Your local pharmacy is now giving out the J&J vaccine which is great news for those waiting to get vaccinated. The HSE have posted a list of pharmacies participating in the service and there is plenty to pick from and all these are given an eircode, phone number and address..
All counties are covered and there is a dropdown menu to check out what pharmacy in your area is participating, Once you are 50 or over you can book your appointment. So what are you waiting for. To find out where your nearest pharmacy is today see
Only 26% of workers felt psychologically safe during the pandemic and experienced higher levels of burnout, stress, and greater feelings of being lonely, according to a new survey from Irish-American tech firm Workhuman. The survey, of over 3,000 U.S. workers in March 2021, further revealed men experienced higher psychological safety than women, white employees experienced higher psychological safety than other ethnic groups, and working parents had the lowest psychological safety in comparison to employees who are not parents. Psychological safety describes the feeling of being one’s whole self at work, taking risks and being vulnerable, without fear of negative consequences.
“Based on our survey, the two most practical ways to boost psychological safety are to say “thank you” more often and to check in with employees more frequently,” said Workhuman Director of People Analytics Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin. “Creating a sense of psychological safety, especially for underrepresented groups, allows for higher levels of engagement, increased motivation, innovation, and better performance, which can lead to major breakthroughs.”
The Workhuman survey also affirms psychological safety is highest for employees who are recognised and is lowest for those who are never recognised, and only 51% of the respondents said they’ve been thanked at work in the last month. To make gratitude a habit, set aside time each week to think about which colleagues delivered for the business, then take the time to thank them for their efforts. Additionally, people who check in with their manager at least once a week experience higher psychological safety than those who check in less frequently, and yet only 29% of respondents in the Workhuman survey said they check in with their manager every week. A regular cadence of check-ins becomes an opportunity to build trust and sets a foundation of positivity for the manager-employee relationship.
At its core, psychological safety is about feeling comfortable bringing your whole, human self to work. For employers, it’s about empowerment – trusting the humans you’ve hired to do the jobs they were hired to do, allowing them to use their voices and show up in their teams. These two simple tactics – recognising more frequently and establishing a cadence of check-ins – can go a long way in creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment for your people.
For more information about how the Workhuman Cloud can help strengthen your workforce and drive better business performance, please visit www.workhuman.com.
Ergotron, a global company focused on improving how people work, learn, play and care for others, has announced the availability of its customisable Mobile Medical Carts and charging solutions to support clinicians’ efforts in delivering a safe and efficient vaccination process. As COVID-19 vaccination sites are set up in non-traditional spaces, Ergotron’s mobile carts and charging solutions are bringing technology to the point of need, facilitating access to digital records and securing uninterrupted runtime for IT equipment to maximise workflow productivity, while providing access to vaccination material.
The first line of defence in controlling further spread of infection starts with initial detection of a high temperature in individuals as they come in for a vaccination. Ergotron’s thermal imaging medical carts bring this technology to the point-of-care in any situation, where quick temperature detection is needed. The preferred thermal imaging camera equipment can be mounted to one of Ergotron’s mobile medical carts to support temperature measurement wherever it’s needed.
For the demanding task of safely vaccinating thousands of people in the shortest time frame possible, accuracy with identification and update of digital records is required. Ergotron Mobile Medical Carts fulfil this need by bringing an ergonomic workstation to where it’s needed. The carts support the efficient vaccination of large groups of people outside the clinic walls, such as parking lots and other non-traditional locations, and provide convenience and access to strategic accessories needed to facilitate the different phases of the vaccination process. Optional LiFe or LiFeKinnex™ battery power provides uninterrupted runtime for laptops or computers without access to outlets.
“A fast, efficient COVID-19 vaccination rollout is key to fighting, and ultimately reversing the devastating impact of this pandemic”, said Richard Guy, Country Sales Manager UK & Ireland at Ergotron.
“To do this we understand that vaccinating large populations of people requires equipment that’s easy to move, dependable and convenient. It’s why Ergotron’s Mobile Medical Carts, which are lightweight and easy to move, are ideally suited to support care providers as they work to distribute the vaccine in clinics and hospitals, as well as other temporary locations such as parking lots, vaccine drive-through facilities and other vaccination stations.”
The use of tablets, laptops or other mobile IT equipment is necessary for many applications during the vaccination process, therefore optimising the workflow productivity with powered devices is crucial for achieving a smooth and productive procedure. Ergotron’s Charging Cabinets and Carts are designed to transport, secure, manage, and charge up to 40 tablets and Chromebooks or 30 full-size laptops, with up to 40% faster charging for IT devices onsite.
Ergotron’s Mobile Medical Carts are now available in EMEA. For more information visit the Ergotron website.
Prolojik remains at the forefront of harnessing the ubiquitous nature of lighting controls to contribute to the measurement and control of the COVID virus. Building on one of its latest innovations, Proxima allows organisations from commercial workplaces to schools and universities to empower people to manage their own risk and exposure to the COVID virus, through wearable technology in the form of a wristband or lanyard that connects wirelessly to Prolojik’s Proxima sensor network.
The movement and temperature of each wearer can be monitored throughout all areas within the space, vibrating when people are within 2 metres of each other, as well as taking their temperature to alert them of potential illness. Data collected via the Proxima sensor network can be stored on premises for real time analysis or shared with third party systems such as BMS. For example, if someone contracts COVID within an organisation, it is possible to track that person interactions in the preceding days, identify others that have been in close proximity to them, therefore exposed to the virus and potentially at risk. The enormous benefit is that Facility and Building Operators can focus on specific areas, rather than having to close entire buildings down. As with education, this approach allows for a far more targeted approach to infection management, by isolating individuals or specific social bubbles.
The integration with the lighting control system means that all areas of the building are within the trackable zone, including workspaces, circulation areas, back-of-house, plantrooms, car parks, presentation spaces and external spaces.
Each wearable will provide key data on the following aspect of employee care and building management:
Targeted Messaging
People and Asset Tracking
Profile-based control
Lone Worker Monitoring
Building Sanitisation
Physical distancing
Environmental monitoring
Indoor Location – way finding
Revenue Leakage
Asela Rodrigo Managing Director of Prolojik comments:
“At a time when businesses and educational institutions need as much support as possible to be operational, Proxima wearables provide the ultimate reassurance and comfort for employee and students. The unique difference is the stand alone sensor infrastructure which can equally be fully integrated with any lighting control systems to increases the measurable and trackable area.”
Boston Scientific engineers have helped the Covid Response Team non-profit group develop an emergency ventilator that is targeted for use in the developing world as countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is the latest member of the Irish Medtech Association to be spotlighted as part of its ongoing #MedtechGoodNews campaign.
Boston Scientific employees are also involved with a project called E-vent, which is focused on designing, fabricating and assembling a manual resuscitator that could potentially provide longer-term ventilation for patients.
Sinead Keogh, Director of the Irish Medtech Association said;
“The support for this not-for-profit initiative by Boston Scientific shows how Irish Medtech Association members are responding to needs of developing parts of the world and their populations that live there during the pandemic. The acute and ongoing shortage of ventilators in low income countries is humanitarian disaster and requires an urgent response. The Irish medtech sector, as a global leader, has made an important impact in its response to COVID-19. The Irish Medtech Association will continue to highlight how medtech leaders in Ireland are assisting the frontline fight against COVID-19 here, and across the world”.
Vice President Operations at Boston Scientific in Galway, James Lyons, said;
“We couldn’t be prouder of our teams at our Galway, Cork and Clonmel facilities and how they have responded to the needs of others during this crisis. From volunteering to make PPE for local frontline workers, to helping others develop emergency medtech equipment for developing countries, our 5,000+ Irish employees have made an exceptional contribution to local, national and even international Covid-19 response efforts.”
Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, today announces that it is investing €100K in helping businesses to get back on track following the disruption caused by COVID-19. The company’s specially-designed COVID-19 recovery package includes free consultancy services in areas that will be critical to business stimulation, including business strategy, digital transformation, change management and business agility.
Expleo’s investment will cover initial assessment of businesses’ needs, referral to a leading consultant and in-depth business analysis to establish a clear plan of action. Services will be offered to businesses of any size operating in all sectors including financial services, retail, manufacturing, travel, insurance and IT.
Irish firms continue to suffer from the fallout of COVID-19 and the disruption it has caused to day-to-day functions, supply chains and their ability to operate to full capacity. Business group Ibec anticipates that investment will fall by as much as 40% this year and the economy will continue to be impacted by the pandemic ‘well into 2021’.
With Government restrictions easing, organisations are now looking to the future and the key areas they need to address in order to limit the pandemic’s impact on their business. And with digital transformation expected to play a central role in economic recovery, Expleo believes its services can give Irish businesses a vital boost.
Phil Codd,pictured above, Managing Director for Ireland, Expleo, said: “At Expleo, we feel very strongly that the business community needs to work together to overcome the challenges set by COVID-19. We wanted to make sure that we played our part and believe that our experience in helping enterprises across all sectors to digitally transform and manage change will be of great assistance to businesses as they look ahead and prepare for a drastically more digitised world.
“Economic hardship can inspire great innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. We want to embark on that journey with Irish businesses to help them thrive in the years ahead and make our economy stronger as a result.”
Businesses who wish to avail of the COVID-19 recovery package and speak to one of Expleo’s leading digital transformation experts can register their interest here.
Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, today announces details of its role in the launch of the StopCOVID NI contact tracing app, built to have interoperability with the COVID Tracker app deployed in the Republic of Ireland. Expleo carried out extensive quality testing on the app, the world’s first cross-border tracker device aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
The StopCOVID NI app was built using the same technology and design as the Republic of Ireland’s COVID Tracker app, which Expleo’s quality assurance team was also heavily involved in. For the Northern Ireland app, Expleo’s team carried out more than 1,000 hours of testing and was responsible for ensuring that it was user-friendly, reliable and capable of sending and receiving anonymised data to and from both the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland versions of the app. As a result, users will be notified if they have had close sustained contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, regardless of which application they are using.
Expleo’s expert team carried out multiple processes and strategies to ensure that a user’s surroundings did not negatively impact the performance of the app. Testing was also carried out on public transport to ensure that users only received notifications when appropriate.
Quality tests included:
Performance testing – Expleo’s quality assurance and quality engineering teams carried out load testing on the app to ensure that large volumes of people could download it at the same time without causing it to crash.
Exposure Notification Distance Testing – As devices have varying Bluetooth signal strengths, Expleo tested varying attenuation values to maximise compliance with requirements.
Database Validation – Testers ensured that users’ anonymised data, gathered from downloads and registrations, was populated in the database without interfering with the anonymised data of other users.
Graphical user interface (GUI) testing – Expleo tested the look and feel of the app, ensuring user-friendly navigation; the correct and reliable function of buttons; and that all content and text matched requirements.
Dan West, Chief Digital Information Officer for the Department of Health, Northern Ireland said: “The StopCOVID NI app is an essential next step to successfully reopening Northern Ireland. The fact that this application can operate in conjunction with the COVID Tracker app in the Republic of Ireland offers even more protection – particularly for those living in the border regions.
“With consideration for GDPR and privacy concerns, there was obviously a stringent set of requirements for both these apps. Expleo’s knowledge and expertise ensured that both applications were completed in compliance with all regulations.”
Scott Armstrong, Director, Expleo, said: “COVID-19 has caused havoc for people and communities across the island of Ireland. After our involvement in the successful launch of the Republic of Ireland app, we are honoured to have the opportunity to use our extensive experience in software testing and quality assurance to also support Northern Ireland’s fight against coronavirus.”
“We have been very pleased to see such high volumes of people downloading the Republic of Ireland’s version and we hope that the app will be similarly embraced in Northern Ireland so that we can all work together to stem the spread of COVID-19.”
Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, today announces details of its role in the development and launch of the HSE’s COVID-19 contact tracing app. Through quality assurance and software testing, the company was responsible for ensuring that the app was user-friendly, fast and reliable, which involved testing it to be able to handle one million downloads in an hour.
The app, which at the time of issue has been downloaded more than one million times, and we take a look at here was developed by the HSE and Department of Health, with input from An Garda Síochána, Science Foundation Ireland and private partners from Ireland’s technology sector. It notifies users if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, defining a close contact as someone who was within two metres of a confirmed case for 15 minutes or more. To find out more about the COVID Tracker app, or to download it, visit www.covidtracker.ie.
Expleo’s test team started work on the project on 17th March 2020 and since that date, carried out approximately 3,400 individual software tests before the app’s launch. The work totalled 4,727 man hours – the equivalent of almost 591 working days. A total of 26 Expleo employees were involved in the project, while a core team of 10 led and oversaw testing.
To ensure that a user’s surroundings, or large crowds, did not negatively impact the performance of the app – and to ensure the safety of the testers – testing was carried out in multiple simulated environments with multiple devices. Testing was later carried out on public transport to ensure that users only received notifications when appropriate.
Phil Codd, Managing Director, Expleo Ireland
Additional testing included:
Performance testing – Expleo’s quality assurance and quality engineering teams carried out load testing on the app to ensure that large volumes of people could download it at the same time without causing it to crash.
Exposure Notification Distance Testing – As devices have varying Bluetooth strengths, Expleo tested varying attenuation values that manage Bluetooth strength to maximise compliance with requirements.
Graphical user interface (GUI) testing – Expleo tested the look and feel of the app, ensuring user-friendly navigation; the correct and reliable function of all buttons; and that all content and text matched requirements.
Database Validation – Testers ensured that users’ anonymised data, gathered from downloads and registrations, was populated in the database without interfering with the anonymised data of other users.
Fran Thompson, CIO, HSE, said: “The COVID Tracker app is an essential addition to the HSE’s existing contact tracing work. For it to be effective, it needed to be easy to download and use, with highly responsive software that can cope with a very large user base. We chose Expleo due to their extensive experience in software testing and quality assurance. Their knowledge and commitment was invaluable in ensuring that the contact tracing app met all of the stringent targets and requirements we had set.”
Phil Codd, Managing Director for Ireland, Expleo, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had – and continues to have – a devastating impact on people and communities across Ireland. We therefore felt honoured that in recognition of our experience and expertise, we were invited by the HSE to join the fight against COVID-19 by carrying out software testing on one of the world’s first contact tracing apps.
“Our team went through a rigorous, lengthy process to ensure that the app is fast, reliable and easy to use. We are delighted to see such high volumes of people downloading it and hope that this will continue so that we can all work together to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for everyone.”
The rapid outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the world in numerous ways, ranging from an economic halt to social distancing. As governments imposed lockdowns, many had to adapt to the new reality of all-things-online. The surge of users, shifting their focus to the digital world, influenced major changes in online behavior, network governance, and digital adoption, leaving to wonder how this will reshape the current Internet landscape.
New user habits
Global isolation drastically increased the demand for online collaboration services, for instance, video conferencing app Zoom went from 56 thousand to2.13 million downloads a day as soon as officials announced lockdown. With the majority of the workers having moved online, the newly found convenience of remote work is shaping up to be along-term reality, which will be highly relevant even in the post-pandemic era.
As the welcoming attitude towards flexible work environments seems to be here to stay, Vincentas Grinius, CEO at Heficed, suggests that companies should place more emphasis on developing a solid in-house network infrastructure, prepared to handle the rise in the digital workforce. “With a significant part of workers taking care of their day-to-day from their home office, companies will need to reevaluate the architecture of their internal network: are there enough IPs? What additional safeguards would mitigate risks associated with pc malware? These are some of the questions that should move up the list of priorities once the situation dials down,” said V. Grinius.
Sharing network resources
The online ecosystem has also revealed itself vulnerable to the mass-usage. For instance, with the sudden increase in traffic, major streaming platforms – Netflix and YouTube – had tolower their video quality to reduce some of the strain on Europe’s infrastructure.
“As soon as the lockdown was announced, the Net felt its consequences with full force: few had backup hardware to maintain a stable network, or enough IPs to suffice increased connectivity,” Grinius explained. “With the population nearing 8 billion, and widespread IPv6 implementation still light-years away, the need to adopt a sustainability-driven mindset that would facilitate further expansion became even more apparent.”
The latest developments showed that the Internet is not advancing as fast as it needs to, in order to keep up with the growing market. According to V. Grinius, the solution to this could be a collaboration-based approach towards network resources.
“IP address leasing could help accommodate the exponentially growing demand without aggravating the current strain on the market,” continued V. Grinius. “Reallocating unused IPv4s enables companies to continue scaling alongside increasing device connections and could be the facilitator the market needs until it is a hundred percent IPv6-ready.”
Lower digital division
The Internet helped solve numerous problems that have risen along with the coronavirus wave. That said, the circumstances also exposed a significant digital divide in emerging, as well as developed countries, as many were unable to get online: it is predicted approximately3.7 millionhave no Internet access. V. Grinius notes that the current crisis will act as a catalyst for lessening the gap in connection, which seems like a highly likely scenario, as it is alreadypushing some markets towards more rapid digitization.
“Interconnectivity is what the market is heading towards. For those that have been delaying the implementation of digitized solutions, or not giving them the required attention, this was an eye-opener,” said V. Grinius. “The pandemic emphasized the significance of having network access and will be an essential factor in driving progress, as there are plenty of opportunities for anyone willing to execute change.”
Even though the full scope of how this recent shift is going to evolve in the future is unclear – these major changes already on the way to shape a new reality where everything is connected.
