Covid-19 Evaluation chairwoman says decision-makers' engagements will not be aired in public
Senior decision-makers engagement with Ireland's pandemic review will not be aired in public, chairwoman of the Covid-19 Evaluation Professor Anne Scott said. She was issuing an appeal to the public to share their experience of the Covid-19 pandemic between now and July.
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RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
How many people in Ireland believe in conspiracy theories?
Analysis: While the majority do not believe six prominent conspiracy theories, the level of support for some of these might raise a few eyebrows By Robert Brennan and Rabhya Mehrotra, DCU Conspiracy beliefs are explanations for events or situations that involve secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups. These beliefs often arise when people are trying to make sense of complex, uncertain, or threatening situations. While some conspiracy theories turn out to be based on genuine misconduct or secrecy, most are built on misinformation, misunderstanding or deliberate distortion of reality. Research suggests that conspiracy thinking can be more common when people feel powerless, threatened or distrustful of institutions. Social media platforms can also amplify conspiracy narratives by enabling rapid sharing of misinformation and connecting like-minded believers It has been well documented that conspiracy theories have gained traction in recent years, particularly among the loud minority of the far-right. This was one of the issues to feature in the recently published National Election and Democracy Study. The survey asked the public the extent to which they believed six prominent conspiracy theories to be true, including if a small, secret group of people is responsible for making all major decisions in world politics. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, why are so many conspiracy theories reaching mainstream media? Two of the conspiracy theories concerned the notion that the public is unknowingly being exposed to diseases or being experimented on, beliefs that boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic: Viruses and/or diseases have been deliberately disseminated to infect certain populations. Experiments involving new drugs or technologies are routinely carried out on the public without their knowledge or consent. Another two conspiracy theories concerned immigration, specifically that the establishment building a base of loyal migrant voters and the 'Great replacement' theory (a myth with origins in Nazi propaganda that has been directly linked to devastating acts of terrorism): Elected officials want more immigration to bring in obedient voters who will vote for them. The establishment is replacing white Irish people with non-white immigrants. The final two were more the classic kinds of conspiracy theories, that the public are being tricked and controlled by the elite or an ominous, unseen group: Groups of scientists manipulate, fabricate, or suppress evidence in order to deceive the public. A small, secret group of people is responsible for making all major decisions in world politics. Overall, the responses show that the majority of people do not believe in these conspiracy theories, with well over half of the population dismissing them as unlikely, or definitely not true. But the amount of support these theories have, however, might raise a few eyebrows. The 'classics' seem to have the most support, with roughly a third of people leaning towards believing that the public are being deceived by scientists or that a secret group of people control the world behind the scenes. These percentages shoot up to over half of the population if you include those who are unsure whether these beliefs are true or not. Belief for conspiracies concerning the public being intentionally exposed to diseases or experimented on had less support. Roughly a quarter of people thought these to be true to some extent. Again, however, a considerable amount of people were unsure, bringing the percentage of the population who give these beliefs at least some degree of truth to just below half. From RTÉ Radio 1's Brendan O'Connor Show, Ciarán O'Connor from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue on 'conspirituality', where wellness culture and conspiracies collide The conspiracy theories the Irish population believe to be the least likely to be true are those centred around immigration and ethnicity. Just under a quarter of people believe the idea that the establishment is importing loyal voters or the great replacement theory. A further 20% or people or so have some doubts. What sources lead to people believing in conspiracy theories? We have previously looked at what the 2024 General Election survey tells us about media use, media trust and trust in institutions among the Irish public. Here, we report on correlations in the data that show how each of these relate to one's level of belief in conspiracy theories. A clear link emerged between how much people used different sources of information and belief in conspiracy theories. The more people used journalistic media (RTÉ and newspapers) in forming an opinion before voting, the less likely they were to believe in conspiracy theories. The reverse was found for non-journalistic media, whereby the more people used social media and messaging apps, the more likely they were to believe in conspiracies. Interestingly, the same trends were found when looking at the relationship between media trust and conspiracy beliefs. We found that greater trust in non-journalistic media (such as messaging apps and social Media) correlates with higher belief in conspiracy theories overall. Conversely, higher trust and use of journalistic media (RTÉ, newspapers), along with higher education levels and use of party information for voting decisions, correlate with lower belief in conspiracies. Age, gender, and trust in party information show no real impact. The bottom line seems clear. There are lower levels of conspiracy belief amongst those who trust traditional media, even if they do not use it. It would seem then that supporting the use and trust of journalistic media is very much in the interest of everyone who values a good information ecosystem. It's also important not to overstate the significance of the data trends we identified in the post-election survey, as they only give a broad indication of what the people of Ireland are willing to endorse. Nevertheless, the election surveys are, and will continue to be an important barometer of the Irish public's attitudes towards such beliefs over time. Dr Robert A. Brennan is a postdoctoral researcher with the Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo) at DCU. Rabhya Mehrotra is a Mitchell Scholar who is doing a Masters in Political Communication at DCU. She is a part of the COMDEL team at the (FuJo).
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Protest held in support of GP Marcus de Brun who is facing inquiry over views on pandemic measures
Dr de Brun, who ran Rush Family Practice in Rush, north Dublin, is facing an allegation of professional misconduct and accused of failing to support public health guidelines during the pandemic. A hearing of his case before the Medical Council, which regulates doctors, has been postponed until July. A number of GPs who were at the protest today called it a 'A Peaceful Assembly for Medical Freedom'. They asked people to join them in support of Dr de Brun and other GPs who continue to 'feel the impact of calling a halt to the Covid vaccines and are demanding a comprehensive and transparent investigation in to Covid 19 policies'. They were joined by other supporters with placards as they called for the freedom for doctors to express opinions. Dr de Brun who was appointed to the Medical Council by the then Minister for Health Simon Harris in 2018 later resigned in 2020 when he criticised the Government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis in relating to nursing homes. He said at the time that 'unquestionably the most vulnerable cohort of patients in Ireland are those residents of nursing homes'. 'This fact should have been entirely obvious to all involved in the management of the crisis.' The European Medicines Agency said Covid vaccines continue to protect people from severe disease and death caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Vaccination is the best tool to prevent the consequences of infection, said the watchdog. It said that infection can cause severe disease and long-term damage, including in healthy adults and children. 'It remains particularly dangerous for older or sick people with low immunity and those with faulty immune systems. 'Estimates indicate that millions of lives have been saved by Covid-19 vaccination.' Meanwhile, a new fast-spreading Covid variant has arrived in Ireland .The NB.1.8.1 is blamed for a sharp surge in cases of the virus in China in particular and it is the dominant strain in western Australia . Fourteen cases have been confirmed in Ireland after sequencing but it is expected to spread in the coming weeks.
Irish Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Everything you need to know about highly transmissible new Covid strain 'Nimbus'
A warning has been issued to the public over the new highly contagious 'Nimbus' strain of Covid, which has seen cases soar in Ireland. The Nimbus variant, also known as NB.1.8.1, has been identified in 22 countries so far and by late April was responsible for approximately 10.7 per cent of global infections, up from just 2.5 per cent a month earlier. First identified at the end of January, the variant is a descendant of the Omicron family of Covid sublineages, and has become increasingly prevalent throughout the spring in Europe, the Americas and the Western Pacific. The new strain has been declared a "variant under monitoring" by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning that it could change the behaviours of the virus. Preliminary data suggest NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially evade certain immune defences, the WHO has said. As cases of the new 'Nimbus' variant surge, we break down everything you need to know about the new Covid strain. The new NB.1.8.1 strain has been declared a "variant under monitoring" by the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning that it could change the behaviours of the virus. Similar to previous Omicron subvariants, NB.1.8.1 contains spike protein mutations associated with increased transmissibility. However, no evidence suggests that NB.1.8.1 causes more severe illness or significantly evades vaccine-induced or natural immunity. NB.1.8.1 has been linked to significant increases in Covid-19 cases across several countries. Health officials have said Nimbus' spike protein modifications could increase its transmission capacity and partially reduce the neutralising efficacy of certain antibodies generated by previous infections, both of which would contribute to its spread. NB.1.8.1 has seen a rapid rise in Ireland in recent weeks. According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the proportion of sequenced Covid samples linked to NB.1.8.1 has jumped from just 3.7 per cent to 33.3 per cent in the last five weeks. Lara Herrero, a virologist from Griffith University in Australia, suspects that NB.1.8.1 spreads more easily than other variants, which may be behind the recent surge in cases in Ireland and around the globe. "Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested, suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains," Dr Herrero wrote last month in The Conversation. People in Ireland have been urged to stay home for two days if they display any signs of Covid. You should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from Covid. Symptoms of the new Covid strain are reported to be broadly the same as earlier versions of the virus with a painful sore throat a possible key sign of the new variant. According to Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice, the NB.1.8.1 variant has a distinctive symptom, a severe sore throat known as a "razor blade sensation". Other signs of the new strain include common Covid symptoms like fever, muscle aches and congestion as well as redness in the back of the mouth and swollen neck glands. While previous strains largely caused cold and flu like symptoms, this new variant has been linked to gastrointestinal issues in some patients - which can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain and even heartburn. While symptoms are generally mild to moderate, individuals with pre-existing conditions, unvaccinated persons, people with weakened immunity and older adults are at a higher risk of serious illness. Those most vulnerable to Covid - such as the elderly, immunocompromised or those with pre-existing chronic conditions - have been urged to stay up to date with booster vaccinations to ensure they are protected against NB.1.8.1. Health officials say that current Covid jabs remain effective against this variant and protect anyone infected from severe illness. "Treatment for Nimbus generally aligns with that for other Covid-19 variants," says Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice. "Most individuals will recover at home with rest, hydration, and over-the-counter medications for symptom management. "For those with severe symptoms or high-risk complications, antiviral medications or monoclonal antibody treatments may be recommended. Always consult your GP for personalised advice." Despite a rise in cases, Dr. Sharad Joshi, Director & HOD, Pulmonology and Paediatric Pulmonology, Max Healthcare, has said "there's no need to panic". "To protect ourselves and those around us, it's important to practice good respiratory hygiene," said Dr. Joshi. "This includes wearing a mask, covering your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, and maintaining a safe distance where possible. It may be wise to avoid non-essential travel, large gatherings, and outings for the time being."
