Those planning visits with vulnerable family members should not rely on Covid testing for their protection, warns NPHET

THE NATIONAL PUBLIC Health Emergency Team has said that it is not recommending people to get tested for Covid-19 as a protective measure before visiting vulnerable family members during Christmas.

Dr. Ronan Glynn said that people should take precautionary measures and maintain a small social network in the lead up to the holiday period.

“We simply would not recommend it as a protective measure. We have always said that a test is only as good as the point at which it is performed if it is done outside of a particular context, “said Glynn.

“If people want to protect their families, protect their loved ones, protect people with medical conditions that they will come into contact with in the next few weeks, there are many other avenues available to them.”

Glynn advised people to keep their contacts to a minimum by meeting only small groups of the same people during the holidays.

“Regardless of a test, if someone has symptoms, if someone feels unwell, they shouldn’t be meeting other people, they shouldn’t be traveling, regardless of the Christmas period.”

NPHET confirmed another 310 new cases of Covid-19 tonight, along with 15 more deaths.

Speaking at tonight’s briefing at the Health Department, Medical Director Tony Holohan asked that people consider restricting their movements now to “ensure the safest possible interaction with your family during Christmas.”

Starting Friday, December 18, restrictions on home visiting will be removed to allow two households to visit a third. Inter-county travel will also be allowed from this date, through January 6.

As of January 7, the measures implemented before December 18 will be applied, subject to continuous review of the virus’s trajectory.

Holohan said he will limit his contacts during the period and has no plans to go out to dinner himself, following a question from a journalist.

“There are a variety of options available to people now. It is important that people plan based on limiting their social context as much as possible, ”he said.

“And what that really means is that you do as little of the various things you could do as possible. Choose from them, make the ones that are most important to you.

“So for some people, the only way they can meet a loved one over Christmas is to meet at a restaurant, and I accept that. But you are asking me the question about myself. I will not do that, because that is one of the measures that I can choose, and I think it will be different for everyone. ”

Professor Philip Nolan, Chairman of NPHET’s Irish Epidemiological Models Advisory Group, highlighted that marginal changes in the level of social mixing can lead to very significant changes in the level of viral transmission.

“The bottom line from this is that we are where we are now. Having 250 cases a day leaves us more vulnerable than if we had 100. But the advice remains the same: if we can keep our social network very small, we can continue to keep this virus under control, “said Nolan.