Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
518. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the actions his Department is taking to improve the track and trace operation in relation to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27222/21]
View answerTesting and contact tracing continues to be a key component of the Government’s and the country’s response to the pandemic. Under the guidance of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), the HSE has worked intensively to put in place a comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation and the contact tracing programme undergoes ongoing evaluation and development in response to changing demands and the evolving evidence relating to the pandemic.
The Contact Tracing Centres are operating 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and are fully rostered every day. Recruitment of a dedicated workforce is a key part of the ongoing process improvement. The HSE has put in place a workforce dedicated to testing and tracing ensuring a high-level of support to our public health system who manage our more complex tracing operations.
The Government is committed to the implementation of the National Operating Model for COVID-19 Test and Trace, with funding of €445million allocated to the HSE for delivery of the service in 2021. A further strengthening of prevention and intervention measures will be undertaken in respect of track and trace, use of new testing technologies, and research and innovation throughout 2021.
A number of new initiatives have been implemented including the collection of a more detailed history of source investigation for cases identified as ‘community transmission’ along with the provision of walk-in testing facilities at static and pop-up test centres nationally and the subsequent establishment of alternative pathways for testing with the introduction of an online portal which allows pre-booking of a test appointment on the day of booking or for the following day. Process improvement includes a number of automation processes being put in place including the issuing of text messages to relay test results in order to decrease turnaround times.
The Contact Management Programme (CMP) has introduced a follow-up call for cases on Day 4 which provides an opportunity for the contact tracers to reach out and reiterate some of the public health guidelines, to ask people if they are managing to follow the guidelines, managing to self-isolate/restrict their movements and to direct them to additional support resources at HSE.ie.
Due to the risk posed by the transmission of the Delta variant, enhanced contact-tracing protocols are in place for all detected positive cases with a travel history from Great Britain, and the HSE has opened an online booking portal whereby travellers arriving in Ireland can pre-book a free 5-7 day PCR test up to 48 hrs prior to travelling.
Work has commenced on updating the national testing strategy which will set out the testing and tracing considerations and priorities in the future and establish plans in relation to testing capacity and testing modalities and how these may be best deployed, and integrated, within the wider public health response, based on the potential demands that may arise over the coming months.
On an ongoing basis, NPHET considers and reviews, based on public health risk assessments, how best to target testing to detect, and mitigate the impact of, the virus across the population. This includes keeping Ireland’s national testing and tracing policy under continuing review.
