Dear Sir/Madam,
Addressing the COVID-19 evaluation held by the government, I found it extremely unfortunate that instead of being an authentic inquiry, the entire process will essentially become an optional evaluation with neither the capability nor authority to enforce cooperation. This is disheartening news (News, October 31st).
I maintain an adamant belief that the public health implications of Ireland’s soaring excessive mortality rate necessitate an urgent, priority shift in our focus. Lamentably, this important issue is yet to be adequately highlighted by the media.
Astoundingly, August 2024 data from Eurostat illustrates an excessive death rate in Ireland that is a shocking 19.3 per cent higher than the standard. Disturbingly, double figures have been a constant feature from March interactive monthly reports, a trend we stand alone in within the EU. Our statistics tower over the typical figures for a period when some nations regularly report negative excessive fatalities, such as Sweden.
It is essential that these worrying figures prompt us to undertake a thorough evaluation to determine the factors contributing to this trend. These could involve matters such as access to healthcare, the prolonged pandemic impact, and the enforcement of restrictions locally.
Instead of exclusively prolonging the COVID-19 evaluation, it is absolutely crucial that we turn our attention towards assessing the reasons behind the current excessive death rates. This is a fundamental matter for the health and wellbeing of our citizens.
On another note, an inquiry is finally announced after four years. This was introduced by the same individual who made the massive oversight in believing there were 18 other coronaviruses that had previously eluded a cure (“Simon Harris apologises for ‘awful blunder’ about 18 viruses before COVID-19″, News, April 22nd, 2020).
Without the capacity to mandate the presence of witnesses or documents, what purpose does such an inquiry serve? Not only is it alarmingly overdue, its effectiveness is as limited as attempting to view something while blindfolded and with an arm restrained against your back.
Nonetheless, it does grant the TikTok Taoiseach an opportunity to assert that he has fulfilled another pledge from his previous electoral campaign.
Yours faithfully,
Reamonn O’Luan.
ANTONY O’DUIBHIR,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Dear Sir, – The government’s Covid inquiry’s parameters are a bitter blow for the families who have lost members in nursing homes due to the pandemic.
The weakness of the inquiry, resulting from its lack of authority to subpoena documentation or witnesses, is clear.
Particular nursing homes throughout the nation, marked with a high death toll during the Covid era, raise rightful doubts about the role of carelessness and scrimping in the ensuing catastrophe.
The government’s decision to resort to a placid inquiry, stripped of the right to commandeer materials or individuals, brings further dismay to the relatives of victims in these facilities.
Information must be given concerning the level of access the investigation will have to texts and WhatsApp communications regarding Covid, exchanged between high-ranking politicians and state employees. It’s also crucial to clarify whether the inquiry’s happenings will broadcast on television, much like the situation in the UK. – Yours sincerely,
MICK BARRY TD,
People Before Profit – Solidarity,
Cork North Central,
Dáil Éireann,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.”