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THE HSE HAS said that symptomatic people urged to take an antigen test before booking a PCR will be sent out a box of tests in the post.
As part of efforts to ease the pressure on the testing system, new testing and isolation guidelines were announced last night.
Among the changes announced, people aged four to 39 years with symptoms are now being asked to self-isolate immediately and take regular antigen tests instead of immediately booking a PCR test.
People in this group are being told to only book a PCR test after they have a positive antigen result.
As part of this approach, the Department of Health has said it is working with the HSE to have antigen tests available for home delivery to people aged 4-39 from 3 January.
The reasons home antigen tests are being provided for this group is to prioritise PCR testing for those in older age groups, healthcare workers and other vulnerable categories.
In response to queries from The Journal about the further rollout antigen testing, the HSE said that people will be able to book their antigen tests and have them delivered to their home.
“They will receive a box of antigen tests and they should do three tests,” the HSE said in a statement.
They should do the first test as soon as possible, the 2nd test 24 hours later and the 3rd test 24 hours after that. It is very important that anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 self-isolate, if their antigen tests remain negative, they should continue to self-isolate until 48 hours after their symptoms have passed.
The statement adds: “Anyone who has a positive antigen test should continue to self-isolate and book a confirmatory PCR test online with the HSE. If their PCR is positive, this will confirm their diagnosis and they will be reported in case statistics and included in contact tracing as usual. It will also enable them to access any illness benefits and recovery certificates needed in the future.”
The new approach in asking aged 4-39 to not book an immediate PCR has led to questions about whether this would slow the contact tracing process.
Speaking today, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that people who have Covid symptoms and a positive antigen test will be able to list their close contacts through a HSE web portal.
The department later confirmed that people will still be required to have a confirmatory PCR test before they can engage with the HSE’s contact tracing process.
The HSE has a specific page for reporting antigen testing and says new information will be provided on Monday.
“The government has announced changes to public health advice that start on 3 January. We will update this information then,” the HSE says on its website.
Opposition criticism
Opposition parties have called for the rollout of free antigen tests to the wider population.
“There is a shortage of antigen tests in the community and prices are rapidly increasing. What is needed right now is for these to be given for free to all healthcare workers who are on the frontline of this pandemic. I have written to the HSE CEO asking for this to be implemented,” Labour’s Duncan Smith TD said today.
Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane TD also said antigen tests must be made “free and accessible”.
“We need to utilise all tools available to us to suppress the spread of Covid-19, so it therefore beggars belief that the government continues to dither when it comes to a public rollout of antigen testing,” he said.
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One says that you can….the other says that you can’t….The circus is back in town for the New year
@In the paper: exactly
If we are all in this together then why hasn’t the so called government reconvened yet. They honestly think that their elongated hols are more important than people’s welfare
@Barry Lee: says above that Donnelly said this on 1 o clock news on RTE so doesn’t look like they’re on holidays?
@Barry Lee: The government are working, just cause you don’t like them or whatever reason,do you take your holidays, just asking.
You can’t get a pcr test the system isn’t working
@Marty Lawless: yes you can.
@Marty Lawless: be on it at midnight and let the hunger games commence. They’re gone in 20 mins if the site doesn’t crash.
@James Reardon: try gone in 2 minutes!
@Joe Kennedy: no you can’t I have tried for 3 days now but no places available in my town
@Marty Lawless: you can’t get a PCR test at the moment in your town so you meant? Family member here went online yesterday and got one for today no bother.
3rd of January is a complete joke , I,m for surgery on the 5th and my son tested positive on not 1 but 3 antigen tests.3 days later still cannot get a pcr test as they are fully booked. Stephen Donnelly and every other politician that is in power haven’t a clue what they are doing.
The absolute cheek of some shops, antigen tests varying from 7e to 2e.
They should be a set price
@Marie Louise: They should be free. The government are happy enough to throw our money away when it suits them. They could do something useful with it instead and cover the cost of antigen tests.
@Marie Louise: €11 in one pharmacy i was in. Pure greed.
@Marie Louise: If it is too expensive, go to another shop! I don’t mean that flippantly, but you will always get some who try to overcharge (pharmacies!) and you will get stable prices from others (e.g. Aldi and Lidl and a few others). Aldi charges 2.49 per test and they have tests available in most branches. I heard Dunnes also have low prices, but didn’t check myself.
@Marie Louise: Same with the masks when this Pandemic started. If there is one sure thing, there will always be people who can make money from a war or pandemic.
@Dave Barrett: dont forget the sanitiser, I seen a shop in my local town charging €17 per bottle.
@Derek Lyster: The neck of some. You really need to shop around still. At the start I bought a no-contact thermometer online & I see them now in local chemist shops for four times the price I paid.
@Joerg Steegmueller: 2.90 in Dunnes
Why register them? Just tell your close contacts yourself. Then let them decide what to do.
@Bobbymerrigano: if you register them, HSE send out antigen tests. At least by registering them, they don’t have to pay for the tests.
@Niamh Muireannín: Plus they’ll also have a record of being registered as close contact for work purposes, etc.
@Bobbymerrigano: if you register them, it avoids any workplace issues afterwards. A company may not accept the fact that Joe is taking a few days of while he is waiting for a test because Jonny told him they were close contacts. Better of the register them and leave the HSE do the talking after that. You can gjve them a heads up that you registered them, but for the legalities, better the official word comes from the HSE
As you won’t regulate antigen test prices, I assume you or Paschal won’t have an issue with people submitting them as part of their Med 1 claim ? Grand, didn’t think so.
@Mark Sullivan: I didn’t think of that! Thanks
@Mark Sullivan: Good point!
I’ve no work due to new restrictions, reduced PUP payments , cannot get a test – cannot afford to buy antigen test kits …..
@Hugh McCann: It’s odd – people should be able to request them online free & get them by post.
It defeats any point if people want to test for Covid and are expected to trek around the shops for affordable ones.
The Minister for health is completely clueless!
I have zero faith in this government. If your a close contact with no booster but negative antigen tests you are isolating for 10 days. I think. If you have covid you are isolating for 7 days . How is that making any sense. You can’t book a PRC forove nor money never mind being a close contactif with no symptoms.
Headless chickens have been let loose.
36 hours later and still waiting for a PCR test as doctor will not let me near them until I can prove it’s not covid.
The country is a thundering disgrace.
@trebloc01: same thing here we are online constantly but no testing available in my town the hse are a complete waste of time
Stephen who?
Antigen tests need to be made available to all households at the earliest opportunity as the community transmission is at the highest ever since the pandemic began. I have seen some pharmacies charging 7 euro per test or a box of 6 for 40 euro. This is out of the reach of many families financially. They are now vital to stop the transmission as some people are positive but asymptomatic and will only isolate if they receive a positive antigen. The UK has made these tests free and while the level of infection is much higher due to larger population and looser restrictions, people have the choice to take a test and make decisions. There few tests available at the moment and people are waiting days for pcr tests which may ultimately return a negative given the time delay
@Sinead O Donnell: Exactly, it makes no sense to require a positive test result to isolate when we can’t get tests delivered.
It’s like writing to santa…
If you only need a positive Antigen test – which is self-administered – to “nominate” close contacts. And if these close contacts then have to isolate for 10 (or however many) days, could it be a new “social game” to upload the names of all the people that you don’t like that much to land them in isolation for a while? And you could do that numerous times?
Asking for a friend!
So the PCR tests are not the “gold standard” anymore, it seems!? At least not if you are 39 or younger! Maybe PCR tests are – like the bus pass – an seniority privilege!?
@Joerg Steegmueller: I read it that senior citizens have time to attend their GP, but younger people can order them to be posted out? Makes sense to send home tests on request to people so they can stay in.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: I would read it differently. Or do you think they meant to suggest that anybody above 39 is a senior citizen?
Hearing that many places out of antigen tests, but what I found worrying is hearing multiple doctors saying Antigen tests not being that accurate
I might have got it wrong but I think the antigen test result is reasonably accurate when it’s positive. If it’s negative, that isn’t definitive and you can book a PCR which might still detect a positive, being more accurate both ways.
So three Antigen tests over three days if you show symptoms. But even if all three are ngative, continue to self isolate until 48 hours AFTER all symptoms have passed.
So why even bother testing at all? If vaccinated and boosted and you have a cough, sneeze or sore throat, this basically says stay at home away from people until you don’t have a cough, sneeze or sore throat for a couple of days. No need for testing at all. Given incidence, just basically lock us all down completely for 2 weeks and we’ll be done.
Couldnt make it up fella, a disaster from government headless chickens, change the rules because we cant keep up with pcr tests, what a jokestop
It should be for all age groups
More mixed messaging from the government
I had a positive antigen test on Thursday, have symptoms, can’t get a pcr anywhere. Don’t think I’ll bother at this stage it will have gone by the time I get a test
Computer says no, computer says no, computer says no!
I can’t keep up
System overload.. system overload
spoofer extrodanaire.
Does he know what he’s talking about, I don’t think so.
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