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THE RETURN OF larger scale lectures in universities is contingent on mass vaccination, an Oireachtas committee has been told.
Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, president of NUI Galway, said that preparing for the return of students in the next academic year involves substantial modification of campus layout, protocols in buildings as well as sanitisation and cleaning regimes.
“Noting in particular that the provision of larger scale lectures is achievable only in a very different public health environment, it is hoped that, contingent on the benefit of mass vaccination, this environment is achievable in autumn 2021,” Ó hÓgartaigh said.
He also told the Oireachtas joint committee on higher education that antigen testing could play a part in the return to college.
Large-scale antigen testing will be rolled out in colleges and universities, and Ó hÓgartaigh said that recruitment for testing will commence soon.
He said there will be an announcement of how that will proceed later this week.
“There are four institutions involved and different pathways in each and different testing platforms in each,” he added.
“The antigen testing is a contested space and at all times we will be informed by this research and and secondly by public health advice about how effective it is and how we should implement it in the context of return of to campus in the autumn.”
John Kearney, chief executive of Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB), said the greatest challenge in dealing with the pandemic were apprenticeship programmes.
“We had 251 apprentices return in March and the next phase we had 320 and that escalated to 589 in the second week of April,” Kearney told the committee.
He said there are plans to have more than 700 apprentices to return.
Dr Joseph Ryan, CEO of the Technological Higher Education Association, said there is a “crisis” in the apprenticeship sector.
“You have the Covid impact which is exacerbating the backlog that was already there. It’s the mixture of practice and theory and it’s the practice but that’s very difficult,” Dr Ryan said.
“We are trying to take a holistic approach to address that backlog.”
He said that clubs and societies groups are playing a central role in integrating students and helping with the college experience.
He told the committee that a lot of attention and focus is being placed on society groups.
“Some students have been in college while other students, like those in business or social care, are the one who have been at most disadvantageous,” Dr Ryan said.
“If you are on three year programme you have seen very little of the institution over the past while and people are conscious to address that.”
Professor Ó hÓgartaigh also said that clubs and societies are crucial to students.
“We found this year in the second semester there was more activity, albeit online, in student societies and more students participated,” he said.
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I love to know why we’ve shifted from let’s vaccinate the vulnerable before we can open up safely to we need everyone vaccinated including all children before we can go outside again.
The facts are clear 93% of people who died with covid had an underlying condition. The median age of those who died was 80+. There is very limited risk to those under 50 and virtually no risk for people under 35. Obese people are at risk so they should be vaccinated with people with underlying conditions. There is no need to vaccinate people who have recovered as they have the antibodies from the virus.
PS there was no increase in deaths in Ireland in 2020 and is similar to numbers for the last 5 years.
If there is no risk, why are we still in lockdown? There is no scientific or factual reason for it.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: fluck out Tony and bring in Diarmuid. Sorted.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: so to put it another way 7% did not have an underlying condition and died. Half the people that died were under 80+ years of age. there maybe be a limited risk for those under 50 and a very small risk of dying for those under 35 but there were 1700 hospitalized under 35 and many more with long Covid that only had mild cases of the disease.
There were around 600 excess deaths last year over a 9 month period of 2020 since the first person died of Covid. There were as many deaths from Covid in first 2 months of 2021 as there was of 2020.
We have no way of knowing how long the antibodies will last and protect us.
23% of the population would be regarded as obese.
There are still 37% of 60-70 year olds not vaccinated, they will be completed the middle of next week and will need 15 days for 2nd dose AZ Vaccine to work. there also a lot of 50-60 year old waiting for their 2nd vaccine
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: what you miss is that, for our health system, all that matters is how many people need to be admitted to hospital sick.
Vaccines help keep people from getting sick.
If we reduced our limited restrictions, with Delta being so contagious, our cases would rise a lot.
They are rising already and look set to hit a thousand + a day in the coming weeks.
We know this as other countries (Scotland, Portugal etc.) have done, even with higher vaccination rates than us in the case of Scotland.
Cases result, after a few weeks, in hospitalisations.
We will see lower rates of this due to vaccines but thousands of daily cases will still mean numbers sick with Covid in hospital rise.
Rise too much and the hospitals struggle.
It’s that simple….and it’s not ‘just the flu’.
@Kevin Thompson: you say died from Covid. That’s factually incorrect. They didn’t die from covid. They died with covid or they died and tested positive for covid. We had people who died from heart attacks and cancer who retrospectively were tested for covid and included in the numbers. Look up the CSO stats and a TD asked the question to Leo in the Dail.
To your other point. Their is no risk to young people who are largely left un vaccinated. There is no Risk to young people. They have virtually zero chance of dying after getting covid. Plus what about all the people who contracted covid and recovered. Their in no risk to them. They have the antibodies to fight any new strain of covid and are as safe as vaccinated people. No mention for our govt. The risk is gone it’s time to open the country.
Treatment of Irish people like kids will end bad for them. People won’t forget this.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: Diabetes for example is an underlying disease, but you would have a life expectancy of around 81 years old if well managed. Life expectancy is around 82. By your logic if they die in their 50s or 60s then the diabetes alone caused it and it is ok for them to die. Each one of these people are either someone’s father , mother, sister brother,husband or wife, partner son ,daughter or friend etc.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: no risk of death maybe for younger people maybe but there is a risk of serious illness and long covid and 10% of 50-60 y/o and 37% of 60-70 y/o still to be have their second vaccine and will need to have 15 days for it to protect them as most of them have got the AZ vaccine
@Kevin Thompson: There are so many contradictions to our govt policy. How is it safe to have a meal or a pint in a pub in Derry City and 5 miles out the road its not safe? We have 1000s of young people travelling up North every weekend partying and coming home safely. Our govt tells us its not safe but we can see it with our own eyes. Proof that it is, they aren’t dead, they are not sick in hospital, their grannies or parents haven’t got sick or died.
Everyday we step outside our door we are taking a risk that something might happen to us. Our young people rolled in behind the govt and stayed at home and now we have protected the elderly yet we are still applying severe restrictions. We’ve flattened the curve yet the govt have moved the goal posts. Every time we hit a target the govt moves the goalposts and then makes up some excuse. We are now at a point where we were the only EU county to have MHQ and have legislation that contradicts new EU laws around freedom of movement.
I get what you are saying. You are 100% right but we should have everyone with Diabetes vaccinated. I’m saying that people with an underlying condition should be vaccinated. IE my friend who’s 20 and has Astma is vaccinated(Two shots bang bang).
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: On average, 10% of people who get Covid-19 develop Long Covid, a debilitating condition that lasts for months, possibly years. The incidence of this is even higher in younger people. This is why over 100 medics and scientists in the UK have written to Boris Johnson asking him not to remove all safety measures.
@Kevin Farrell: There no evidence with what you are saying and there are no facts to back up any of what you say. First of all there is still no established definition for long COVID. 2nd there are studies but use the words ‘suggest’, ‘likely’, ‘indicate’ again this would not constitute facts or proof. 3rd some of these studies use people who have tested positive. There is a large number of people who contracted Covid and were never tested. We also do not mention say a family of 7(Who I know), where 2 test positive(Weren’t sick) and the other 5 had no symptoms or are asymptomatic (Despite all coming into contact with the virus).
So of you’re 10%, the reality could be less the 1% of the whole population. Its doesn’t justify the restrictions that we currently have in place and are outliers in EU.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: they have 14 % more of their population fully vaccinated up North. But everyone with Diabetes is not vaccinated yet, it is a lottery depending on where you live in this country , until all the people , who are vulnerable , over 50 or underlying conditions,have been given the vaccine and on two weeks unto that for vaccine to kick in. This will take nearly a month to happen. Our help service will not be able to cope with a lot of young people being hospitalized at the same time.
When you think about it , the last 17 months has been an endless large scale lecture !
It would be fantastic to get students on campus in Autumn 2021, make it so.
@Emer Caffrey: If people aren’t permitted to consume a coffee indoors, it’s highly unlikely that universities will be returning to full capacity in the autumn semester.
@Emer Caffrey: I’d say it will be half online and half in class then rotated . A full lecture theatre can be a sweat box At the moment everything from a class to the Library even having lunch has to be booked in Trinity due to contact tracing .
My daughter due back to UL Limerick in 7 weeks approx only 1 chemist out of maybe 10 is doing vaccinations in our town. It has now closed for registration so she will be very lucky to have a vaccination before she returns to college I fear many more won’t be so lucky
What benefit is gained in a large scale lecture that could not be got by listening and watching online or indeed a recording of same. I see a reason for genuine tutorials where there are questions and debates etc.
have your say