Coronavirus

Nphet last night gave the go-ahead for the removal of almost all Covid restrictions, including a return to normal opening hours for hospitality and the end of the use of the digital pass for pubs and restaurants. Photograph: iStock 3:36 Government to approve lifting of almost all Covid-19 restrictions today
Padruig O’Sullivan, proprietor of The Beaufort Bar in Beaufort, Co Kerry: ‘It’s about coming in and escaping from reality and the challenges of everyday living.’ Photograph: Valerie O’Sullivan 2:02 Kerry publican ‘confident this time’ as Covid restrictions likely to be eased
Urgent investment in child mental health services is needed amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a leading psychiatrist. Photograph: Getty Images Urgent investment in child mental health services is needed due to Covid, expert says
Restrictions on the 8pm curfew could be lifted from as early as this weekend. File photograph: Getty Images Nphet clears way for extensive easing of Covid-19 restrictions, including end to 8pm curfew
An advisory group on planning for the State exams is due to meet again in the coming days amid calls from students’ representatives for a hybrid Leaving Cert. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Further talks planned by exams group as calls continue for hybrid Leaving Cert
‘India and China have the capacity to make vaccines at scale. Pharmaceutical companies should hand over their patents and allow companies in those countries to make these vaccines,” said Prof Maire Connolly. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy Caution still needed despite pandemic progress, says global health expert
A six-year-old boy receives the first jab of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Namur, Belgium, on Thursday. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA One in 2,500 children with vaccine reports suspected side effect
Micheál Martin: ‘The situation is positive. We have come through Omicron better than we might have expected prior to Christmas.’ Photograph: iStock Covid restrictions expected to ease with Nphet recommendations due
The Covid-19 contact tracing app was launched in July, 2020. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Covid tracker app used by few to identify close contacts - IMJ

Vaccine Rollout

The Health Service Executive says 400,000 to 500,000 doses are due to go out of date over the next two weeks. Photograph: iStock Up to 220,000 doses of Covid-19 booster vaccines may expire by end of month
If you had COVID-19 since you were vaccinated, you should get your booster dose at least six months after your positive COVID-19 test result. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Q&A: Boosters for over 40s are available from today – what do we need to do?
The only people currently eligible for boosters are all those aged 50 and over Q&A: Covid vaccine boosters – who is eligible, where to get them, which dose is offered
Omicron is more transmissible, and evidence is not yet clear on the efficacy of the primary vaccine course against it. Q&A: Who is getting Covid-19 boosters and when should I get mine?
There are an estimated 480,000 children within the five-to-11 age group. Graphic: Paul Scott/The Irish Times Q&A: What is happening with Covid-19 vaccinations for children?
The HSE is reported to have large supplies of Moderna due to expire next month, so that will be the main booster vaccine administered over coming weeks. Photograph: Getty Images Q&A: All you need to know on getting the Moderna vaccine as a booster
A person gets a booster vaccine against Covid-19 during campaign in Lublin, Poland. Photograph: Wojtek Jargilo/EPA 4:57 Q&A: Who is getting Covid-19 vaccine boosters and when will they get them?
Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker: How many people have been inoculated in Ireland?
Niac has recommended additional vaccines be given to those with serious immune system issues over 12, to the over-80s, and anyone over 65 in a long-term care facility. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Third dose of Covid vaccine for vulnerable to begin next week

Ireland

Nphet last night gave the go-ahead for the removal of almost all Covid restrictions, including a return to normal opening hours for hospitality and the end of the use of the digital pass for pubs and restaurants. Photograph: iStock 3:36 Government to approve lifting of almost all Covid-19 restrictions today
Padruig O’Sullivan, proprietor of The Beaufort Bar in Beaufort, Co Kerry: ‘It’s about coming in and escaping from reality and the challenges of everyday living.’ Photograph: Valerie O’Sullivan 2:02 Kerry publican ‘confident this time’ as Covid restrictions likely to be eased
Urgent investment in child mental health services is needed amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a leading psychiatrist. Photograph: Getty Images Urgent investment in child mental health services is needed due to Covid, expert says
Restrictions on the 8pm curfew could be lifted from as early as this weekend. File photograph: Getty Images Nphet clears way for extensive easing of Covid-19 restrictions, including end to 8pm curfew
‘India and China have the capacity to make vaccines at scale. Pharmaceutical companies should hand over their patents and allow companies in those countries to make these vaccines,” said Prof Maire Connolly. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy Caution still needed despite pandemic progress, says global health expert

World

About 72 per cent of Austria’s population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Austria introduces lottery incentive for Covid vaccine hold-outs
Prime minister Boris Johnson during a visit to the Finchley Memorial Hospital in north London on Tuesday. Photograph: Ian Vogler/PA Wire Boris Johnson denies he lied to parliament over lockdown party
Hong Kong is following mainland China’s zero-tolerance approach to control Covid-19. Photograph: Bertha Wang/AFP via Getty Images Two former flight attendants arrested in Hong Kong over alleged Covid rule breach
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said the prime minister acted in accordance with the guidance because his wife Carrie, who was pregnant, was in the country residence. Photograph: PRU/AFP via Getty Images No 10 defends Johnson lockdown trip as Cummings says PM knew of party
Boris Johnson: was not at Downing Street that evening, having gone to the prime ministerial country retreat. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP via Getty Johnson’s office apologises to Buckingham Palace for parties on eve of royal’s funeral

Business

Eurogroup leader Paschal Donohoe: Meeting Christian Lindner was a chance to sound out how much – or little – reform ambition euro members can expect from the new Berlin administration. Photograph: Gareth Chaney /Collins 4:32 Paschal Donohoe gets early meeting with German finance minister
Novartis has not been a main player in the Covid field, though it has helped to manufacture mRNA vaccines. Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters Novartis to seek speedy approval for Covid drug after positive trials
Moderna and competitors Pfizer and BioNTech have an interest in encouraging policymakers to sanction regular Covid shots. Photograph: Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images Moderna says another round of Covid boosters may be needed in autumn
The decline reflected a fall in new business as consumer demand faltered with a new wave of Covid-19 infections 3:41 Services sector growth slows due to Omicron wave
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen most people forced to work from home for almost two years now 2:05 A third of business leaders do not see imminent return to office
Confronting Coronavirus - The Biggest Story of our Lives Confronting Coronavirus - The Biggest Story of our Lives

This is the final instalment of the Confronting Coronavirus podcast series. For the final two-part episode, we’ve asked a handful of Irish Times journ (...)

Lives Lost The rich and full lives of the people behind the Covid-19 death statistics
 

Opinion & Analysis

Teachers’ unions support the full return of State exams this year. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien 4:03 Leaving Cert 2022: Government in wait-and-see mode over hybrid option
The Omicron variant has turned out to be milder than previous variants, and its high transmissibility means millions of infected people are boosting their immunity at little cost to their long-term health. Photograph: Getty ImagesPhotograph; Getty Images As Covid risk recedes, we will need to unwind built-up fear
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ ambition to accelerate vaccine development will be a huge part of future response efforts and save millions of lives. File photograph: Getty How to end coronavirus and prevent the next pandemic
A park bench in Brockwell Park, London, that was taped off to stop people sitting on it in the early days of the pandemic in April 2020. Photograph: Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images How the pandemic exposed the myth of the Anglosphere
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney: Nobody organised a party or danced the night away. Coveney’s involvement seems to have been limited to a brief speech. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Champagne event bubbling over to make Coveney look accident-prone
Boris Johnson remains holed up in his Downing Street flat, self-isolating after a family member tested positive for coronavirus. But his allies trailed his strategy for survival over the weekend, with the central objective identified as persuading MPs to postpone a decision on his fate until after local elections in May. Photograph: EPA Denis Staunton: Tory grassroots pressure on Johnson all going in one direction
The biopharmaceutical industry, alongside technology, was a major contributor to a corporation tax take of more than €15 billion last year. Photograph: iStock Biopharmaceutical industry: A buoyant economy is cause for cautious optimism
Vaccine being administered to staff at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin. Ireland will, hopefully, follow the patterns seen in the UK and other countries further along the Omicron curve. File photograph: Alan Betson For the first time in many months, all the main pandemic indicators are stable or improving
British prime minister Boris Johnson: ‘I believed implicitly that this was a work event.’ Photograph: Getty/UKParliament 2:58 Johnson apology met with deafening silence from Tory MPs

Life & Style

Paul Flynn’s simple vegetable curry can be on the table in 25 minutes. Covid comfort food: What to eat if you're recovering and need a boost
Long Covid includes persistent symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, and reduced exercise tolerance in patients after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection Long Covid is ‘urgent’ issue with ‘lingering psychological effects’
Covid-19 symptoms: How do I know if I have Omicron or Delta?
Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Conor Pope: I told the world about my vaccine cert. It wasn’t long before the abuse started
Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 Australian Open in Melbourne. Photograph: David Gray / AFP via Getty Images Novak Djokovic: What are the grounds for a medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination?

Sport

Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last year in Melbourne on February 16th, 2021. Photograph: Alana Holmberg/The New York Times Djokovic Australian visa court hearing set for Sunday morning
Supporters of Novak Djokovic dance and sing outside the Park Hotel, where Djokovic is under instruction to stay before the hearing. Photograph: Mark Baker/AP Australian government fails in bid to delay Novak Djokovic visa hearing
Members of the local Serbian community outside a government detention centre where Novak Djokovic is staying in Melbourne. Photograph: Getty Images Novak Djokovic ‘lured to Australia … to be humiliated’
Protestors dance outside an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne where Serbia’s Novak Djokovic is believed to be staying. Photograph: Hamish Blair/AP Novak Djokovic’s father claims his son’s been made a scapegoat
Nick Kyrgios has tweeted in support of Novak Djokovic: “Like these memes, headlines, this is one of our great champions but at the end of the day, he is human. Do better.” Photograph: Casey Sykes/Getty Images Kyrgios slams Djokovic treatment, insisting Australia must ‘do better’

Education

An advisory group on planning for the State exams is due to meet again in the coming days amid calls from students’ representatives for a hybrid Leaving Cert. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Further talks planned by exams group as calls continue for hybrid Leaving Cert
Taoiseach Micheál Martin: ‘I accept the need for clarity as quickly as possible.’ Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins ‘Challenges’ to delivering hybrid Leaving Cert this year, says Taoiseach
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network said a recent survey indicates that teacher numbers are down by about 25% across schools for Covid reasons. Photograph: Getty Images Close contact rule change may ease pressure on schools, say principals
Under current plans, students sitting the 2022 State exams would see adjustments and more choice on their exam papers to account for the pandemic impact on education over the past two years. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times State exams body ‘advancing preparations’ for Leaving Cert exams
‘We are calling on the Minister of Education to take students’ voices into account and revise the decision about State exams for 2022.’ Photograph: iStock Leaving Cert cannot go ahead as planned this year, students’ union says

Guides

People who test positive for Covid-19 on an antigen test will no longer be required to seek a confirmatory PCR test under new rules. File photograph: Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images Q&A: What are the new Covid rules and what is the logic behind them?
Nphet has advised that a medical mask rather than a cloth mask should be worn by anyone who is a confirmed Covid-19 case. Q&A: Which face masks offer best protection and what is Nphet advising?
Q&A: When will I get my new digital Covid cert and how will it work?
Covid-19 testing rules are being changed to free up capacity in a testing system overwhelmed by a surge in infections due to the more infectious Omicron variant. File photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA Q&A: What are the new changes to Covid-19 testing and isolation rules?
Many businesses have been forced to shut their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photograph: iStock Q&A: What Covid-19 supports are out there for businesses?
All restaurants and bars must close by 8pm under new restrictions. Photograph: iStock Q&A: What Covid-19 restrictions are coming into force on Monday?
Background photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Q&A: What are the latest travel rules, and what do I need to get back into Ireland for Christmas?
The Department of Justice says the Border Management Unit at Dublin Airport has significantly increased the level of spot-checking of arriving passengers in recent days. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Q&A: How are Covid travel rules being policed at Irish airports?
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said tonight’s announcement is ‘not about going back to the days of lockdowns’ but to adjust the guidelines to the current threat from the virus. Q&A: What do the new restrictions mean for hospitality and household visits this Christmas?
New advice to schools issued this morning stressed that children in third class and above should not be excluded from schools ‘in the first instance’ for not wearing masks. Photograph: iStock Q&A: What has changed with the latest guidance on mask-wearing for children?
Omicron Q&A: How concerned are scientists about the new Covid-19 variant?
Antigen tests, also known as rapid self-tests, can be done regularly. Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikov/AFP via Getty Images 4:11 Q&A: When to take an antigen test and symptoms to watch for?

Coronavirus - the Science

Hanwha Eagles players line up wearing face masks ahead of the opening game of South Korea’s new baseball season. Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/Getty/AFP Coronavirus – the science: Big shift in thinking on face masks
Vaccines doses in bottles prepared by a team of experts at the University of Oxford. Photograph: Sean Elias/PA Wire Coronavirus – the science: The six milestones Ireland needs to reach before easing restrictions
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US, said people should not assume a change in the weather will limit the spread of the coronavirus. ‘You must assume that the virus will continue to do its thing,’ he said. Photograph: Al Drago/The New York Times. Coronavirus – the science: The case for crushing Covid-19 rather than living with it

Editorials

The Irish Times view on Covid-19 restrictions: stability allows for careful easing The Irish Times view on Covid-19 restrictions: stability allows for careful easing

The Irish Times view on the Beijing Winter Olympics: the Covid games The Irish Times view on the Beijing Winter Olympics: the Covid games

Letters

Covid-19 – a national research biobank is urgently needed
Covid-19 and nursing homes
EU solidarity is essential
Coronavirus – a time for working together
Coronavirus – a time for concerted action
Constitution and homelessness crisis
Coronavirus and global solidarity
Coronavirus – focus on healthcare staff
Covid-19 in Gaza
Insurers and a national emergency
All Coronavirus Articles