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Coronavirus testing and screening response times in Ireland should improve, said a senior health official.
HSE Principal Clinical Director Dr. Colm Henry said more work was needed to reduce the time between requesting a test and completing contact tracing, from the current median of five days.
Dr. Henry said the response time for tests performed on patients in hospital settings was around 24 hours, but said that the more complex cases, involving people from the community, took longer than they should.
The Covid-19 daily briefing heard that automating the contact tracking process and steps to make healthcare services’ computer systems compatible would help reduce time.
Dr. Henry’s comments came when medical director Dr. Tony Holohan said he was “optimistic” but “cautious” about whether Ireland’s closure exit plan would start as scheduled on Monday.
Dr. Colm Henry (Ireland / PA Photo Session)“/>Dr. Holohan also confirmed that the public would be urged to wear face covers in certain public settings, such as in shops or on public transportation, as the country began to ease restrictions.
He also admitted that it could be 2022 until an effective Covid-19 vaccine is available, if one is found.
On a day when Ryanair announced the reintroduction of 40% of services in July, Dr. Holohan warned people not to make vacation plans and insisted that restrictions on non-essential travel would be unlikely to be lifted. mid summer.
The CMO and colleagues on the National Public Health Emergency Team are to make a recommendation to the government later this week on whether to begin implementing the five-phase closure exit plan on May 18.
The effectiveness of the testing regimen will be one of the factors considered. Health officials hope to be in a position to perform 15,000 tests a day starting next week.
People will be encouraged to wear face covers in stores and on public transportation (Niall Carson / PA)“/>When asked if a five-day change would undermine efforts to suppress transmission of the disease, Dr. Henry said that the HSE was on track to reduce the time to four days and hoped to complete the process in three.
“We need to improve our performance in the most complex cases,” he added.
“The exercise itself is more complex by definition, we need to improve that performance and I can tell you that there is a particular focus on that this week at HSE to ensure that we align that performance with the less complex contact tracing so that we can give security to people.
“We need to adjust this … it needs to improve.”
The number of coronavirus deaths in Ireland increased to 1,488 today after another 24 deaths were announced.
A further 107 positive cases were confirmed, taking the total since the outbreak began at 23,242.
Dr. Holohan said progress was being made in efforts to suppress the disease, but noted that around 70 people were still in intensive care with the infection and that there were generally 600 people undergoing treatment in hospitals in Ireland.
“I am hopeful,” he said of the likelihood of a positive recommendation to the government. “But I must be cautious that we have more progress to make.”
Dr. Holohan said the health service could be overwhelmed in three weeks if the easing of the restrictions caused an increase in the transmission rate.
“So we must be very cautious as we move forward to avoid a sudden change,” he said.
“There is a very real risk if we collectively make a mistake. And I have to be clear.
Statement from the national public health emergency team
The Health Protection Surveillance Center has been informed today that a total of 24 people with # COVID-19 Have they died.
– Department of Health (@roinnslainte) May 12, 2020
Dr. Holohan has been pointing out for the past few weeks that face covers are likely to play a role in Ireland’s road map.
Today he said, “We see that in community settings there will be a role for non-medical grade facial liners.”
He declined to be drawn to Ryanair’s announcement of the restoration of 40% of flights in July, but expressed concern about the Irish planning summer vacations.
“Our position at the moment, we are discouraging all non-essential travel and I do not anticipate that position will have changed within that time frame,” he said.
Earlier today, the head of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) warned companies not to reopen until they can comply with new security protocols.
Dr. Sharon McGuinness said companies must be sure that they can protect their workers and customers before they reopen.
Meanwhile, a new Oireachtas committee examining the Government’s response to Covid-19 sat for the first time today.
The Oireachtas Covid-19 committee will analyze how authorities and agencies have responded to the pandemic and will take evidence of the state’s response.
The 19-member panel, created last week, elected independent TD Michael McNamara as chairman.
The committee, which agreed to invite Dr. Holohan and HSE chief Paul Reid to attend a meeting, will meet again next week.
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