Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
714. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the number of the 54 persons in mandatory hotel quarantine who tested positive for Covid-19 who had initially presented with a negative PCR test on arrival in the State; and the number who had not undergone a PCR test prior to arrival. [23768/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 714 and 730 together.
In order to comply with best practice in data protection, in particular relating to sensitive medical data, my Department does not maintain a record of the number of persons who arrive in the state from a designated country with a negative RT-PCR and who then test positive upon arrival in a designated facility. Within the Mandatory Quarantine System, data concerning test results is handled only by the HSE and the on-site health team with clinical responsibility for guests during their stay in a designated facility. This results data is used by those teams to provide appropriate healthcare and for confirming when a guest may begin check-out at the end of their quarantine.
As of May 7th, 94 guests in a designated facility have received a positive result from a test for COVID-19. Of those tests, 8 were residents that arrived from non-designated states and who were directed to attend a designated facility to undergo quarantine until such a test was completed. For the guests who then tested positive, they are required to complete their quarantine in the designated facility as per the Health Act 1947, for a 14 day period and until they receive a negative COVID-19 test and are symptom free for 5 days as confirmed by the on-site health team in each facility.
