Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
743. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health his plans for expanding testing into all healthcare settings including regularity with which healthcare workers will be tested and the way in which this will be rolled out to home help; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9590/20]
View answerA robust and real-time process of testing, isolation and contact tracing is central to our public health strategy for containing and slowing the spread of COVID-19, as advocated by the WHO and ECDC.
All healthcare workers meeting the current case definition for COVID-19 are referred for testing in line with current testing criteria. There is extensive guidance in place for healthcare workers and this can be found on the HPSC website:
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/guidanceforhealthcareworkers/ .
There is also clear guidance in place for the assessment, testing and return to work of healthcare workers.
https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/algorithms/Algorithm%20for%20Testing%20and%20Return%20to%20Work%20of%20Symptomatic%20HCWs.pdf
In addition, current guidance requires the testing of all staff and residents when a new case emerges in a long term residential care facility (including mental health facilities) that have not yet had a case.
As the deputy will be aware, a significant programme of testing across Long Term Residential Care Facilities commenced on 17 April following a NPHET recommendation. Over 100,000 tests have been completed under the residential care facilities mass testing programme. This includes the testing of all staff and residents in facilities that had an outbreak already, and the testing of staff in those facilities that didn't have an outbreak. This testing programme is now complete, and the results and findings will help inform and guide future testing strategy for these facilities. This is being given ongoing consideration by NPHET.
It is important to note that testing is only one element of a comprehensive strategic response to COVID-19. Testing for COVID-19 only provides a point-in-time result. It confers no guarantee that the individual with a 'not detected' result is not incubating the infection or the level of virus is below detectable levels at the time of the test.
Targeted, risk-based testing can yield important data to inform control measures, but does not constitute a control measure in and of itself. Testing should only be undertaken based on a public health risk assessment. A comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic must include a strong focus on infection prevention and control and additional measures such as prompt identification and exclusion from work of symptomatic healthcare workers for example.
