Covid-19 testing hubs in Dublin and across the country are set to be stood down in the autumn.
A Government spokesman confirmed the news on Wednesday which will see mass testing hubs closed down to the public in the coming months. The move would mean that people would have to pay their regular GP fee but it’s understood that if a Covid test is recommended by a doctor, the patient will not have to pay the bill which will instead be paid by the State.
A Government spokesman said: “Based on revised public health advice Covid testing will no longer be recommended for the general population. Testing will only occur based on a clinical assessment where a clinician requires the result to contribute to the diagnosis and management of an individual patient, or where deemed necessary by Public Health in relation to the management of an outbreak or specific public health risk.”
Read more: Cops in Spain arrest three Irish people over €2.1 million tarmac scam
At the moment only people aged over 55 or immunocompromised can avail of a PCR test at HSE hubs. The decision was made at Cabinet on Wednesday following advice from the interim Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth.
From the autumn, testing will only occur based on a clinical assessment where a clinician requires the result to contribute to the diagnosis and management of an individual patient, or where deemed necessary by public health in relation to the management of an outbreak or specific public health risk.
The HSE is also developing testing and tracing emergency response plans given the uncertainty about the future of the virus. It is understood that testing will be ramped up if there is a surge in cases and if there is a need to reintroduce mass testing at community level.
Recently the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly warned of the potential "perfect storm" of a severe flu season and a Covid surge this winter. The Department said that since previous changes to public health advice in relation to testing for Covid-19 came into effect on 28 February 2022, the HSE has been developing proposals to transition the testing programme towards a longer-term, sustainable model, rather than the mass testing and tracing programme which has been in effect since early in the pandemic.
It comes as Dublin communities have in recent months seen a high uptake for Covid-19 vaccinations for children, with the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown area are among those with the highest rates of 5-11 year-olds who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 according to latest data from the CSO.
It shows that the area with the highest rate of fully vaccinated 5-11 year-olds is Stillorgan at 53%. Blackrock, Glencullen-Sandyford, Dundrum, and Dún Laoghaire, all of which are part of the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Local Electoral Area are the top five areas in which rates are highest.
Read Next:
- 62 symptoms linked to Long Covid including some scary side effects
- Uptake for Covid-19 vaccine for children highest in Dublin
- 'Assume you have Covid' if you wake up with this symptom
Dublin parents' shock as daughter's headaches turn out to be cancer
Warning as mice and rats enter Dublin homes during summer months
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox
