year when we didn’t have vaccines, 10 hospitals are on Code Red, there’s zero paediatric ICU beds and 910,000 on hospital waiting lists. And nightclubs/super-spreader events have re-opened. What could possibly go wrong. Covid is an airborne disease so why wasn’t re-opening of indoor venues contingent on installing HEPA filtration and visible CO2 monitors? 

Yesterday, a man conscientiously sanitised his trolley handle and hands outside SuperValu before sauntering in with his mask under his nose.

Gabriel Scally, president of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Epidemiology and Public Health, calls this “hygiene theatre” and says it does little to reduce the spread of Covid. Scally warns of the urgent need to explain that Covid spreads through the air. “It’s much more important to have fresh and purified air in schools than to have surfaces sterilised. If it was coming through our water supply we’d take action, and we should be taking action with our air supplies.”

Numerous countries have installed HEPA filtration is schools. In New York City, the ventilation status of every classroom is published on a website, and classrooms must have at least two functioning methods of ventilation. Belgium is mandating that all public buildings display their CO2 levels.

Nphet’s expert advisory group, made recommendations for safe indoor air standards in February which weren’t adopted by government. Assistant Professor Orla Hegarty was a member of the committee. She advises that the safe recommended levels of CO2 should not exceed 800ppm and that plug in HEPA filtration systems (no ions, plasma or ozone), coupled with mask wearing by school children of all ages, would reduce the risk of pupils contracting Covid by 90pc.

Why have these inexpensive safeguards not been implemented? Where are the sheltered outdoor areas for children to have lunch? Where is the political will to protect citizens and end this pandemic?

“Living with Covid” means accepting that around 2,000 people a year will die from a preventable disease (compared to 150 road deaths deemed unacceptable), that it’s fine for children to become infected and potentially suffer multi-organ failure, that our vulnerable will be shielding indefinitely and our beleaguered health service, followed by the economy, will collapse.

That’s not science, that’s really bad politics. Irish citizens did not consent to that.