Coronavirus

A pharmacist looks at a screen indicating a temperature of -70 degrees on a supercooling freezer containing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in Le Mans, France this week. Photograph: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images) Pfizer to reduce vaccine deliveries to Europe
People visit an exhibition about Chinas fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus at a convention centre in Wuhan that was previously a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images A lasting trauma: Wuhan at the heart of the battle over roots of coronavirus
Leo Varadkar: Covid pandemic has changed mindsets about his nature of remote work. Stock image: PA Employees to have legal right to request home working, says Varadkar
Nisra’s figures go deeper in that they relate to death certificates in the wider community where Covid-19 was recorded as a factor in the death. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Covid-19 related deaths in North passes 2,000, says statistics agency
A pharmacist holding a phial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19. Photograph: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Covid-19 vaccine: HSE extends interval between first and second jabs in move to vaccinate more people
More than 20,000 people have received alerts saying they have been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case through the Health Service Executive (HSE)’s Covid Tracker phone app since it was released in July. File photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire. Covid Tracker app issues close contact alerts to 20,000 people in six months
Three people who claimed they had driven around 80km in a car from their home in Co Meath to a fast food takeaway in Dublin 4 to collect burgers were fined this week. File photograph: iStock People can travel more than 5km to collect takeaway food, says Minister for Justice
Tony O’Brien: We lost about 10 years in terms of investment in ICT for a variety of reasons. File photograph: Cyril Byrne Tony O’Brien: Ireland disadvantaged by lack of digitised health system
Medical staff donning PPE in the clean zone on the Covid side of the Emergency Department at St Vincent’s hospital, Dublin. File photograph: Alan Betson Covid-19: ‘Gravely concerned’ CMOs in North and Republic urge people to stay at home

Vaccine Rollout

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the number of people in ICU with the same illness is “unheard of” for healthcare staff who are struggling with the surge. File photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins HSE’s Paul Reid says there is a ‘race to save lives’ in hospitals as 77,300 vaccinated against Covid-19
Healthcare workers at a computer terminal as they administer a vaccine to people in Connecticut in the United States last week. Photograph:Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Pen and paper used to record vaccines as IT system not in place yet, Dáil told
A consignment of Moderna vaccines being delivered at Dublin Airport. Photograph: IAG Cargo Covid-19: Donnelly says 4m to be inoculated by end of September as mass vaccination centres planned
A HSE spokeswoman said it was “currently utilising its own resource complement” to administer the vaccine. File photograph: Alan Betson Voluntary organisations offer to assist HSE with vaccine roll-out
Some family doctors have been expressing frustration this week over the delay in being vaccinated against Covid-19. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Covid-19: ‘All GPs and staff’ to be vaccinated be end of February
While the Government has made positive commitments on the provision of information on vaccination progress, the public updates so far have been sporadic. Photograph: Vladimir Zivojinovic / AFP via Getty Images The Irish Times view on Covid-19 vaccination programmes: we have to get this right
Minister of Health Robin Swann and chief scientific officer Prof Ian Young address the media at a press conference in Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast. Photograph: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye/PA Wire More than 100,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses issued in North
St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin has defended giving the Covid-19 vaccine to non-frontline staff who are not officially due to receive it until later in the Government’s immunisation plan. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times. Covid-19: Hospital defends vaccination of staff not working on frontline
Travelling registered nurse Taylor Reed receives a Covid-19 vaccination at Martin Luther King Jr Community Hospital in the Willowbrook neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images Why we can’t expect Covid-19 vaccines to be free of side effects

Ireland

Leo Varadkar: Covid pandemic has changed mindsets about his nature of remote work. Stock image: PA Employees to have legal right to request home working, says Varadkar
Nisra’s figures go deeper in that they relate to death certificates in the wider community where Covid-19 was recorded as a factor in the death. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Covid-19 related deaths in North passes 2,000, says statistics agency
A pharmacist holding a phial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19. Photograph: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Covid-19 vaccine: HSE extends interval between first and second jabs in move to vaccinate more people
More than 20,000 people have received alerts saying they have been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case through the Health Service Executive (HSE)’s Covid Tracker phone app since it was released in July. File photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire. Covid Tracker app issues close contact alerts to 20,000 people in six months
Three people who claimed they had driven around 80km in a car from their home in Co Meath to a fast food takeaway in Dublin 4 to collect burgers were fined this week. File photograph: iStock People can travel more than 5km to collect takeaway food, says Minister for Justice

World

People visit an exhibition about Chinas fight against the Covid-19 coronavirus at a convention centre in Wuhan that was previously a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images A lasting trauma: Wuhan at the heart of the battle over roots of coronavirus
President-elect Joe Biden speaks at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday. Photograph: New York Times Joe Biden unveils $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus package
Passengers walk through the arrivals hall after landing at at Terminal Two Heathrow Airport, London. File photograph: Getty Images Covid-19: UK bans travellers from South America and Portugal
The departures are likely to be the largest fall in Britain’s population since the second World War, according to a statistical analysis of official data. Photograph: Ben Fathers/AFP via Getty Covid-19: London's population 'fell by 700,000' amid exodus of foreign-born residents from UK
People walk past a billboard advertising ‘Mask up Lagos’ along a road in Yaba district in Lagos, Nigeria. Photograph:Akintunde Akinleye/EPA African Union secures 270m Covid-19 vaccine doses as cases surge on continent

Business

A pharmacist looks at a screen indicating a temperature of -70 degrees on a supercooling freezer containing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in Le Mans, France this week. Photograph: Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images) Pfizer to reduce vaccine deliveries to Europe
After restrictions are lifted how do you see yourself working? Photograph: iStock Have your say: What do you think of the Government’s working from home plan?
Ikea has blamed Brexit and Covid-19 for disruption to its supply chain as 11,700 customers in Ireland were left waiting for orders. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times Ikea leaves 11,700 Irish customers with no goods
Current MBA students hope the pandemic will leave them better equipped for the future. File photograph: Getty Images How MBA students have adapted amid the Covid-19 pandemic
Siptu general secretary Joe Cunningham: ‘The cost of borrowing is so low that it almost pays you to borrow in the current environment’ State should borrow now to fuel growth post-Covid, says union leader
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

‘The future of the Coalition hinges on how well it handles the rollout of the Covid vaccine in the coming months.’ File photograph: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg Public mood will turn ugly if people feel vaccine rollout is being botched
While none of us likes the restrictions, we are willing to adhere. This is still the case, 10 months into the pandemic. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Telling the public Covid-19 is out of control is wrong approach
Vans for the transport of vaccines arrive at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 26th, 2020. Photograph: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images How Denmark is administering vaccines at three times the rate of Ireland
In August, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said it simply wasn’t possible to give an estimate of how much someone might owe. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Was tax bill on Covid subsidy payments a misstep by Government?
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan and National Immunisation Advisory Committee chair Prof Karina Butler. ‘It’s a perfect storm – all these humans coming close together in heated indoor spaces, and then the new variant thrown into the mix,’ says Prof Butler Covid-19: How did Ireland fall from grace to its current 'worst-in-world' statistics?
“... There are those, best symbolised by residents in care homes but not restricted to them, whose needs have never been too far up the policy agenda and not just during the pandemic. This includes, of course, the elderly.” File photograph: iStock We must plan for a better society as we wade through a Slough of Despond
The anti-vax movement has been gearing up for some time. Photograph: iStock We need much more than media literacy to tackle Covid-19 disinformation
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was authorised last month. Photograph: Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg/File What is Ireland’s plan for vaccinating people against Covid-19?
Photograph: iStock Pilita Clark: Workers shirking are more than just a nuisance

Life & Style

'Remote learning might work for secondary or older children but not primary kids,' says one reader. Photograph: iStock Readers on homeschooling: ‘I have never been as stressed with work, learning, cooking, cleaning
Westport House, Co Mayo. Photograph: Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty Ageism is the pandemic that causes me the most angst
Covid-19: new research suggests the virus will be of concern only in under-fives, subjecting even them to mere sniffles or no symptoms at all. Photograph: Jordi Janau/ Moment/Getty The future of coronavirus? Nothing worse than a common cold
Aoife Devlin: it’s hard to describe the fear of coronavirus when you live with someone in a high-risk category. Photograph: James Connolly Risk school? The thought terrified me. How could Norma Foley even consider it?
We are at a time in our lives when letting go is proving terrifying as we have already lost so much control over our lives. Photograph: iStock/Getty Images Lockdown gives us time to learn the art of letting go

Sport

GAA may look at tougher penalties for counties breaching Covid ban
The GAA has banned collective inter-county training until the end of January. File photograph: Ryan Byrne/INPHO GAA to investigate if Cork footballers trained in breach of Covid-19 guidelines
Two Leinster senior players are self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 Covid-19: Two senior Leinster rugby players test positive for coronavirus
Should Newcastle ask for the Aston Villa game to be postponed it would be the first Premier League fixture delayed on such grounds since the resumption in June. Photograph: EPA Newcastle’s clash at Aston Villa postponed due to Covid-19 outbreak
Fiji’s latest round of Covid-19 tests produced 29 positive test results. File photograph: Getty Images Scotland and Fiji's Autumn Nations Cup match cancelled

Education

Gardaí have been informed after a number of men accessed an online school class and this week and acted in an inappropriate and lewd manner. School forced to shut online class after men access it and act lewdly
Schools and classes for children with additional needs are set to begin reopening next week after the department and school staff unions reached agreement on the safe reopening of schools. File photograph Schools and classes for children with additional needs to reopen next Thursday
Some 80 per cent of school staff said migrant children faced challenges accessing online classes. File photograph: iStock Many migrant children did not attend online classes during last lockdown – study
Teachers have learned key lessons on what works - and what doesn’t - from their experiences during the last lockdown. File photograph: iStock ‘Be kinder with deadlines’: What teachers learned from remote teaching last time
With schools closed, there are ample resourses online to help parents and students with home-based learning. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Homeschool 2.0: Our guide to the best distance learning tools

Guides

All schools will close for three weeks from Monday. File photograph: PA Covid restrictions Q&A: What are the latest changes?
The ban on travel from Britain and South Africa is set to be extended by 48 hours, it is understood. Photograph: PA Covid-19: All travellers into State will have to provide negative PCR test
John Grey receives the first of two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Belfast. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Why is Ireland’s Covid vaccination campaign off to such a slow start?
Construction workers on site in Dublin City Centre. Only Ireland, Italy, and the United States shut down construction during earlier lockdowns, according to the Construction Industry Federation. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins Covid-19: List of exemptions from construction industry shutdown announced
There has been mixed news on the vaccine front. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Q&A: Everything you need to know about Level 5 lockdown
Gardaí at a high-visibility Covid-19 checkpoing on the Navan Road in Dublin in response to the tightening of Level 5 restrictions. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Extra measures to enforce Covid-19 restrictions announced by Garda
An expert has suggested that someone who received the average weekly payment of €280 on the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme could face a tax bill of some €1,167. Thousands of workers to get Covid-19 tax bills next week
When the temporary wage subsidy scheme was implemented, tax was not deducted at source. Photograph: iStock Explainer: Why are so many workers facing tax bills for 2020?
Homeschool hub: Our guide to the best teaching and learning resources online
A passenger wears a mask on a bus in Dublin city centre. Photograph: Alan Betson Living with Covid plan: What is in each of the five levels?
Dr Liam Townsend said the results highlighted how there is no simple diagnostic test to predict which patients with Covid-19 will suffer long-term effects such as fatigue. Photograph: iStock ‘Long Covid’ can affect people even with mild initial symptoms – study
The flu vaccine is free for those over 65, people with long-term health issues and children. Photograph: iStock Are your symptoms flu or Covid-19? How to tell the difference

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 vaccination programmes: we have to get this right The Irish Times view on Covid-19 vaccination programmes: we have to get this right

The Irish Times view on coronavirus one year on: in search of Covid’s origins The Irish Times view on coronavirus one year on: in search of Covid’s origins

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