Nphet

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Never say Nphet again

Tony Holohan will resign as chief medical officer on Friday week after 14 years in the role. “In total demob mode,” is how one person who speaks with him regularly described his current mood.

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exclusive Emails reveal power struggle between Stephen Donnelly, Robert Watt and Tony Holohan over ‘new Nphet’

Serious tensions between Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, his top civil servant Robert Watt and chief medical officer Tony Holohan over an advisory group to replace Nphet are laid bare in newly released documents.

Brain drain fear as Ronan Glynn quits amid ‘relentless’ backlash but Tony Holohan to prolong his stay

Ronan Glynn has resigned as deputy chief medical officer amid claims from colleagues that pressures facing senior civil servants in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic are contributing to a public service brain drain.

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Exclusive extract: Leaks, renegades, rows and reason – Inside Ireland’s Covid response

December 2, 2021 Cases: 578,064; Deaths: 5,707; Seven-day average of new cases: 4,451

Covid cases fall as first shipment of Pfizer’s antiviral drug treatment reaches Irish shores

Covid-19 cases are falling but the level of infection still remains high as the Easter holiday weekend and the prospect of more socialising approaches, it emerged yesterday,

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Eilish O'Regan Opinion What the exit of the Covid pandemic old guard means for us all

News yesterday of the planned exit of another senior health executive who helped steer Ireland’s response to the Covid-19 marks another step away for an official who became an unlikely household name during the pandemic.

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Donnelly and Holohan clash over membership of body to replace Nphet as Covid case numbers soar

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and outgoing chief medical officer Tony Holohan are at odds over a new Covid-19 advisory group as case numbers soar and hospitals brace for a surge in admissions amid the highly infectious BA2 variant.

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Tony Holohan leaves lasting legacy in steering us through Covid

Tony Holohan’s announcement on Friday that he intends to step down as chief medical officer in the summer to take up a new academic role at Trinity College Dublin came as no great surprise to the Government or his Nphet colleagues.

Dropping mandatory mask-wearing ‘will result in sharp rise in cases of long Covid’, professor warns

The number of patients with long Covid is set to rise dramatically in line with a sharp increase in infections, which is a direct consequence of mask wearing becoming non-mandatory, according to a leading disease expert.

Editorial Opinion Such unstable and challenging times call for wisdom

The country is facing into a prolonged period of uncertainty brought about by a sequence of extraordinary events that were largely unpredictable a few short years ago. From the Covid pandemic to war in Ukraine, which has given rise to a refugee crisis in the midst of an urgent domestic housing supply shortage, the public could be forgiven for being deeply worried about the impact of these developments on their day-to-day lives.

Covid-19 forces delay of two weeks in cancer patients’ treatment

Cancer patients who catch Covid-19 are enduring a delay of at last two weeks before resuming their chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, a specialist has said.

Dr Tony Holohan to step down from role as chief medical officer

DR TONY Holohan is to step down from his position as chief medical officer, it has been confirmed today.

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Explainer: With the health service again on its knees, why are we so calm about Covid restrictions?

THERE is “no change” in public health advice on Covid-19 but the situation will continue to be monitored.

Despite spike in Covid numbers there’s no need to return to social distancing rules, says Tony Holohan

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has told the Government there is no need to reintroduce social distancing restrictions despite the recent surge of Covid-19 cases.

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Gene Kerrigan Opinion Uncle Sam’s gift of the guff flatters to deceive Micheál

No, you’re wrong.

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Stefanie Preissner Opinion Homeowners have a part to play in solving the housing crisis. Stop the Nimbyism and view your property as a privilege not a cash cow

I saw a funny tweet following the announcement that Nphet is to be wound down and ultimately disbanded. The tweet comprised a cartoon drawing of a hand scratching the word ‘health’ off the Nphet sign and replacing it with the word ‘housing’. It got me thinking about whether a housing emergency team is actually something the country could benefit from. Would having 30 or so experts in housing provision, city planning, and construction help solve what is becoming the largest voting issue of our time?

Over and out for Nphet, taskforce that reined in our Covid pandemic

On Monday, January 27, 2020, a National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) was established and met for the first time to discuss the novel coronavirus — 2019-nCoV — which had originated in Wuhan, China at the turn of the year.

Editorial Opinion Nphet team deserves the nation’s thanks

The announcement that last week’s meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) is likely to have been the last in its current form marks a significant moment in the country’s pandemic response.

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Colin Murphy Opinion To its great credit, Nphet knows time has come to exit the stage

“Is it too soon?” was the question that rippled across the media as it emerged that the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) would recommend the removal of the last remaining public health restrictions. But the more revealing question may be the one that was not being asked: Is it too late? Or: Should this have come sooner?

Old-school: Mixture of relief and caution as pupils and teachers prepare for return of freedoms past

When principal Bernadette Kehoe says she is “delighted things are changing, but we will take a cautious approach”, she is reflecting the mood of colleagues around the country.

Laws on wearing facemasks in shops and public transport to be dropped on February 28, Taoiseach confirms

THE Taoiseach has confirmed the requirement by law to wear face masks in shops and on public transport will be abolished on February 28.

‘Emergency largely over,’ Holohan tells Nphet team before advisory to Cabinet on lifting of all Covid restrictions

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan told Nphet colleagues the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic was largely over as the Government was last night advised to scrap the last remaining public health restrictions.

Editorial Opinion Nphet’s departure could be the shot in the arm we need

For two years they had a pulpit in the sittings rooms of Ireland. The nation bent the knee as Nphet, the National Public Health Emergency Team, spoke unto us the word. It was as if the whole country was on a retreat.

Retail and transport unions fear mask rules being lifted too soon

Unions representing workers in retail and public transport have urged caution over the ending of mandatory mask rules.

22 healthcare workers among pandemic victims as daily case levels still top the 5,000 mark

Another healthcare worker has died from Covid-19, bringing the number who have succumbed to the virus to 22, it emerged yesterday.

Ireland is where we wanted to be after the lifting of almost all Covid restrictions last month, says Taoiseach

Ireland is where we wanted to be after the lifting of almost all Covid restrictions last month, the Taoiseach has told TDs.

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And just like that, we’ve got our lives back as Covid curbs ease

On the night of November 25 last year Health Minister Stephen Donnelly left his office in the Department of Health after spending the evening poring over the latest available data on the Delta wave of Covid-19.

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Eoin O’Malley Opinion Was the war on drink behind Nphet’s failure over Covid?

I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I don’t think Covid-19 was man-made by ‘Big Pharma’ or China. I don’t think governments imposed lockdowns in an attempt to prepare us for ‘world government’. I don’t believe that vaccines are used to implant something which Bill Gates will use to control us. I think people who believe these theories are a combination of mad, bad, and dangerous.

Majority of Covid restrictions to be removed from 6am tomorrow

THE majority of Covid-19 public health restrictions will be removed from 6am on Saturday under proposals to be agreed by Cabinet this afternoon.

‘We've come through Omicron better than expected’ – Taoiseach speaks as Covid curfews to be lifted from next week

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said we have made it through the Omicron wave of Covid-19 better than expected.