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LAST UPDATE | 13 Sep 2021
THE HSE HAS said there are no current plans to change the existing testing regime, despite an internal discussion paper suggesting those with mild symptoms may be able to forego a test.
However, close contact testing will likely be scaled back in the future if the pandemic recedes to an epidemic.
A paper, released to a number of publications under the Freedom of Information Act, was drawn up for the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in July this year, but public health officials have not yet advised that these actions be taken.
The paper proposed to discourage the testing of mildly symptomatic children under the age of 13 and to remove the requirement for vaccinated adults to get a test, even if they have mild symptoms.
Speaking to RTÉ, HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry said there are “no plans at the moment to change the testing regime or indications”.
“Yes, there was a discussion paper put in because we’re now examining a totally different scenario than the one we had a year ago,” he said.
A year ago we were dealing with a novel virus against which none of us had immunity and for which there was no vaccination in sight, and which presented a considerable threat to older, vulnerable people and to the stability of healthcare systems.
He said the availability of a highly effective vaccine had given the HSE choices.
“What we’re doing now is imagining the transition from a pandemic stage to an endemic stage, where this disease is no longer considered exceptional, but part of a profile of other seasonal viruses.”
Dr Henry said changes to the testing regime would be made based on factors such as the case numbers, the positivity rate, the impact on hospitals and the impact on vulnerable groups. He said a move to an ‘endemic stage’ would mean more focused testing in outbreak settings or in people who are symptomatically ill.
National Lead for Testing and Tracing Niamh O’Beirne said the HSE does expect there will be a change to the testing policy “in due course” when the pandemic eases.
Right now, we have the same testing capacity and the same approach as we’ve had for the last period of the pandemic, but we do know that as it changes to an endemic stage – we’re not there yet – but when that does happen, there will be a point in time where you do scale back testing because the threat from the virus has faded and it’s no longer appropriate to restrict the movements of so many people if they’re close contacts.”
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Leo Varadkar said that while he had seen reports, he has not seen advice from NPHET on the proposal.
“Speaking as a doctor, it does make sense to me,” he said. “Because of the vaccination programme Covid is now a virus we can live with.”
Varadkar said managing the virus in the future will be similar to the way in which flu has been managed and the current testing capacity will not be necessary.
The proposal paper also suggested that fully vaccinated close contacts would no longer have to be tested, a policy that has been introduced since the paper was written in July.
In a statement, the Department of Health said the public health response to Covid-19 is kept under ongoing review, including approaches to testing, contact tracing, outbreak management, surveillance and sequencing.
“This review will inform the development of a future public health response strategy and approach for the coming months.”
NPHET is meeting today and is expected to discuss the current requirements for children who are close contacts of a positive case to isolate for 14 days. There are around 12,000 pupils absent from school as a result.
O’Beirne, speaking on the News at One, said that the HSE deals with around 1,200 students each day who are close contacts, which adds up over the course of the isolation period.
Overall, Covid-19 testing at the weekend was up by 17% compared to the previous weekend, with 30,000 people tested.
School pupils are being tested at “about three times the level of any other age group”.
“You get other viruses that circulate when children return to school and parents would like children to come forward for testing to know whether they have Covid or whether they have another virus, so that is also starting to drive the amount of testing that’s going on,” O’Beirne said.
If a school is waiting to hear the outcome of a public health risk assessment, the advice is that children should continue to attend in the interim if they do not have Covid-19 symptoms, she said.
“The level of risk is very low if the children in the classroom are asymptomatic. The important thing on the side of the parent is not stand anyone to school who’s symptomatic,” O’Beirne said.
“If the classroom doesn’t have children who have symptoms, the advice from public health is to wait until you have your public health risk assessment so that you don’t risk taking too many children out of the school day and then to work then to get them back in.”
With reporting by Lauren Boland
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Can’t wait to get my new 142 reg in 5 years time!! Hopefully
Wish I could afford a new car
Paddy, when I saw your comment I must admit that I was overcome with a great sadness, a sadness that caused me to go into convolutions of weeping for over an hour. My condition improved somewhat due to the intervention of some kind neighbours who, on hearing my continuous wailing, banded together in an effort to alleviate my shock. They told me that not being able to afford a new car was not as unusual as one might think. One neighbour told me that he knew of two others who were in a similar position and that they were located within 12 miles of where we were collectively crying. Others suggested that Sheamus the Spoofer might be exaggerating slightly. Anyway, Paddy our hearts go out to you. It was brave of you to admit publicly to your plight. We hope your condition improves soon. God bless you!
Emmmm….thanks? :/
And next year ill still be rolling around in my 99 still not a bother on o
It :) . New cars = to much electrics waaay more to go wronv.
Same as that Grainne,
The oul 06 Nissan van has 352,000km on the clock & she sailed through the test no bother.
A bit more loyalty amongst these fly by nights wouldn’t go amiss, them and their 142 regs!
So so true… Any one selling a 99 reg
Isn’t it just marvellous the way Ireland turns into Wonderland in the last year before elections?
No election next year as far as I know Tony.
Yeah but how many of these cars are working on jobsbridge?
Is this a sign of the ‘great divide’ between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’?
Good to hear. In about 3 year time when I want to trade up there be a better choice. Wanted to buy a 10 or 11 car earlier this year and there was very few available of that vintage and anything there is was very expensive. Had to import from England in the end.
€951 car tax for my 10 yr old car, subsidising the wealthy who can afford new cars and who pay just €280 per annum for a new equivalent car. Ireland a lobby ridden disgusting place to live.
There are a lot more new cars registered, not sold. Give it a couple of weeks and you will see all the 141 & 142 reg’s on forecourts back from lease. Same old bulls@$t different day.
As soon as you buy and drive the car they are used so strictly speaking there are no new cars on the road.., queue the red thumbs
It just goes to show that there are plenty of people not affected by the economic client. What an unfair society.
Anybody know why they continued on using the ‘ 141 and 142 ‘ on the reg plates and not just revert back to using ’14′ ?
They don’t know themselves., worst idea ever.
Plan was always to stay with the UK model of splitting the year in 2 and spread out the income so that 40% of cars sold in Ireland in 1 year were not all bought in January.
Someone’s already mentioned it as the reason so few used cars being sold. It’s because so few were sold as new in 2010 and 2011. Cannot sell what doesn’t exist.
Regarding VW as number one it’s because of their financing bank based in Germany. Easier to get finance with VW than an Irish bank. What a coup for VW to get ahead in the market by just having a big bank.
Thanks for that
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