Covid-19: Antigen testing to be used for outbreaks, Reid says

The chief executive of the HSE Paul Reid has said the more pessimistic modelling scenarios for the spread of Covid-19 following reopening of indoor dining “does present huge issues for us in terms of hospitalisation”.

But Mr Reid said the public should “take great assurance” from the vaccine programme, the rollout of which he said was “now ranking highest in the world”.

Mr Reid said vaccination was the State’s primary “line of defence” against Covid-19, but also relied on testing and tracing, and was “planning to utilise antigen tests for outbreaks, where they are very well proven”.

He said “there are a few approaches” to testing and the HSE would ensuring testing centres had longer opening hours, with more use of pop-up centres and the ability of people to self-refer for a test, which was already available online.

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He said the HSE could “potentially” also use antigen testing for testing close contacts of confirmed cases.

Mr Reid told RTÉ Radio’s News at One the HSE was also looking at the UK where arrangements were in place for “self swabbing”. “So we are looking at a whole range of initiatives, we are planning for a whole range of initiatives.”

He said we know there have been 4.7 million vaccines administered, 56 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, and 71 per cent partially vaccinated.

“We are now ranking the highest in the world for the last seven days of vaccines administered for 100 of the population. So that is primarily our first line of defence; testing and tracing secondly.”

Mr Reid said the plan, based on supply, was to vaccinate people aged in their 30s during July. “Then in August we start opening it up to the 20s, the late 20s, the 25-29s, in early August, and then in mid-August the 20-25s.”

He said this week the HSE would be focussed on administering the second dose of AstraZeneca, “based on the change of policy to four weeks”. This cohort would be vaccinated “primarily by the end of next week” in advance of the July 19th date for reopening, he said.

Speaking on the same programme, Adrian Cummins of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said his discussions with Government were still focussed on reopening on July 19th – although he said there was talk “that may be moved a few days”. He said a “work around” the issue of how to deal with under-18s might be that they sit with their family members, socially distanced by two metres from any other table.

He said the arrangements being worked out were “not the most ideal situation, but give us the opportunity to get doors open”.

The timeline for the proposals was that they would be ready for Cabinet on Tuesday and he would hope the necessary legislation would be passed by the Dáil immediately, he said.

However, Pearse Doherty of Sinn Féin said the Opposition was not being consulted about the legislation and he accused the Government of “bunny and hat” measures in its introduction.