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Here's a list of 'higher risk' settings and activities that allow Covid-19 to spread

Hiqa has advised NPHET on the higher-risk settings and factors linked with the spread of the novel coronavirus.

IRELAND’S HEALTH WATCHDOG has advised NPHET on the “higher risk” settings and activities that allow for the novel coronavirus to spread.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said that certain activities and settings may need more public health measures as they are “conducive to superspreading”.

These high risk settings or activities include: health and social care settings, meat and food processing plants, cruise ships, prisons, shopping malls, religious settings, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, gyms, offices, weddings and large shared accommodation.

Hiqa said this is not a definitive list. It also identified the risk in households, and said that there is “a clear rationale” for self-isolation guidelines within households.

According to an analysis by Hiqa, the main factors found to contribute to transmission risk include:

  • indoor environments,
  • crowds, and
  • prolonged and intense contact with others.

Other important factors may include:

  • the level of ventilation,
  • speaking volume,
  • insufficient use of face coverings,
  • the viral load of the index case.

Activities involving dining, drinking, exercising, singing or shouting, prolonged face-to-face conversation, especially in-indoor crowded environments, were associated with an increased risk of transmission in several studies, Hiqa said.

Hiqa said that households play “an important role” in the transmission of coronavirus. Based on international literature, it said, the estimated ‘secondary attack rate’ in household settings is 18%, compared with <1% in healthcare settings.

In work settings, additional factors found to be related to the spread of Covid include: working despite symptoms (‘presenteeism’); a lack of access to hand-washing facilities; and an inadequate or inappropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

For schools, Hiqa says that because they are “supervised, controlled” environments, they are assumed to be of less risk than incidents like house parties, which are “unsupervised, uncontrolled” environments.

The report notes:

Although schools, may potentially be viewed as high risk settings (due to high density, close proximity for prolonged durations, indoor setting etc.), it was noted that this is not reflected in the Irish data with relatively few clusters (2% of all reported clusters), consistently low test positivity rates and limited evidence of transmission occurring in the school setting.

“This highlights that transmission risks within school populations can be effectively mitigated with the implementation of proper protective measures.”

You can read Hiqa’s advice to NPHET, sent on 12 November and published today, here

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    Mute Dog Eat Fog
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:03 PM

    Essentially, if what they’re suggesting about Irish schools is true, all we need to do in our society is what they did in Spain – enforce masks, proper hand hygiene and social distance. Because it worked so well there… never mind their €600 on the spot fines for breaching the rules.

    Or maybe, just maybe, if they did proper contact tracing in schools, we’d get a different picture.

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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Nov 19th 2020, 10:13 AM

    @Dog Eat Fog: why did cases go up after masks were enforced?

    Must of been those darn young people again. Those same ones that didn’t wear masks went cases plummeted in May.

    Oh well, it’s all just data, pulled from the sky to suit the narrative.

    Back into my home I go. See you in 2022. Xo

    12
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    Mute mr magoo
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:30 PM

    No. 1 indoor environments!! And schools with hundreds indoors not an issue. You couldn’t make it up.

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    Mute Thomas O' Donnell
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    Nov 19th 2020, 9:04 AM

    @mr magoo: Read the article, they address it directly. Also, schools and gyms are hardly on the same necessity scale. Schools have been closed for long periods of time, also weekends and after 3-4pm, unlike most other places. It also facilitates parents working.

    18
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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:07 PM

    So basically live in a well ventilated box with no contact with the outside world

    229
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    Mute Lydia McLoughlin
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:19 PM

    @Darren Byrne: or much of the inside world either by the sounds of it!

    53
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    Mute aidanshaw
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    Nov 19th 2020, 7:51 AM

    @Darren Byrne: if nphet had way, they would have us live individually in zorb balls.. But be harder point finger then lol.

    20
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    Mute Maalouf
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    Nov 18th 2020, 9:58 PM

    No coughing no ridin

    163
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    Mute Pete mc pete
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:52 PM

    @Faded79: missus

    47
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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:58 PM

    They can talk about households all they want, but if little Johnny in school has the virus and spreads it to little Anto, Stacie, Damo and Jacinta they all bring it to their parents home and then that counts as 4 new household transmissions. No coincidence that a little while after schools reopened the cases suddenly stopped reducing. Even the Covid eliminated countries like Taiwan and Vietnam had schools close indefinitely until the virus was wiped out of their countries.

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    Mute John Purcell
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    Nov 19th 2020, 3:39 AM

    @Paul Cunningham: wouldn’t be trusting taiwan and vietnam when it comes to education. Kids need to be in school and they should be kept away from vulnerable people

    22
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    Mute askmebullocks
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    Nov 19th 2020, 3:48 AM

    @Paul Cunningham: Interesting names you’ve chosen there. Obviously you’re saying it’s just people from working class and or impoverished areas spreading this thing. It’s not and it certainly wasn’t detected anywhere near them places first. You dildo.

    28
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    Mute askmebullocks
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    Nov 19th 2020, 3:52 AM

    @Paul Cunningham: And also, Goebells. The words you’re missing out on are “Education” and “Social Development.” Crucial stuff man. We get it, you were in Asia, fair play. You’re terribly interesting….

    12
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    Mute Faded79
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    Nov 18th 2020, 9:58 PM

    Wow, stuff we heard before now wrapped as a christmas gift in advance for NPHET . The journal putting the journal in journalism

    151
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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:10 PM

    @Faded79: You being butthurt by health advice ? Now there’s a shocker.

    53
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    Mute Faded79
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:47 PM

    @Tommy Roche: nah Tommy just bored of the same spin sir repeated over and over

    76
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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:11 PM

    I am in a training environment since September(indoor setting, 40 hours per week)Very little social distancing, badly worn masks around the chins(50% of the time). Little to no handwashing.

    Nobody has been sick or contracted the virus despite a few close contacts testing positive for covid. All those close contacts had no symptoms.

    Some virus

    149
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    Mute Lotta Rossler
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    Nov 19th 2020, 4:42 AM

    @Vladimir Macro: well, there you go! It must be all made up so..!!

    48
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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Nov 19th 2020, 6:21 AM

    @Lotta Rossler: it’s real alright, doesnt mean we all have to back to being peasants though.

    35
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    Mute Owwwwnnnn
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:12 PM

    Oh I’d say the Government are raging. Even HiQA are getting in on the action.. the numbers didn’t get low enough for that sweet bit of self congratulations they give themselves daily. They played their level 5 card. what a waste, a huge dent in the economy and for nothing and now people are more annoyed and less likely to listen and it’s Christmas. There’ll be coal for Leo and Martn this year. Tony is dirt anyway …

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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:42 PM

    So when they say evidence they mean ignore reality, retail 26 clusters, schools almost 200 by now but sure close all shops and someone make out retail is dangerous.
    Shopping mails are not a high risk area and are in fact almost always an significant volume of air per person.
    Now that they’ve reduced shopping time they’ve actually made them more dangerous as less time for the same amount of people to shop. Well done fro increasing risk NPHET, well done.

    Seriously this is not evidence based.

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    Mute Faded79
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    Nov 18th 2020, 9:59 PM

    International articles not referenced , words like could and assumed. Riveting stuff

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    Mute Mairead Jenkins
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:43 PM

    @Faded79: Did you look at the HIQA website and the advice itself and the link to supporting docuents? Or just read the press release?

    19
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    Mute Faded79
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:48 PM

    @Mairead Jenkins: ive read the HIQA piece which is contradictory to be fair. I don’t go for simple press releases as they simply lack context. I’ve also read the full oireachtas report for further context.

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    Mute Faded79
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:57 PM

    @Mairead Jenkins: for example schools aren’t a risk but oddly meets the top three criteria of indoors, crowded and prolonged contact.

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    Mute Marcus Kittel
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    Nov 19th 2020, 10:01 AM

    @Faded79: also interestingly the number of clusters identified in schools being higher compared to clusters in other areas that have been closed down and according to HIQA are higher risk. Zero sense in approach.

    3
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    Mute MentalAsAnything
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:59 PM

    The teenagers have done absolutely zero when it comes to acting responsibility. I see no evidence of it. Gangs of them everywhere. Fine the parents

    92
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    Mute Jeanette Dunne
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:03 PM

    My boyfriend works in food retail never brought home the virus, I used the gym several times a week never got the virus,
    I have a child with special needs, thankfully never got the virus.
    Let’s hope it stays that way,
    We all follow the rules and do the things we are meant to do, I just find it very strange.
    I still don’t know anyone who’s had it.

    73
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    Mute Critical Thinker
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    Nov 19th 2020, 12:08 AM

    @Jeanette Dunne: I know about 8 people including my mother. Thankfully none of them has had much in the way of symptoms. My mother stayed in bed for a few days.

    36
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    Mute Anton Rourke
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    Nov 19th 2020, 8:26 AM

    @Jeanette Dunne: Sorry, what’s your point?

    5
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    Mute Billy
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:14 PM

    Now tell me the percentage of people that have contracted covid-19 from buying a cordless drill in Aldi or underwear in Tesco.

    74
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    Mute
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:06 PM

    Indoor environments is very broad. There were no outbreaks coming from museums or galleries when they had the chance to open. The Government need to relook at the guidelines keeping them closed under a level 3. Naturally socially distanced spaces with reduced capacity and increased safety for dealing with Covid.

    67
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    Mute Aunties
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    Nov 19th 2020, 12:05 AM

    @: I got the Covid in a museum . As if you’d know or remember. Dear lord put your brain in please.

    21
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    Mute Darren Carroll
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:11 PM

    If it looks like &ull$#it and smells like smells like &ull$#it I dont need to taste it to know its &ull$#it

    81
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    Mute Vanessa
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:06 PM

    That’s nice that they are looking into it. However, I’m curious which numbers they have used under which assumptions.

    35
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    Mute Derdaly
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:47 PM

    @Vanessa: no mention of anything outdoors so why was golf and tennis stopped, kids can’t play football or rugby or go to training but can go to school. Add into that 5km limit, no outside dining… Where’s the science, it’s all guesswork.

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    Mute Claude Saulnier
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:46 PM

    I’d love to see the study and see how things were analysed. Is it available somewhere?

    33
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    Mute Paul Somers
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    Nov 18th 2020, 10:19 PM

    What a load of Cobblers

    54
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    Mute Declan Doolan
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    Nov 19th 2020, 2:10 AM

    What I can’t get my head around is.. This virus is so contagious it spreads like wild fire.. Yet I know of atleast 10 households that it visited.. And only 1 person was tested positive.. FACT.

    29
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    Mute aidanshaw
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    Nov 19th 2020, 7:53 AM

    @Declan Doolan: since march i dont know a single person that got it.

    19
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    Mute Hugo Bugo
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    Nov 19th 2020, 4:43 AM

    Government, nphet, gardaí, etc etc, u are losing the goodwill of the people of this country and any future enforcement, rules, restrictions, lockdowns, recommendations, advise etc etc is going to fall on deaf ears

    27
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    Mute Eddie Michael
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:13 PM

    Its the so called level 5 that we’re all in that has numbers staggering. It more like 3.5 to many places are using loopholes to stay open

    16
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    Mute Diana Muller
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    Nov 18th 2020, 11:42 PM

    indoor environments,
    crowds, and
    prolonged and intense contact with others.

    Sounds a lot like a party to me.

    16
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    Mute Anto Harris
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    Nov 19th 2020, 7:09 AM

    Shopping malls??!! Shopping centres; no? More yank vocab creeping in…

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    Mute Carol Cunningham
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    Nov 19th 2020, 7:51 AM

    Schools, schools and schools

    14
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    Mute Hugo Bugo
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    Nov 19th 2020, 4:39 AM

    So basically everywhere, thanks for the updated list, what a joke

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    Mute Rebekah Corbett
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    Nov 19th 2020, 1:10 AM

    I hope they remember the caveats re “speaking volume ” and “insufficient use of face coverings” when next the Daily meets

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    Mute Giovanni Giusti
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    Nov 19th 2020, 12:35 PM

    You would think that the only high risk environments are those in which one or more people are currently infected and infectious… But no talk of widespread and repeated testing, or of enforcing self isolation orders for the people who are positive. They want everyone to behave like we were all infected when over 99% of people aren’t.

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    Mute Joan Featherstone
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    Nov 19th 2020, 5:15 AM

    No sh!t Sherlock!

    3
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