Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 November 2023
150. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will reinstate free PCR testing centres for Covid-19 for at least the duration of the winter period, given the likely increase in Covid-19 cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52697/23]
View answerPublic health advice relating to COVID-19 is available on the website of the HSE. This advice is kept under continuing review. At present, the advice is that people with symptoms of COVID-19 should stay at home until 48 hours after symptoms are mostly or fully gone and avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from COVID-19.
The public health rationale for testing, case finding and tracing of infection to reduce COVID-19 transmission is focused on mitigation of the severe impacts of COVID-19 for those most vulnerable to the disease and those with risk factors who may benefit from specific interventions. Testing for COVID-19 is now operated on a sustainable model similar to the model that exists for other respiratory diseases. Testing is no longer needed unless a GP or healthcare worker advises you to have one or under the direction of Public Health in the HSE. Anybody who has concerns about an underlying condition or their level of risk in relation to COVID-19 should seek advice from their GP or treating clinician.
The targeted approach for COVID-19 testing now in place supports clinical assessment, diagnosis and management of individual “at risk” patients. This may include, for example, when a clinician is considering access to a specific therapeutic intervention. In common with most other infectious diseases, the HSE now operates a comprehensive disease surveillance-based model in line with public health guidance.
Additional resources have also been provided to the HSE to ensure enhancements are put in place to existing infectious disease surveillance systems in the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). Eighty-nine new posts in disease surveillance have been created with 55 of these already recruited. The HPSC is delivering an enhanced, integrated public health surveillance system for a range of respiratory pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, influenza, RSV etc.) This includes, for example, prioritising improvements to disease surveillance programmes such as expansion and strengthening of GP sentinel surveillance, Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance and establishment of a Biostatistics and Modelling Unit at the HPSC and strengthening of other surveillance systems that support COVID-19 surveillance. In addition, Wastewater Surveillance and Whole Genome Sequencing programmes remain in place and operational. This ensures effective monitoring and signalling of what is happening with infectious diseases at population level, so that we can better understand disease transmission and severity along with population immunity and risk.
