Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020
557. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the number of students accepting Covid-19 tests in each third-level institution in which the HSE is offering mass Covid-19 testing in tabular form. [43248/20]
View answerIn Ireland, the National Testing Strategy for COVID-19 involves testing people who meet the case definition (people with symptoms), their identified close contacts, and established serial testing programmes. It is directed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and coordinated by the HSE.
It should be noted that testing for Covid-19 only provides a point-in-time result. It confers no guarantee that an 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. It is for this reason, for example, that testing of close contacts of a confirmed case is carried out on two separate occasions, when they are first identified and again 7 days after their last contact with the person.
While there are no mass testing programmes in place nor plans to implement mass testing in third-level institutions as the Deputy describes, the HSE will offer Covid-19 testing in third level institutions in response to ongoing outbreaks in the student population. A Public Health Risk Assessment (PHRA) is undertaken and provides an opportunity for students to self-refer for Covid-19 testing. The decision to provide a similar testing facility at any other third-level educational institutes would be based on the undertaking of an appropriate risk assessment. The risk assessment applied in educational settings may be dynamic and change as new information becomes available, and the testing strategy may evolve as information unfolds.
Ireland is pursuing a robust testing strategy under the guidance of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). On an ongoing basis, NPHET considers and reviews, based on public health risk assessments, how best to target testing to hunt the virus in populations where it’s most likely and where it will do most harm.
The testing strategy in use in Ireland remains under consideration by NPHET on an ongoing basis.
