Testing facilities across the country for Covid-19 are to be stood down in the Autumn, the Government has decided.
Going forward, a person’s doctor will determine whether or not a patient needs a Covid-19 test. A Government spokesman confirmed the news on Wednesday which will see mass testing hubs closed down to the public.
It means an individual may 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 foot the bill for the test and it will be paid by the State.
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However, this is yet to be finalised, according to a senior source. The doctor can carry out the Covid-19 test on site.
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.”
Currently, 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.
A health source said the move “signals the future of living with Covid” and treating it as another seasonal illness.
The HSE is also developing testing and tracing emergency response plans given the uncertainty about the future of the virus It’s understood an extra 200 staff are also expected to be hired to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) to monitor the disease and to build the system in case a rapid turnaround of test and trace is required again.
A senior source said despite standing down testing facilities, there is still “considerable concern” about the winter ahead with a mixture of Covid-19, the flu and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
But there has been an uptake in the number of people coming forward for booster vaccines and “the message to people will be to stay at home if they have symptoms of Covid.”
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