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A VIROLOGIST HAS said the government could respond to this latest wave of Covid-19 by implementing free mass antigen testing across the population.
The number of people in hospital with the virus has reached levels not seen since early 2021 during the Alpha wave, although roughly half are in hospital for other reasons.
A smaller percentage of overall case numbers are falling seriously ill due to a high level of population immunity from vaccines and prior infection, but the number of people requiring intensive care is now starting to rise.
The government has indicated that no new restrictions will be imposed, but also has yet to move to tackle this current wave of the virus through additional protections and mitigation measures such as new advice on mask wearing or increased testing.
No new public health advice to do so has been received from the chief medical officer, the Tánaiste said today, but a new Covid advisory group to replace NPHET will be set up ‘imminently’.
Case numbers yesterday were among the highest-ever recorded (7,729 cases confirmed with PCR and 15,973 registered positive antigen test results) but is thought to be an underestimation due to current testing advice.
As of this morning, 1,395 people are in hospital with Covid (up from 1,081 a week ago, of whom 55 are receiving intensive care (up from 44 a week ago).
Dr Gerald Barry, assistant professor of virology at UCD, told The Journal’s coronavius newsletter that Ireland is currently not testing enough people for the virus.
Free PCR testing is currently available for anyone with a positive antigen test who requires a recovery cert, but is primarily targeted at a number of high-risk groups such as people over 55 who are not boosted and those with a weak immune system.
There is currently no public health requirement for most people to test themselves if they have symptoms of the virus. Free HSE antigen tests are limited to healthcare workers and those who need to make a social welfare claim.
Antigen tests are available from supermarkets and pharmacies but can cost in the region of €3 a test if bought individually.
Antigen tests are quicker, cheaper and easier to administer than PCR tests, but can struggle to pick up the early stages of an infection.
Barry said: “People are talking about how [authorities] should switch back on PCR testing, but when you think about the cost of that and the time it would take to ramp it up, I would much prefer them to flood the population with free antigen tests.
It would be much more cost-effective and has been proven to help break chains of transmission in a population.
He added that the public should get back into the habit of routine testing during this period of very high transmission.
“That’s hard now because it’s expensive to do that on a regular basis, which is why I’d love to see it for free because it impacts financially on people to ask them to do something like that,” he said.
We need to accept the fact that we maybe do need to have a mentality of ‘okay, we’re having a wave now of infection, we need to switch back on all the mitigations we used to do’, rather than getting the hump about it and saying ‘I thought we were gotten rid of all this, we don’t need to do it again’.
Waves like this are probably not going to be an unusual or rare thing. You would hope not obviously but I think there is a very real possibility of waves like this coming on a regular basis.
The World Health Organisation’s special envoy on Covid-19, David Nabarro, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that waves like this could be expected every roughly four months.
Barry added that more sustainable approaches are needed in addition to responses to surges, such as an incentive for businesses to implement good ventilation practices, and continued adherence to mask-wearing whenever you are encountering people in a crowded space.
Also speaking to The Journal’s coronavirus newsletter, Monaghan GP Dr Illona Duffy said that people need to be doubly cautious of the symptoms of Covid-19 right now as it is in such high circulation.
BA.2
As the BA.2 variant of Omicron became dominant, Duffy said she noticed an increasing number of people with Covid-19 presenting with vomiting, diarrhoea, aches, and marked nasal/sinus congestion, and highlighted that some people appeared to be taking longer to recover than earlier during the Omicron wave.
The primary symptoms of Covid-19 remain fever, a dry cough, and fatigue, but data from England indicates that following the arrival of Omicron, the most common additional symptoms include a runny nose, headache, sneezing, and a sore throat.
Duffy also advised the public to not rely on a negative antigen test if they are symptomatic.
The government has ruled out the imposition of further restrictions but has not yet indicated if additional protections or other measures will be used to take the heat out of the current ‘exit wave’ of Covid.
“It’s a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said on Sunday.
We’re monitoring the situation very tightly, and really encouraging people who haven’t had their booster to have that because we know that the immunity from the virus wears off.
And speaking today, Varadkar said he viewed the long-term solution to managing future waves of Covid is through vaccination, staying at home if you have Covid, getting a test if you have symptoms, and other measures such as ventilation and wearing a mask where appropriate.
The government still receives public health advice from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, but a new advisory group to replace the now-defunct NPHET is due to be set up ‘imminently’, the Tánaiste added.
The Journal’s coronavirus newsletter cuts through the noise and misinformation to give you clear, accessible facts about the coronavirus, Ireland’s fight to contain it, as well as developments further afield.
This is your one-stop-shop for Covid news during a time when it can be hard or overwhelming to try and stay up to date with the latest.
You can read the latest full edition in full here, sign up to receive the newsletter here or below.
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In my work youd hear someone in the office coughin their hole up for a few days, then hear theyre at home with covid. Then someone who sat near them would go thru the same thing. Coughin for days, then home. Seems like no ones really even doin the basics. Like testing and staying away from people.
@Rob Gale: In our household each of us was ill for 2-3 days before antigens were positive. Thankfully we were home during those days, but some think that if they’re ill and the antigen is negative then they must be ok, even though they are shedding the virus during that time. The messaging around this has been awful.
@Rob Gale: To be fair, I was a close contact and coughing for 3 days as was my partner. 6 tests between us, all negative. Only when we did a swab on the back of throat only, did it show up. Tested negative on nasal straight after a positive on the throat. Don’t know if it’s because it’s a different strain, but the AntiGens aren’t coming back positive based on instructions for the test of a nasal swab.
@Rob Gale: I don’t disagree at all, but I take the precautions, I work outside mainly, and I’ve had it twice since Christmas. It’s a slippery fecker. Also; I think a lot of people’s heads are completely overloaded at the moment. My kid’s teacher is out at the moment. Hy kid’s had it twice since Christmas too and now this morning, he has a slight cough again. I still have symptoms from the second time I caught it in February and working away with them and a negative test every morning. I need the money. I’ve been out too much. End of story. It’s head melting stuff.
@Jennifer Murphy: The messaging is atrocious. There were at least 3 contradicting bits of advice on Radio 1 this morning. You could just pick the one that suited you
@Tom Cullen: funny you should say that. My sister is a nurse who works on one of her days off at the covid test facility, and she was telling me that when any of them use an antigen test, they do like they were taught and test throat and nose. She didn’t even realise that the instructions only ever mention nose swabs until our uncle started showing symptoms but kept getting negative antigen results, so she tested him with antigen the way she was shown and he mentioned how that’s not what the instructions said to do. Anyway, the test was positive, so he got a pcr test done and was positive, but for his own satisfaction tested himself daily as per pack instructions and it was the 4th day after PCR test, before antigen showed positive ( he is more stubborn than I am)
If half are in hospital with something else as stated; then calling them “hospitalisations” in the daily count is, at the very least, misleading and alarming for no reason.
There would be little or no protest to say masks for retail and transport but the government are dithering just like in any change to their guidance . Yet again it is the public saying what should be reversed on today not needing committee set ups while each day at this level is pushing onwards transmission rates up and up . Nobody is disputing the rise correlates with mask removal so why can’t it be called and be decisive . Transport and retail mask use is hardly intruding on our civil rights . If told we need to we will no bother . We as a nation follow rules well but we need to be given the rule first
@Mary O Dwyer: Absolutely 100%. There was a doctor on Radio 1 this morning advising people to; and I quote, “start popping that mask in your back pocket again”. Ten minutes later there was another guest on saying that people should remember that “no mandate means no mask”… As a poster above said, the messaging is all over the place. Our government should know more about this crises than we do. It’s their job. And they are obviously doing it badly at the moment.
@Mary O Dwyer: Id say the new variant and a extra long bank holiday has more to do with the recent surge than the removal of the mask mandate alone. Either way the professionals are happy enough the way things are so far which says alot, particularly when Dr Holohan always errd on the side of caution compared to the govt.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/despite-spike-in-covid-numbers-theres-no-need-to-return-to-social-distancing-rules-says-tony-holohan-41481081.html
35% of new cases are due to unvaccinated people. It is wishful thinking that these people with use an antigen test.
Of course antigen testing won’t break the wave, because a) reporting of ATs is discretionary and b) folk won’t do the basics once they find out they are positive anyway. Its just a let ‘er rip scenario now and unfortunately that means the vulnerable will have to isolate themselves for an extended period, again. Hopefully the onset of good Spring weather with less indoor interaction and increased ventilation of indoor spaces will have some impact on numbers, but it could get worse over the next fortnight or so, before it gets better.
The night we do the census, everyone do an antigen ,said it months ago ,mass testing
I’ve had covid 6 times
@David Haye: you are joking I hope, how can that be possible.
I taught we only had 4 variants.
I only ever got the omicron one myself in January,but was wrecked for nearly two weeks…
I would hope I can’t catch omicron 2 after having 1 .
@David Haye: Was it actually covid that you had (symptomatic each time) or was it how you tested positive 6 times but did not show symptoms every time. It is only CoViD-19 if you show symptoms. If you test positive for the virus, but never show symptoms, you DO NOT have CoViD-19 ( the hint is in the “D” for “Disease” ) , you are a carrier of the virus. So any one who claims they have had covid but did not even have a sniffle, (the usual argument of CoViD-19 deniers) sorry, but by your own admission, you did not have covid!
@David Haye: sorry, hit wrong button before finishibg my comment. However you can contract the virus time and time again without developing the disease, as the body would recognise it, produce antibodies to fight it and knock it out before you woukd even realise you had contracted it.
@Ann Morris Doolan: Unfortunately, you can be infected and subsequently develop Covid more than once, even from the same variant.
Wait until year 4 to bring this in
have your say