is the HSE assistant national director in the community operations division with a specific focus on older people. At the beginning, she says, “globally, we had very limited understanding of what Covid was, and how it particularly affected older people”.
In those early weeks they all “worked flat at the mat seven days a week for 14 hour days”, dealing with evolving guidance on infection controls and responding to outbreaks. “That was particularly upsetting. That did take a toll on our team who were dealing with it day-in and day-out… No doubt we’ll always question ourselves, were we right with that piece of guidance, were we right with this? Were we wrong? You’ll never get it all right.”Masks are one of the most visible examples of where the approach changed as the science evolved.
Now an emerging worry is around the role of airborne transmission with the new variants. “There’s much greater awareness of the worry of airborne transmission now than there was, particularly with some of the new variants,” he says. Ye again experts are divided on its role. “My own perception is that perception of the agency has improved. I hope it has,” says Boch. “Mike Ryan’s comment at the beginning of Covid stuck with a lot of us, that if you don’t make the decision, if you stand still, you don’t stand a fighting chance.”
On that, “we’ve been able to achieve in a year what we wouldn’t have done probably in 10 years”, including 5 million additional home-support hours. “We’re going to help people remain in their own communities. That’s so massive.”
Unsung heros are completely off tune. COVIDisAirborne so stop this fomite fantasy. This respiratory virus is inhaled. Our heros think licking surfaces will somehow replicate in the lungs. See the real heros knew this in 1920. Pharmaceutical response will.delay recovery
Every person who survived 1 year in lockdown in Ireland is a hero!
CarersIreland are truly the forgotten frontline Eurocarers_info alzheimersocirl DCCNIRL CareAllianceIrl