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Residents in Tianjin queue up to receive a coronavirus test PA

Port city near Beijing begins mass testing of 14 million residents after Omicron cases found

China has stepped up its zero-tolerance Covid strategy in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, which open in Beijing on 4 February.

TIANJIN, A MAJOR port city near the capital Beijing, has begun mass testing of its 14 million residents after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for Covid-19, including at least two with the Omicron variant.

Those infected are 15 students aged between eight and 13, a member of staff member at an after-school centre, and four parents. The citywide testing is to be completed over two days.

China has stepped up its zero-tolerance Covid strategy in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, which open in Beijing on 4 February.

The Chinese capital is 115km northwest of Tianjin and is connected by a high-speed rail link that takes less than an hour.

Millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi’an and Yuzhou, two other cities that are further away but have larger outbreaks.

The city of Zhengzhou, a provincial capital 70km north of Yuzhou, is also carrying out mass testing and closing schools from Monday.

The first two cases confirmed in Tianjin were a 10-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman working at the after-school centre. Both were infected with the Omicron variant.

In subsequent testing of close contacts, 18 other people had tested positive and 767 negative as of Saturday night.

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    Mute alan scott
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:38 PM

    The county that the international community should send the bill to for compensation.

    I don’t care what people think, the CCP needs to answer for this. For all of trumps faults, he always always stood up to China unlike the current administration.

    My grievances are not with the Chinese people but with those in power that silenced anyone who knew the truth or the origin of this disease.

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    Mute Michael Byrne
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:08 PM

    @alan scott: “Stood up to China”…hilarious. Trump was an @rsehole to everyone, nothing to do with it being China.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:21 PM

    @alan scott: If you’ve never been to China and only consume CIA/NED funded stories about China – I guess this makes sense. Pandemics have happened with regularity accross history, it’s almost impossible that Covid is man made. If you insist on looking for conspiracy theory, why on earth would China release it in their own country! google ‘Fort Detrick’ if you insist on going down a rabbit hole

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:15 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: China pretended there was no serious disease. If they had warned the world, the disease could have been contained.

    41
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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:19 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: it’s already common knowledge that Covid was almost certainly man made, just not in Ireland where we a still clinging to the crazy eating bat theory, however what has not been proven is whether the Chinese govt covered up the outbreak long enough for it to spread worldwide however giving their past history this is almost a certainty

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:41 PM

    @Michael McGrath: Can you share a link to this ‘common knowledge’

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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Jan 10th 2022, 10:53 AM
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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 10th 2022, 12:40 PM

    @Michael McGrath: Thanks Michael, I had a read of it, the article itself is a rehash of an ‘opinion piece’ for the Wall Street Journal by US scientists Dr Steven Quay and Richard Muller – it Is not peer reviewed research; “The opinion piece was published after the former MI6 chief, Sir Richard Dearlove, said that evidence of the novel coronavirus leak from the Wuhan lab that could be the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic would have been destroyed by Chinese officials.”. The lab in Wuhan has been opened to inspectors to help identify the origin. Conversely, the US is refusing to allow an inspection of their infectious disease facility in Fort Detrick, US troops travelled from there to the Army games in Wuhan in Oct 2019: Multiple reports of sickness have been recorded at these games: https://theaseanpost.com/article/will-who-inspect-fort-detrick-covid-origins-0
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/23/congress-wuhan-military-games-2019-covid/
    This is all the realm of conspiracy theory and it does not explain why the Chinese would release a deadly virus in their own country, what was their motive? Conversely, the US has been openly declaring it is trying to curb the rise of China. Having just finished reading ‘Bury my heart at wounded knee’ – I’d suggest the same military that gave pox ridden blankets to wipe out the native population of the US should not be ruled out. But then again this is all wild conspiracy theory – just like your post.

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    Mute Hugh Morris
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    Jan 9th 2022, 6:50 PM

    Zero tolerance covid strategy LOL. It reminds me of the saying “if you want to make God laugh tell him of your plans”

    121
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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 10th 2022, 12:29 AM

    @Hugh Morris: It amazes me that there is an article talking about ’20′ covid cases in a city in China, criticising their approach to Covid which has led to a whopping 2 dead people in all of the last year.
    While at the same time there is no article about 700,000 cases/day in the US and almost a million dead – but no criticism of their approach or the equally basket case approach in the UK. Are the people in AP writing these articles smoking crack!
    Yet, pointing this out will lead to accusations of propoganda. The empire has no clothes, it’s stark raving naked and some people just cant see it!

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    Mute Owen Merne
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    Jan 10th 2022, 9:12 AM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: You actually believe a word that the Chinese government tells you!? Thats the thing with a totalitarian state, theyre fairly good at spinning a story and who is going to confront them? Telling the truth in China is a bad idea considering you and your nearest and dearest will end up in prison or dead. Now, the American government are no angels, but if you gave me the choice I know where my vote would land. If you want examples just google Uighurs, or Hong Kong or Corona virus journalist arrests.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 10th 2022, 10:55 AM

    @Owen Merne: The way trust works – if someone lies to you repeatedly, you tend to stop believing them. We get very little news from the Chinese government, I’d apply the same scrutiny as with any similar government. On the other hand, Western governments and media run stories on behalf of arms industry/corporate interests: The arms lobby in Washington spends >$130mil / year to keep politicians in their pockets, and a $300mil/year budget to spread misinformation on China, the UK is equally as corrupt.
    We all know they lied about WMD’s, killing up to a million Iraqis, yet no one is being held to account and they locked up Julian Assange for telling the truth about it. More recently a US drone bomber blew up a car full of kids and every media outlet in the West published a story that it was a suicide bomber to cover it up – when the coverup was exposed there has been no international outrage because the Western press and military are effectively joined at the hip. The arms industry runs the western world – If you’re not enraged at this, you’ve got a faulty moral compass. The Chinese do not have the same underlying military industrial media complex, there is just no comparison in the output of propoganda. The biggest threat to humanity in every respect is the Western war machine

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    Mute Anton Harris
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    Jan 10th 2022, 7:04 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: Very well said.

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    Mute Neil Neart
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:06 PM

    There were a few Irish gurus proposing a zero covid strategy last year. Have they gone to China?

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:24 PM

    @Neil Neart: I don’t know what China’s end game is here, do they lock down for the next 100 years? Eventually they’ll have to let the cork out of the bottle. Maybe they’re waiting for something even milder than Omicron to turn up or their domesti mRNA vaccine (overdue). Eventually zero Covid has to shift into a new strategy after your country is vaccinated.

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    Mute Ní neart go cur le chéile.
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:50 PM

    @David Jordan: they will open eventually, thousands of us couldnt go home because the difficulties. China is waiting and looking for if there is safe way to open without losing Covid control, otherwise they will keep lock down, as long as it needed. In China, life is more than important then temporary lockdown. My city Dalian, all hospitals required huge isolation area for outbreak, they don’t want to use it, but has to be prepared. That is just insuring sick people (not Covid) can get normal treatment. Xi’an is shait show, useless governors, they didn’t prepare enough.

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    Mute Bri Lyons
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:56 PM

    @David Jordan: eventually let the cork out of the bottle? They did that in late 2019

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    Mute Quiet Goer
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    Jan 9th 2022, 11:51 PM

    @Ní neart go cur le chéile.: Haha life is cheap in China

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Jan 10th 2022, 6:09 AM

    @Neil Neart: Few covid deaths, relative normality in 2020, Ireland should have at least tried it in 2020. I’m not recommending it with something as quickly spreading as Omicron but with OG Wuhan covid we could have at least made an effort rather than letting it roll in with no plan and letting it kill our elderly in nursing homes.

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    Mute Brendan McCarron
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:19 PM

    Might be covid numb, but my first thought here was a nondescript port city near Beijing has a population of 14 million people. Thats bonkers.

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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:36 PM

    @Brendan McCarron: It is bonkers, the population density in some these areas is incredible, and not in a good way. A country with a population of this size and it’s inner goings on is mostly a mystery to the rest of the world.

    This is only the top 30 cities,

    Guangdong 126012510
    Shandong 101527453
    Henan 99365519
    Jiangsu 84748016
    Sichuan 83674866
    Hebei 74610235
    Hunan 66444864
    Zhejiang 64567588
    Anhui 61027171
    Hubei 57752557
    Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 50126804
    Yunnan 47209277
    Jiangxi 45188635
    Liaoning 42591407
    Fujian 41540086
    Shaanxi 39528999
    Guizhou 38562148
    Shanxi 34915616
    Chongqing Municipality 32054159
    Heilongjiang 31850088

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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:41 PM

    *Provinces I should say, not cities

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    Mute Ní neart go cur le chéile.
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:06 PM

    @Eddie O’Neill: those areas are highly developed, 24/7 runnibg, people like to work/live there, commute, weather, history, business… if you look at city Chongqing, that is crazy city. the developing inner areas has been developing for last 10 years, because it’s infrastructure, it’s easy and fast to go there now, but still take time, normally take a generation/20 years. It’s planned already

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    Mute James Fox
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:06 PM

    About two years too late

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    Mute Bitcoin Buddy
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:08 PM

    What’s the point

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    Mute David cotter
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:08 PM

    God only knows what’s going on there…..”millions being confined”. Is some quote
    They will do anything to protect the olympics..wonder how long the Chinese people will put up with this regime….

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    Mute Longlin
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:12 PM

    @David cotter: They don’t have much choice I’m afraid.

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    Mute Ní neart go cur le chéile.
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:35 PM

    @David cotter: Olympic game? Even before Olympic game they have done same thing, 0 Covid all time. Don’t forget the Chinese New Year is coming, just about month away, when control Covid, take about 2-4 weeks, then the Chinese New Year, people going home, the commute traveling is over 500 million people on the road. chinese would burn the government down if it acts like US gov, over 800k people died.

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    Mute David cotter
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:39 PM

    @Longlin: really. If a billion people decide to revolt then woe betide

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:10 PM

    @David cotter: The Chinese ‘regime’ is doing a much better job of protecting their people that the Regimes in US, UK or anywherr Europe. Only 2 people died of Covid in China this year, they have dragged 800mil people out of poverty and their governments popularity is at an all time high. Yet you’ve convinced yourself that Chinese people are near revolt, probably never set foot in the Country either – the sheer power of media brainwashing in western countries is mind-boggling. Over a million real people are dead in US&UK through incompetent leadership – if you’re looking for a revolt, look closer to home

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    Mute David cotter
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:34 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: common kerrill China is a dreadful regime and is an upcoming disaster for the world….no intentions of setting foot there ether with there pretend communist ideals

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:19 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: “Their governments popularity is at an all time high.” – LOL. Would you tell the government there what you think of them? Have you seen Hong Kong, recently? The brainwashing and the threat to your freedom are real.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:21 PM

    @David cotter: If only the West had adopted Chinas non-intervention/ non-bombing/ sanctioning strategy – then millions of Libyans/ Iraqis/ Syrians/ Yemenis/ Palestinians/ Vietnamese/ Koreans/ Iranians/ Cubans/ Venezuelans would be alive now – But then again killing non-white people rarely makes the news so you can sleep soundly. Hating somewhere you’ve never been is just weird, there is so much to see – great wall, hutongs, forbidden palace, Shanghai, terracotta army, Xi’an walls, pandas! You should really go, expand your horizons

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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:22 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: Are you working for the CCP

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:29 PM

    @A Well Known Comical Stereotype: I’ve been to Hong Kong, the transition from being a British opium running port
    back to Chinese administration was always gonna be difficult but it’s been handled peacefully. For all of the tumult – not a single protester has been killed, but the protesters (funded by west) have done all the killing – which is exactly why US/UK media funding has been blocked there. If I only watched the hysterical coverage on the BBC, then I’d probably come to the same conclusions as you – You can’t seriously only consume UK/UK media and then accuse anyone else of being brainwashed. There are indy english speaking people on the ground in China I can recommend to follow

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    Mute David cotter
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:34 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: meh

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    Mute David cotter
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:37 PM

    @David cotter: how about nanking kerrill. Not a white on brown atrocity I believe

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:44 PM

    @David cotter: yes, the Japanese were responsible for Nanjing. I’m note sure your point though?

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:51 PM

    @Michael McGrath: Hi Michael, we call ourselves the CPC, not CCP and Mr.Xi sends me a cheque every month. Incorrectly calling it the CCP (Chinese Communist party) is basically an attempt by western media to bring race into it and ferment race hate – you know, like the 80/90/00′s when all the movies were about ‘dirty arabs’, while you thrashed the middle east, or just like punch magazines portrayal or the Irish before the famine. Anyway, my shift is ending, smell ya later

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    Mute Freddie Rincon
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    Jan 9th 2022, 10:53 PM

    @Ní neart go cur le chéile.: Many People didn’t go home last year. Those that did were ‘working class’ – construction workers and truckers. It meant they had to quarantine on their return and led to delays in construction And deliveries where I was in SZ.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 10th 2022, 1:10 PM

    @Kerrill Thornhill: For Clarity, the above post is a joke. I do not work for anyone other than myself, nor do I know anyone in China or deal with anyone there in any capacity – I’m just someone with an interest in history and politics who believes in free speech. Hello to the good people in Interpol who just called me to say I have put me on a watch list, lets have coffee :)

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    Mute Jonathan O'Riordan
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:39 PM

    Zero tolerance- does that mean Winnie the Pooh might cancel the Olympics if there is an outbreak? Hardly. What constitutes an outbreak for them?

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    Mute martin
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    Jan 9th 2022, 9:18 PM

    @Jonathan O’Riordan: stop, you in have Triggered me

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    Mute Peter Broderick
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    Jan 9th 2022, 7:21 PM

    We can have zero colds and zero flu… very easily done

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    Mute albhbc
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:49 PM

    We should all be grateful to them. Thank God they decided to keep on top off it. The whole world would grind to a halt if they did what we did.

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 9th 2022, 11:13 PM

    It is not the virus we have to be too nervous about its the unvaccinated, their the ones keeping it going, it is said half of all cases in Ireland are made up of them.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Jan 10th 2022, 2:17 AM

    @andrew: cases off what Andrew?People in hospital or people getting tested positive?please explain?Anyone posting a comment “it is said “.is a m o ron.

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 10th 2022, 3:15 PM

    @Paul Gorry: it has been reported that half of ICU cases are unvaccinated.

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    Mute Ann Neylan
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    Jan 9th 2022, 8:07 PM

    Fineky… Fineky!!… Opens?

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